My House Flooded – Can I Dry it Out?

BLACK WATER FLOODS HOME

After Tropical Storm Eta, here in Tampa Bay, we got a number of calls saying, “my house flooded”.

There were many homes that were a foot and a half under water.

When a storm like that occurs, you’re talking about Category 3, Black Water.

It’s water that’s going to make you sick.  There’s all kinds of stuff, bacteria and nastiness, in that storm surge, and it’s now in your home.

PROFESSIONAL DRYING NEEDED

While I was driving in the area right after the storm I was observing all the storm damage.

But it was only 1 out of every 10 homes where they actually had a professional drying company in their home.

Drying professionally is key to preventing mold growth.

One of the things that is not known broadly, is at Mold Zero we do do the actual drying too.  We specialize in both mold removal and mold prevention.

Mold prevention requires that we are certified and trained in drying.

Our CEO actually trained in one of the top drying academies in the world, Dewald Academy of Drying.

MUSTY HOME EQUALS MOLDY HOME

I went into this home in Saint Petersburg, Florida and it was completely musty.  This means the mold was already growing.

All it takes is 48-72 hours for mold to start growing.

This was 5 days after the flood.  This home owner had his own dehumidifiers going. He had his own blowers going, but he didn’t hire a professional restoration company to come in and dry this place out. If you ever run into a situation where you are about to make a call to say “my house flooded”, remember this number 727-NO-WATER.

The concept of dry to the layman compared to what dry actually means are two completely different things.

USE OF MOISTURE METER

So I put the moisture meter up to the wall and it’s reading 100% wet in terms of that moisture level.  That is absolutely a level where mold is going to start growing, yet to him, it seemed dry.  By touch and sight it was dry, yet the meter was letting us know it was still very wet.

That’s one of my biggest concerns is that people feel their home is safe just because the water looks gone.

Just because the water is gone visually and you don’t see it or don’t feel it, doesn’t mean that it’s actually dry.

Make sure you hire a company like Mold Zero to come and dry out your home.

Here is an easy tip to remember.  If you have a flood in Tampa Bay or Pinellas County call 727-NO-WATER for 24/7 Water Removal help.

If your home is flooded call 727-NO-WATER.