Unnoticed Leak Causes Water Damage inside of House and Crawlspace in Lincoln City, Oregon

Water leaks in a homes or commercial spaces can sometimes go unnoticed. Why you may ask? Due to the fact that sometimes water leaks can be between shared walls within the structure. Therefore, it makes it hard to see the water damage because it’s in the walls. The issue is if water damage goes unnoticed it can cause structural damage and lead to microbial growth. Mold does not take a long time to grow. Under the right conditions it can begin to grow and spread in a matter of 24-36 hours. Hidden water leaks can be difficult to detect. That’s why it’s important to notice any signs of hidden leaks such as staining, peeling/bubbling, warped walls, buckled floors, musty odors, or visible mold. The solution is to call a water and mold restoration company like Disaster Master to help you mitigate the water damage by detecting the moisture in the walls, extracting and drying up the water/moisture, remediate all visible microbial growth and properly dispose of all affected items like insulation, flooring or drywall. 

This week in Lincoln City Disaster Master was working on a house that had a hot water heater leak in the garage. The water leak was within the common wall between the garage and the kitchen. This water damage within the walls was unnoticed. It then started to spread from the wall to under the floors and cabinets in the kitchen. This leak also caused water damage in the crawlspace of the home. Disaster Master responded to this emergency water damage within 1 hour and began to shuffle the homes contents around to prevent the contents of the home from getting affected by the water or microbial growth. Then all of the flooring needed to be removed from the living room and kitchen. There was a HEPA Air scrubber running the entire duration of the remediation to help clean and scrub the air in the home. Once the flooring was removed the crew was able to HEPA Vacuum the mold and remove it with a RMR treatment including spray, scrub and wipe down. The common wall where the leak was, needed all the drywall to be removed and disposed of. In the crawlspace they removed and disposed of all the affected insulation, rodents, rodent feces and existing vapor barrier. All visible microbial growth in the crawlspace was HEPA Vacuumed and RMR Treated to remediate the mold. Antimicrobial was sprayed in the crawlspace to decontaminate it from the rodents.  New six ml black vapor barrier was installed with red tape on the important seams. Lastly, drying equipment such as XL Dehumidifiers and Air Movers were set for 5 days to help expedite the drying process. Overall, the customer was very happy to have the water damage mitigated, mold remediated and rodent decontamination completed in their home. 

If you suspect there might be a hidden leak in one of your common walls in your home or commercial property please call Disaster Master 541-992-2080 today to help you prevent any water and or mold damage.