Can I Clean Up Flood Water Myself?

8/28/2024 (Permalink)

Maybe you had a water leak from a plumbing problem or from a leaky refrigerator. Maybe we had a major storm, hurricane, or tornado sweep through the San Antonio area. Either way, now your home has water damage. Depending on how severe the water damage, you are probably asking yourself, “Should I clean up the water damage myself or hire a professional?”.  The following are a couple things to consider. First, hopefully, the water damage will be covered by your insurance company. SERVPRO of Helotes / Leon Springs works with all insurance companies in the area and knows what each company is looking for (this will make things easier on you). Second, if the area is not properly and completely dried out, even in the areas you cannot see, the structure will more than likely suffer secondary damage. What is secondary damage? Mold growing in your home is known as secondary damage after a water damage event. Mold needs moisture to grown and it can grow within 24-48 hours.  Time is a factor after a water damage. If mold is already growing in your home after a water damage, SERVPRO of Helotes / Leon Springs can remediate that as well. Give us a call today!

Why SERVPRO? SERVPRO of Helotes / Leon Springs has Great Reviews!

8/28/2024 (Permalink)

When SERVPRO of Helotes / Leon Springs received a call from a homeowner telling us about fire he had in his Helotes area home, we came over right away to assess the damage and the restoration that would be needed. SERVPRO of Helotes / Leon Springs was able to salvage many of the homeowner's contents as well as remove the smoke odor and the smoke damaged objects. It's never an easy process to go through something like that, but we tried to make it at painless as possible for the homeowner. Below is the Google review received. Thanks, Aarron!

"We had a fire in our home. SERVPRO of Helotes and Leon Springs did a perfect job cleaning my home and contents. They were awesome in dealing with the insurance company and making a bad situation so much better!" - Aarron

Here to Help Businesses

7/2/2024 (Permalink)

Our number one goal is returning damaged areas and items to preloss condition, doing all we can to make it “Like it never even happened.” Every professional at SERVPRO of Helotes / Leon Springs is dedicated to restoring both the property and the lives of the customers being helped. Like it was never dirty, like it never overflowed, like it never caught fire, like it never spilled, like it never smoldered–whatever the case, with SERVPRO® our goal is to make it “Like it never even happened.”

References

From large commercial environments to small residential losses, SERVPRO of Helotes / Leon Springs Professionals understand your loss is the job that matters most! We will be happy to provide references so you can feel confident that SERVPRO® is the best system to service your needs.

You Can Trust SERVPRO of Helotes / Leon Springs!

SERVPRO Franchise Professionals Put Property Owners Back in Control. 

3 Myths About Fire Damage Restoration

7/2/2024 (Permalink)

Myth 1: Fire does the most damage

While the initial incineration from the fire can level homes and businesses in a matter of minutes, it is the aftershock of the smoke damage that in fact can be the most damaging. The aftershock of the residual water damage, soot, and smoke can continue to destroy structures and everything within them for days, weeks and months after the fire.

Myth 2: Just “air it out”

Once the initial fire event is over, the most frequent reaction for homeowners and business owners alike is to open all windows, doors and start the fans. Unfortunately, these initial reactions can often make matters worse as waterlogged furniture, flooring, and more can foster mold growth for years to come even if the surfaces do not seem wet anymore.

Myth 3: Everything must go

SERVPRO of Helotes / Leon Springs knows how important your possessions are.  We try our absolute best to salvage what can be salvaged. Adopting a “restore first” mentality is crucial to help lower costs and get you back in your home or business sooner. This process relies upon specialized training and industrial equipment to restore your property and possessions back to pre-fire condition; something in which SERVPRO of Helotes / Leon Springs specializes.

SERVPRO of Helotes / Leon Springs is available 24/7 and works easily with your insurance. Give us a call today.

Protecting Your Roof During a Hurricane

8/31/2023 (Permalink)

How to Protect Your Roof During a Hurricane

Protect your roof. Consider hurricane straps to ensure your roof is bolted to the rest of your house. And inspect your roof tiles or shingles to make sure they are secure. Use roofing cement to fix any loose tiles to prevent them from becoming lethal projectiles during a storm and damaging the underlying roofing material. Seal any areas where wires enter the home, minimizing the chance of water damage during heavy wind and rain.

Trim your trees. Broken limbs could land on your (or your neighbor’s) roof/house or become missiles that can break windows during a storm. If your tree damages your house or a neighbor’s house, your insurance cover the damages, but it may pay only a portion.

If your home is damaged during a San Antonio area storm, call the professionals at SERVPRO of Helotes and Leon Springs.  Faster to Any Size Disaster

Source: Kiplinger

Why SERVPRO?  SERVPRO Uses Industrial Grade Equipment and Cleaning Products on your Home or Busines

8/31/2023 (Permalink)

Certified Professionals at SERVPRO of Helotes/Leon Springs

If your home or business has suffered a water damage event, simply cleaning up the water and opening up the windows will not completely dry the space, leaving your home or business vulnerable to future mold growth (known as secondary damage).  SERVPRO of Helotes and Leon Springs uses industrial grade dehumidifiers and fans to completely dry your home or business.  SERVPRO of Helotes and Leon Springs uses moister testing devices to make sure your walls, closets, and floors are dry before we leave your home and close out the job.  In addition to drying, commercial grade anti-fungal treatments are applied in order to prevent mold from forming.

If your home or business has suffered a fire damage event, air scrubbers are brought in to the area to "scrub" the air clean and remove the chemical and smoke odor. In addition to air scrubbers, special cleaning agents are used to save as many smoke-affected items as possible in your home or business.

If your home or business has suffered a water damage, fire damage, or mold growth event, please do not hesitate to call us today.

Three Probable Causes of a Leaky Refrigerator

8/31/2023 (Permalink)

WATER FILTER

If your filter is not installed properly, or the filter is old or doesn't fit correctly with your refrigerator model, chances are there is a poor connection between the filter and the water supply. To prevent your refrigerator from leaking, check to see if water is escaping due to holes in the filter. Also, check the size and model of both the fridge and filter to ensure it's the correct part for your refrigerator.

DRAIN PAN

Examine the drain pan for any cracks, which is located at the bottom of the refrigerator. If you notice a significant amount of pooling underneath, chances are the pan has a crack and that's what is causing the leak. Replace the pan immediately if you notice any damage.

DEFROST DRAIN

One of the most common causes of a leaky refrigerator is a faulty defrost drain. When the defrost drain is blocked by food particles or ice, it prevents the water accumulated during the defrost cycle to properly drain into the pan. Eventually, water will start to build up. Without anywhere to drain, water will begin to flow right onto your floor. Remove any blockage caused by food particles or ice by flushing the drain with hot water and removing debris carefully.

Source: Roto-Rooter Online

5 Things Never to Plug into a Power Strip

8/31/2023 (Permalink)

What Shouldn't I Plug into a Power strip?

No matter where you live—house, apartment, dorm room, mobile home—one factor remains constant: There never seem to be enough power outlets. This may explain the popularity of multi-outlet power strips, which provide additional outlets and also let you control multiple components with a single on-off switch. There are some appliances, however, that should never be used with power strips because they could overload the circuit and cause overheating or even a fire…

1. Refrigerators and Freezers

Large appliances like refrigerators require a lot of power and frequently cycle on and off, which can easily overload a power strip. These devices should be plugged directly into a wall outlet dedicated solely to powering the appliance. If you try to plug additional appliances into the same outlet, you risk tripping the circuit.  

1. Microwaves

The microwave is a miracle of modern food preparation, thawing, cooking, and reheating food in a fraction of the time it takes a conventional oven. But all that marvelous activity requires more energy than a power strip can provide. Like a conventional electric oven, the microwave should have its own dedicated power outlet.

1. Coffee Makers

You may not think that your morning cup of joe requires that much energy to brew, but most coffee makers need quite bit of amperage to turn those roasted beans into a hot beverage. Plug your coffee maker directly into the outlet or you run the risk of waking up to a half-brewed pot of coffee.

1. Toasters

If you’ve ever peered into a toaster to remove a particularly stubborn piece of broken crust, you know that the inside is basically a bunch of wires that heat up to red-hot temperatures to toast the bread. The current draw that those wires require can easily cause a power strip to overheat. This same issue affects toaster ovens, electric skillets, and waffle irons as well.

1. Slow Cookers and Hot Plates

You might think you're one clever cook when you plug your slow cooker into a power strip to free up outlet space for other countertop appliances, but you'd be wrong. These cooking appliances require more juice over a longer period of time than a power strip can handle. And because the appeal of a slow cooker is that it can operate without supervision, you definitely want to make sure it is safely plugged into a wall outlet to minimize any hazardous outcomes.

Source: MSN Online

Four Ways to Check for Hidden Water Leaks

9/6/2022 (Permalink)

Think you may have a water leak somewhere in your home? Here are some good ways to tell when the leak is not obvious.

1. Pay Attention to Increased Water Bills

Monitor your water bill for sudden unexplained increases.

2. Check Your Water Meter

Pick a few hours when you can go without using the water in your home. Record your water meter before and after. Was there an increase?

3. Toilet Leaks

Put a drop of food coloring in your toilet’s tank. If within 15 minutes or less, the toilet bowl reveals that color, you may have a leak. Make sure to flush the toilet multiple times after performing this test so your bowl does not get stained.

4. Look for Mold

Where there is mold, there is moisture. Something is feeding that moisture. It’s possible there is a leak somewhere.

SERVPRO of Helotes / Leon Springs can assist with restoring water leaks as well as mold remediation. Call today to learn more about what we can do for you.

We Use Moisture Meters to Detect Water Damage You Cannot Easily See

9/1/2022 (Permalink)

Just by glancing at the wall in the picture, one would assume that it is dry. It doesn’t appear to be wet. There is no water around the baseboard and there aren’t water droplets rolling down the wall. However, after a water damage disaster, one cannot make these kinds of assessments based on sight alone, which is why our water damage specialists use the moisture meter. This tool is an essential part of our restoration tool kit. We have two different kinds of moisture meters – one that lets us gather moisture levels from non-porous materials such as plaster and hardwood, and the other has prongs that we use on porous materials like carpet.  Moisture meters allow our technicians at SERVPRO of Helotes / Leon Springs to detect and measure the percentage of water in any given material. Our water damage specialists then use this information to determine which materials have been affected and require the most attention.