Property Recovery 911 was summoned to perform an afterhours flood cleanup at a home in Levittown, PA resulting from a water a supply line freezing and bursting during a cold snap. In this instance, the home being built on a slab had no basement requiring the builder to run the water supply lines through the ceilings above to destinations throughout the home.
Frozen Pipe Flood Restoration.
The frozen and burst pipe, located within the attic crawlspace over the dining room, was caused by cold air being funneled between the ceiling joists from an adjacent car port canopy directly into the crawlspace. Cold air movement over water supply lines accelerates freezing and is responsible for the majority of flood restoration jobs due to frozen and burst pipes.
Overhead Flood Cleanup
Upon arrival, we found the sheetrock ceiling to be severely water damaged and although water service to the home had been shut off, the remnants of the water still trapped above was dripping through the ceiling fan light fixture. After removing the 8 piece dining set to a dry location and wiping it down, we disconnected the ceiling fan and secured the fixtures electrical connections rendering a potential safety hazard completely safe.
Water Damage Restoration: Preparations
In deference to the health and safety of the buildings occupants as well as the preservation of unaffected areas of the home and contents, prior to commencement of flood restoration procedures, we were compelled to compartmentalize the affected area by building a dust containment barrier. We erected 6 millimeter fire retardant polyethylene sheeting using a zip wall dust barrier system, a combination of double sided as well as preservation tape that was fitted with zipper access for sealable ingress and egress.
Water Damage Restoration: Deconstruction
Following the appropriate preparations and precautions, we began deconstruction of building materials that had sustained flood damage. This included the removal of water damaged sheetrock from the ceiling as well as the wall adjacent to the car port. Within the ceiling crawlspace cavity was a combination of roll as well as blown in insulation sodden and ruined by flood damage that required removal. Finally, underfoot was sodden laminate flooring with water trapped over the concrete slab below that was necessary to eradicate for flood restoration.
Structural Drying Flood Damage
Once deconstruction of flood damaged building materials requiring water damage restoration was complete, our flood restoration continued with the deployment of structural drying equipment within the containment chamber created and remaining in place to protect the unaffected areas of the home as well as the occupants health. In this instance, with the unheated crawlspace funneling cold air directly into the confines of our dust barrier, it was necessary to set up a portable heating system to keep the ambient temperatures within at a level that would not impede the effectiveness of the Dri-Eaz 7000XLi refrigerant dehumidifier used on location. Two axial fans were used in conjunction with a single standard air mover as well as a power distribution center connected to the electric range outlet to convert the singe 220 volt line to multiple 110 volt outlets to run the equipment. This was necessary as the existing electrical power readily available was not sufficient to run our array of structural drying equipment.
Completing Flood Restoration
After 3 days of structural drying, we were able to bring the remaining building materials within 3 percentage points of dry standard, which is a requirement as per the IICRC ‘Ansi-approed’ S500. The S500 is standard and reference guide for professional water damage flood restoration. Providing a specific set of practical standards for flood restoration, the S500 does not attempt to teach comprehensive water damage restoration procedures; rather, it provides the foundation for basic principles of proper flood restoration practices. Upon completion, we removed our, broke down containment, covered the open ceiling and wall with 6 mil fire retardant poly to keep the cold out and set up the dining room so the home could be used until the start of reconstruction.
Property Recovery 911 is committed to assisting victims of disaster protect their interests by quickly removing the source of damage and starting the restoration. Our emergency water damage restoration and preservation services include flood cleanup, fire restoration, mold remediation and board up. We are available any time of day or night 365 days a year with 24/7 live phone support. Contact us at (267) 808-7200 for prompt, professional emergency restoration services.