How Long Do You Have to React to Emergency Water Damage in Montecito

Water damage is a person’s worst fears for the home, and it happens so commonly. Emergency water damage in Montecito can be due to flood water from outside, an overflowing bath, or the water heater needing replaced. It’s important to act on the repair work as quickly as possible.

Just how long do you have to repair the work? At what point will you need to do a more extensive repair job due to mold and mildew? Here’s what you need to know about timings.

Work as Soon as Possible

It goes without saying that repair work for emergency water damage in Montecito needs to happen as soon as possible. If you can deal with it that night while it’s happening, then you’ll find there’s less risk to your home’s stability and less damage to items in the space. If you know there’s likely a flood that’s going to happen as it’s “that time of year” for one, then you’ll want to get the water-vacs ready to use.

What if you’ve been away, though? How quickly do you need to work on cleaning up the damage? You could be too late if you have been away depending on how long that water has been there.

It only takes 24 to 48 hours for mold to start forming due to flooding. That’s up to two days from the start of the flood.

Work Within 24 Hours as Much as Possible

If you can deal with the emergency water damage in Montecito within 24 hours, you have a better chance of protecting your home. There may be some items that you can’t salvage, such as books and photographs. However, you stand a chance of repairing your walls, flooring, and furniture, depending on the type of water it is.

If it’s clean or sanitary water, then you can use dehumidifiers and water vacs to help clean up the water and get it out of the home. You’ll want to remove the furniture outside if it’s dry out, giving that a chance to fully dry before putting it back in the space.

After 24 hours, you can start to see permanent damage to items, and not just mold. You’ll start to see items cracking and swelling, and you could see the stability of your home put in jeopardy.

What Happens After a Week?

If you haven’t been able to deal with the emergency water damage in Montecito right away, the work is going to be far more extensive. You’ll find that a lot of your items will need to be completely replaced instead of repaired.

It’s important to get into the drywall to replace all that, and you’ll want to check on any wooden beams and other structures that keep the house standing. Look out for rusting that’s forming on metals and replace anything that can become moldy that you can repair fully.

Time is of the essence when it comes to emergency water damage in Montecito. The best thing you can do is call a professional to help deal with the situation immediately, so the repair job isn’t as big.