Strategies For Water Damage In Anoka

3/18/2020 (Permalink)

“Like it never even happened.”

Successful Strategies for Hardwood Floor Water Damage in Anoka

Anoka boasts unique, historic homes along with high-quality residences of all recent eras. What many of these houses share is the warmth and beauty of hardwood floors. When a plumbing break or appliance malfunction sends water spreading across the polished expanse of your living or dining room floors, you need our well-trained and experienced crews to manage the recovery.

A Many Layered Issue
Water damage to your floors in Anoka is not something an assessor can quantify simply by looking closely. Hardwood floors always have at least two layers, the top a series of strips or planks installed over a subfloor typically made of plywood or particleboard. The decorative top layer might appear dry as water drains away, but that fluid did not disappear. It percolated into the underlayer, soaking the unfinished and porous materials. Our technicians use moisture detection and metering devices to outline the wet areas and collect data on how severe the saturation levels are.

Extraction Strategies
The first options SERVPRO technicians pursue include pumping and wanded extraction. Water deeper than two inches quickly clears with our submersible pumps, and our professional truck-mounted or portable extractors are powerful and highly-efficient versions of a wet vacuum.

Risky Business
SERVPRO changes techniques when the surface water is no longer visible because we know the risks of incomplete water removal:

    •    Cupping, crowning, or buckling of hardwood planks/strips as the wet subfloor provides moisture that wicks up

    •    Potential for mold growth

    •    Structural weakening of the supporting materials

    •    Negative Pressure for Positive Results

Removing the water from the subfloor often involves floor mats tightly sealed and connected to our extraction equipment through a series of hoses, using the negative air pressure generated to suction additional water. SERVPRO technicians monitor moisture levels, moving the mats as needed. When convinced the bulk of liquid water is gone, the focus shifts to structural drying. Air movers and heaters facilitate the evaporation of absorbed water. Dehumidifiers capture the vapor for disposal. To increase the efficiency of drying, we might use 1.6 mil polyethylene to tent areas or loosen selected planks/strips and direct warm air beneath.

Trust that SERVPRO of Coon Rapids / Central Anoka County has the training and equipment to save your beloved hardwood floors from water loss. Call us at (763) 712-9712 to set up an evaluation.

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