The Hidden Hazards of DIY Water Cleanup: Insights from Restoration Expert Chad Mallonee

What Are The Risks In Homeowners Cleaning Up Their Own Water Damage?

Discover the unseen perils of DIY water damage cleanup as Chad Mallonee from Hazard Clean Restoration joins us to reveal the complexities that homeowners often overlook. With his extensive knowledge, Chad breaks down the deceptive nature of seemingly dry materials and the alarming rate at which mold can develop, emphasizing the hidden dangers that can escalate into health risks and structural damage. His insights into the nuanced science behind professional water extraction and restoration will leave you questioning the safety of tackling such tasks without expert assistance.

This episode is not just about the risks, but also a deep dive into the advanced equipment and techniques that set professionals apart. Chad walks us through the use of moisture meters, thermal imaging, and the strategic application of dehumidifiers and air movers, making a compelling case for the invaluable expertise that professionals bring to water damage restoration. For homeowners and the curious-minded, Chad's discussion is an eye-opening look at what goes into restoring a home to its safe, livable state, including how insurance often plays a pivotal role in these situations. Join us for this informative session that could save you not just time and money, but potentially your health as well.

To learn more about Hazard Clean Restoration go to:
https://hazardclean.net/

Hazard Clean Restoration
(772) 259-5018

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

family on the road to recovery, one episode at a time. Here's your host and owner of Hazard Clean Restoration, chad Melody.

Speaker 2: 0:14

Explore the potential risk involved when homeowners attempt to clean up their own water damage in an upcoming interview with the owner of Hazard Clean Restoration. Welcome back everyone. This is Garfield Bowen, co-host slash producer, back in the studio with Chad Maloney. Chad, how are you doing today?

Speaker 3: 0:32

Doing great. Garfield, happy to be here, glad to be here. So, Chad, what are the risks in homeowners cleaning up their own water damage? So you know water damage can really take the place from a variety of different methods. You know, from burst pipes, from overflowing tubs, sinks, everything you know. And also you have floods, hurricanes, some natural, different natural disasters. And you know it's understandable at times for homeowners to think like, hey, you know, I'll just do it myself, I'll get a shop vac, I'll extract the water and we'll be good and really restoring that home to a safe and livable state.

Speaker 3: 1:15

It goes a lot further than that. Often materials can look dry but they're actually not dry. They're actually retaining moisture inside. So you can touch it and feel it and it looks completely dry, but it actually retaining moisture inside. So you can touch it and feel it and it looks completely dry, but it actually has moisture inside in there.

Speaker 3: 1:30

And what will happen there is that moisture will release over time, depending on the type of material and the amount of moisture that's in there, and you'll start developing some the bad word the mold issues. Also, it can lead to structural issues and weakening the structure over time as well. You know, with mold. It can start forming within 24, 48 hours after water damage and once it's there, it can be a health menace and it's also, you know, it can be hard to get rid of, depending on the type of water that comes in. Not only could you be dealing with structural issues mold but you also could be dealing with contamination because, depending on where that water originated from, you could be dealing with viruses, parasites, bacteria, those types of things, and you don't want those in your home and those can linger, you know, if they're not clean and taken care of properly.

Speaker 2: 2:28

So I guess there's tools that you have that they probably don't that can see if there's moisture stuck in behind the sheetrock or the wood panel and so forth. Talk about that a little bit.

Speaker 3: 2:41

Well. So it's a great question. It's not just the tools but it's the techniques and training. So you know there's moisture meters that you could purchase and try to look, but if you're not properly trained you're not going to know exactly what the moisture content should be for that given material use. You know thermal imaging cameras and a variety of different methods to really understand where that water is and you know in hidden spots that you can't really see with the naked eye. You know. Furthermore, depending on the type of water, you know that. You know we look at it from the standpoint of the health and making sure that you know we're addressing.

Speaker 3: 3:22

You know, depending on the type of water, you know, like I said before, any kind of microbials that could be now in your home, which is not really where you want them. And then, when it gets to, you know the process of actually removing water out of the materials. You know there's actually a lot of science to it. It's not just as putting some fans on it and anything. There's actually a lot of science on. You know there's actually a lot of science to it. It's not just as putting some fans on it or anything. There's actually a lot of science on. You know taking the moisture out through dehumidification, the different types of dehumidifiers you may utilize and the amount of airspeed that you may utilize, and you know the amount of actually equipment that you would need in a given area to effectively and most effectively remove that water out of the type of material that it's in.

Speaker 2: 4:12

And does insurance usually pick up most of this?

Speaker 3: 4:16

It's a great question Insurance, depending on the cause of loss and what occurred, many times insurance will take care of it.

Speaker 3: 4:25

You know they with insurance they would rather a professional take care of it, because they know that if a professional doesn't take care of it and it's kind of done through like a shop vac or a handyman type situation, that can lead to further damage to that property. It could lead to, you know, mold issues, health issues, a variety of different issues, and the insurance company would rather a restoration company such as Hazard Clean come out immediately and address the water damage than for it to kind of linger and then for the additional either structural damage that the water can cause or the additional health issues and everything else that the water can cause, or mold or whichever. And so when it gets past the initial stage, the cost to actually fix that water damage can increase dramatically. And so that's why insurance companies and most of the insurance policies out there, you know, basically have some language in there that say that you know, you know for the homeowner to address it immediately and not let it kind of linger, you know, linger on.

Speaker 2: 5:37

So they don't want to play with Moe, you know, they just need to get a professional job and let your insurance pay for it, right?

Speaker 3: 5:45

Yeah, because that's exactly what the insurance company would want their homeowners to do is to have a professional come in and take care of it, because then they know, even from a liability standpoint, that now that home is back to its original state, they don't have to worry about it If it's done by someone who's not trained or not a professional in it.

Speaker 3: 6:07

You know they, you, the homeowner, may think that the the home has been, you know, properly dried out, uh, the materials don't have any water in it, but then that that insurance company gets a call maybe a couple months later, and now there's mold issues. And they, you know. So the insurance company had to pay, you know, for whatever work to be done prior. So the insurance company had to pay, you know, for whatever work to be done prior. And now the insurance company has to pay for, you know, someone to come in that's a licensed mold assessor or mediator in the state of Florida to really now address that, and the costs just continue to build. So they just immediately, once they have a water event in their home, call a restoration company such as Hazard Clean. We'll be out there and take care of it and the homeowner and the insurance company, everyone's happy.

Speaker 2: 6:54

So Hazard Clean will get it done for you, right? Yes, sir, Listen, Chad. You have a wonderful rest of the day. We'll see you in the next episode.

Speaker 3: 7:01

You too, Garfield, Take care.

Speaker 1: 7:03

Bye everyone to you, Garfield, Take care. Bye everyone. Thanks for listening to the Restoration Revolution podcast, where recovery starts here. Let us help put your family on the road to recovery. Go to hazardcleannet or call 772-259-5018. That's 772-259-5018.