After years of handling mold remediation, SteamWay has entered another environmental market, that of asbestos remediation.
You can see some pics below of the containment our technician’s set up. Everything from floor to ceiling is contained with a double layer of 6 mil plastic, seamed together with heavy duty tape. The only part that is not contained is the asbestos affected area.
This job passed inspection, and the environmental company that tested said it was the best containment they’d ever seen! Very proud of our technicians for doing such a good job!
SteamWay is a licensed class A contractor, offering asbestos remediation, mold remediation, and fire and water damage cleanup. We serve central VA, including Lynchburg, Roanoke, Bedford and other cities in our region.
What Homeowners Should Know About Water Damage
The longer you wait to dry a structure, the worse it will get.
This is why water damage is very serious situation for homeowners. Secondary damage starts to take place with the growth of mold in your walls that could lead to serious health issues (asthma, allergies, etc.)
You have up to 48 hours from the time something gets wet until mold will start to grow. After the 48 hours, mold will grow at a very rapid pace. If mold gets out of hand, you’ll need to call a mold remediation professional like SteamWay to remediate the mold to acceptable levels as tested by an environmental company.
To prevent mold growth, it’s important to get everything dry within the 48-hour window. Unfortunately, this isn’t a job you can do yourself, unless of course you have all the proper professional water removal equipment needed. Most people do not have the commercial grade fans and dehumidifiers to dry a structure quickly enough. This is the problem with using box fans and low end dehumidifiers like the ones purchased at Lowes or Home Depot for large volumes of water as is typical in a water loss.
The next thing to consider is what type of water you are dealing with. This is very important when it comes to your health. Water damage can be categorized into 3 levels of pollution:
- Category 1: Water is coming from a clean source. For example, the water coming from your pipes is safe and will not cause any illness.
- Category 2: Water that might cause illness if exposed because of the bacteria in the water.
- Category 3: Water that is dirty and highly contaminated. Direct contact can cause severe illness or even death. Water from sewage backup, overflowing toilet, storm waters, etc.
Also, just because your water might start out as a category 1, doesn’t mean it won’t get worse. Anything that the water touches could contaminate it and could change the water damage to a higher category.
Regardless of the types of water, you’ll still need to call a professional to get it cleaned up.
Water damage is nothing to take lightly. If you’ve had water damage loss call SteamWay at 434-845-2636.
Mold in Crawl Space
You’ll have to look closely, but if you examine the floor joists in this home you’ll see the mold growing. The mold has led to unacceptable levels of airborne spores, and thus the call to SteamWay to remediate.
Most mold jobs we work on are tested by an independent lab, which also writes a protocol for us to follow. Then our trained technicians get to work, following the protocol precisely to achieve an acceptable air quality level once re-tested. We typically get a passing test on the first try.
If you think you have unacceptable levels of mold in your home (all structures have some mold), call SteamWay for a free estimate and to get some quality advice. 434-845-2636
As the weather warms up today after the severe cold snap that came through Lynchburg, there will no doubt be many pipes that were once frozen that will now flow freely into walls, under floors and all through houses.
Some water damage will be subtle, just a pin hole that sprays water slowly down a wall and under the floor. The evidence of the damage may not reveal itself for days to come.
Other water damage will be obvious, and water will gush until the valve behind it is turned off.
Regardless, here are some tips to prevent damage from getting any worse than it already is, and to keep you and your family safe.
- Ensure it is safe to enter the damaged area, turn off breakers/power source if necessary
- Shut off water source if possible
- Remove as much water as possible using a wet-dry vacuum or by mopping and blotting
- Wipe furniture to remove excess water
- Place furniture on blocks or on aluminum foil
- Remove wet contents, clothes rugs, etc. from the area so they can be cleaned and dried
DO NOT…
- DO NOT Use your household vacuum to remove excess water
- DO NOT use the electrical appliance while standing on wet flooring or carpet
- DO NOT Go into any room where the ceiling is sagging
Feel free to call SteamWay Restoration if you have water damage. We are a full service water damage remediation company, and can handle the damage from start to finish. 434-845-2636