I have a water leak, now what do I do?
If the leak has caused water intrusion to allow building materials to be wet for more than 48 hours, then it is likely that some mold has grown. Even if from a single leak. A chronic leak that introduces water onto building materails over time, is likely to cause an even worse problem.
If not dried out in 48 hours, there will be mold
Most water damage events or leaks are dealt with by calling in an emergency dry down company. These companies are typically refferred to the homeowner by their insurance company. The problem with emergency water dry down is that most of the time is is not effective.!.
The image below depicts how typical water dry down efforts are undertaken inside a structure.
A typical action of water dry down companies is to pull off some drywall or try to drill or punch holes in the drywall and install dehumidifiers and air movers. However, what one of our clients discovered, despite that the water damage company told her there was no mold, when she removed the cabinets, what she found was quite a bit different.
NEW VENTURA COUNTY OFFICE
(805) 380-6653
Our clients were told that the emergency drying prevented mold growth. You can see the outline of the desk which was removed 8 months later from the wall. Note that the emergency drying company removed the portion of drywall that was UNDER the desk, but not the desk or the drywall behind it which became wet but was 'dried down'
Emergency drying does typically not prevent mold. Don't trust what you are told without tests to confirm no growth exists. Or this could be your home!
The emergency services team did not remove the desk only the drywall under the desk which is the visible wooden area in the photo. The visible mold growth is the result of not properly removing impacted materials or drying them down prior to 48 hours of water impact. The insurance carrier, covered the water drying, but because the emergency services team did NOT remove the desk, our clients were out of luck and told by their insurance company THEY were responsible for the mold. Had the dry down company simply removed the desk and the drywall, there would have onlly been a small problem. As it is our client was now out over $15,000. Eventhough the bill for ther emergency services was over $10,000, they claimed no responsibility.
Read about how your indoor air quality can be affected by multiple factors. Including, the understructure, ventilation and water intrusions.
