How To Change Ceiling Insulation Damaged By Water

Ceiling insulation will not last forever, although it will last for many years. As it gets older it will not only lose its effectiveness but it will become dust-ridden and can become the cause of allergies inside the home. Over the years it is also possible that your attic insulation has become water damaged through a leak in the roof, a leaking water pipe or a water heater that is in the attic and has started to leak.

When your insulation has become water damaged it will have to be removed and replaced with new insulation. Removing insulation, particularly old insulation, is a difficult and messy job and is something that should be left to the professionals. An insulation removal expert has professional grade equipment at their disposal and have had a lot of experience with the removal of the most damaged and moldy insulation.

Ceiling insulation can come in the form of cellulose, fibreglass or polyester batts and they can all result in airborne fibers when they are disrupted. For this reason you don’t want to be carrying the old insulation through the house. If you were to attempt to do the job yourself this is very likely what is going to have to happen. Anyone with allergies will have a nightmare time of it if this is the way you go about the insulation removal process.

So how does the water damaged insulation in the ceiling get removed without causing too much trouble inside the house? The method the professionals use is to run a large hose from the exterior of the house up into the attic to the insulation itself. This is connected to a large commercial scale vacuum and this vacuum is used to suck up all of the loose and damaged insulation.

With the possibility of animal infestation and urine and faeces soaked insulation a health issue, the less contact you make with the insulation the better. This is why these large scale vacuums are the way to perform the task. This will allow as little contact with the material as it is possible to make.

You want the water damage to be cleaned up as quickly as possible and with as little mess as practicable. Calling in the insulation damage experts is the wisest move you can make.

Drying A Water Damaged Timber Floor With Injectidry

There is a technique being used by water damage specialists to dry and restore a water damaged timber floor known as Injectidry. It has been believed by some people that the only option open to them after their timber floors have been damaged by water is replacement. This is not always the case.

The Injectidry system works by placing panels on the floor and sealing them so they are airtight. Hoses are then attached to the holes in these panels and these hoses are then attached to the injectidry system. When the system is turned on suction is formed underneath the panels. This then forces air between the subfloor and the wet timber floor by way of the grooves in the boards and this starts the process of drawing the moisture out. At the same time a dehumidifier is set in the middle of the room to remove the moisture from the room.

As long as the water that has flooded the floor is clean there should be no need to remove or replace the affected floor boards. Another factor that is important to the success of this method is that it is undertaken within 12 hours of the flooding. As long as there are no visual signs of molds forming you can expect that the water restoration system will be successful.

People who have used this method of drying have found that within one or two days the flooring has been dried back to its pre-flooded condition.

The Injectidry system does not have to be limited to drying floors with success also reported when using it to dry out ceilings and walls. The system has been specifically developed to target areas of hidden moisture wherever it occurs. Surfaces that have been coated with watertight finishes such as PVA paint, double-sheeted fire walls, insulation, vinyl wallpaper and floors are all capable of being dried using this system.

The units that are used are the Injectidry HP 60i which is an industrial grade high pressure drying system that is designed to dry inside trapped spaces including wall cavities. The Injectidry HP60FDP is an industrial grade high pressure floor drying package.

Take a look at the Injectidry System in action:



It would definitely be worthwhile checking out the official website of the Injectidry System.

Clean Up Flood Damage Safely

Flood damage is an extreme form of water damage and the majority of people are fortunate enough to live in areas where it is likely they will never be threatened by the prospect of their house being inundated by flood.

In other areas there is a real likelihood that some people will be facing annual flood damage. This may be because they live in close proximity to a river which floods after heavy rain or because naturally occurring phenomena such as hurricanes are common at certain times of the year. Those regularly flooded out would be somewhat used to the clean up process, not that it ever gets easy.

Safety Clothing For Flood Damage Clean Up

When attempting to clean up flood damage you will be handling items that are potentially contaminated with all kinds of mildew or floodwater debris. The potential for sewage to contaminate the water is very real so proper protective clothing should be worn at all times.

The proper protective clothing to use when cleaning up flood damage may include:
  • Gloves
  • Goggles
  • Respirator
  • Rubber boots

Safety Steps When Cleaning Up Flood Damage

A flooded home can be a very dangerous place to be. There are some steps that should be followed to ensure your safety.

Turn off the electricity. The electricity may already be turned off or the power to the area may have been lost, but you must also be sure that the mains power has been switched off to cut all electricity to the house.

If it is dark indoors and you need light to see by always use a flashlight. Never strike a match or use open flames in case there is gas present inside.

If you have a flooded basement along with flooding in the rest of the home, only partially remove the water in the first stages. It is likely that there will be water outside the house pushing in and removing the water from the basement could result in the pressure from outside the house becoming too great, pushing against the basement wall causing structural damage.

Fresh food, medicine and cosmetics that have come in contact with the floodwater will have to be thrown out due to the potential for contamination.

Appliances that have come in contact with the water should be examined by someone who is qualified to repair electric goods to ensure they are still in working order.

It’s bad enough to have to pick through the damage that has been caused by floodwaters that have inundated the home. Make sure you don’t make the situation worse by ignoring simple safety steps while performing your flood damage restoration.

Steps To Kill Mold In Carpet

If you have carpet in your home, you might not be aware that you have mold in carpet. Mold is a deadly fungus and when it settles in anything, be it carpet or walls, it begins to consume items. From there, it can spread to other parts of your house, from carpets through walls, destroying wallpaper, walls and ceilings. When mold takes root in your home, it can be nearly impossible to get rid of, so it is important to ensure you prevent mold before it happens. Since carpet mold needs heat and dampness to grow, it often puts off a musty smell. In addition, mold is very versatile. If it does not have the moisture it needs to grow, it can lie dormant to create spores. Once the moisture is present again, the mold then becomes active and can resume its various methods of destruction. You must take steps to remove mold from the carpet.

If you are looking for ways to get rid of carpet mold, or to completely kill mold in carpet, you should consider your own safety. Protective items such as gloves and a face mask should be worn, including items, which will cover the skin on your arms and legs. In addition, any footwear, which you wear in the area, should be contained to the area, to prevent it from spreading to the rest of the house. While many people do not have negative reactions to mold, other individuals are highly susceptible to the effects. Using carpet cleaning mold ridding techniques you may not be able to get all of the mold out of your house without professional assistance.

If you inspect the area, which is infected with mold in carpet, you should be able to determine just how infected your home is. If the surface area of the mold infection is likely less than ten square feet, you should be able to perform the cleaning yourself. However, if there is a larger infection, it is recommended to contact professionals who can kill mold in carpet.

Even if you do manage to clean up the carpet mold, you should be aware that a water source is needed to supply the moisture, which allows mold to spread. If there is a water source which is making the floors and carpet wet, mold will continue to grow, even after you clean it up. Looking for plumbing leaks in the walls is the first place you should start when looking for moisture problems caused by mold. This is a vital step in the prevention of future carpet mold and should be the first step you take followed by a complete carpet drying process.

Before you begin heavily cleaning up carpet mold, you should cleanse the entire area with some form of detergent, which can be applied with a steam cleaner. Once this is done, the area should be dried completely before you begin more efforts. A strong cleaner like Lysol should be used to rid the area of mold spores.

Another way of ensuring the mold spores are eliminated once the carpet has been cleaned is to use a HEPA air filter that will capture all of the mold spores that have been released into the air.

The process of completely removing mold from the carpet may require a second application of the cleaning product to ensure that every trace of mold and mildew is removed and there won’t be a reoccurrence of the mold infestation.