Water Damage

Water Damage can range in severity from extremely minor to catastrophic for home and business owners. The number one factor that can escalate water damage from minor to major is time. The more time that passes, the more opportunity for additional issues to arise. While you may want to handle water damage on your own, or wait to see how it plays out: you are likely setting yourself up for more repairs and consequently, higher costs.

Spectrum of Severity:

Minor: A small amount of water was briefly exposed to water resistant or easy-to-dry materials.

Intermediate: A sizable amount of water is exposed to easy-to-dry materials in multiple rooms, but quickly extracted and mitigated.

Major: Water floods or submerges an entire property, but is quickly extracted and mitigated. OR intermediate water damage is left unaddressed for an extended period of time.

Categories of Water Damage:

Category 1 - Clean Water: This is water from a clean source, like a broken supply line, leaking faucet, or melting ice. It poses minimal risk to your health if dealt with promptly. However, if left untreated, Category 1 water can degrade into category 2 or 3 over time.

Category 2 - Gray Water: This is water that contains contaminants and may cause discomfort or illness. Sources include appliance overflows, sump pump backups, or untreated clean water that has sat too long. Immediate action is essential to prevent it from worsening into Category 3.

Category 3 - Black Water: This highly contaminated water can cause severe illness due to the presence of harmful bacteria, fungi, or chemicals. Sources include sewage backups, river flooding, or long-standing stagnant water. Specialized handling is required to remove Category 3 water safely and to thoroughly decontaminate affected areas.

Understanding both the severity spectrum and water damage categories is essential in gauging the urgency and type of response required. For effective mitigation and to avoid additional risks, contacting professionals like Dryco Restoration Services for swift action and expert cleanup is highly recommended.

No matter the circumstances, you can always contact Dryco to address water damage that is present due to a leak, and let us walk you through the process of what to do next. We will work in tandem with your insurance provider and any necessary third parties in order to ensure the recovery of your property.

Depending on the source and location of the leak, you may need to contact a plumber to fix the issue as soon as possible.

What is covered is dependent on the specific policy that you, the home or business owner employs through your insurance. Additionally, the source of the claim and the time between the damage occurring and a claim being filed have an impact on what costs are covered.

The role of an insurance adjuster is to determine the nature of the loss/claim, and estimate the payment needing to be allocated in order to fund all explicitly covered property.

At Dryco, it is our responsibility to address everything needing to be restored, and execute all repairs in a safe, efficient manner. Our team will help you navigate the claims process so you have a clear understanding of your specific timeline and costs.

There are many factors that impact the amount of time needed to effectively dry all affected property and materials. As per the IICRC-S500, the industry standard for water remediation practices, the “dry-standard” is reached when the moisture content of affected materials returns to a level within 10% of moisture content prior to a water intrusion. Meaning, materials are dry when their moisture level matches the rest of your home or business prior to any water damage, and is at least below the 16% moisture level. 16% is the threshold that marks the onset of mold growth.

Dryco’s contents cleaning department is capable of restoring soft and hard goods affected by water damage that are not deemed “total loss” or unrecoverable. So, if you are faced with a water emergency that affects your belongings, move them outside of the affected area, and allow our team to evaluate their condition before moving forward.

Items that may not be salvageable include: warped wood, submerged electrical or battery-powered products, and mattresses. These items are typically damaged beyond repair, or retain too much moisture to be cleaned or dried without moisture or odor issues. When the water that infiltrates your property and belongings is gray or black (unclean or sewage water), the higher the likelihood that we recommend their disposal.

With all that to consider, it is important to remember that the most important factor in determining what can or will be saved is your opinion! Items with sentimental value, even those typically deemed unsalvageable, can still be dried and cleaned to the best of our ability. If it matters to you, then it matters to us!

If there are any particular contents that you would like to save, even if they can’t be returned to 100%, letting our team know ahead of time allows us to make sure they are properly taken care of.

If you are in need of emergency services, calling Dryco to begin the restoration process as soon as possible is always recommended. Once you have done so, and our crew is en route to your property, you can contact your insurance provider to begin the process of filing a claim. If you are concerned that the damage may not warrant the filing of a claim, you can still proceed in the same manner, and consult both Dryco and your insurance provider on your best course of action. Our team is here to assist in all aspects of your property damage situation.

Dryco’s experienced team of restoration professionals are not only the most trusted in our area, but in the industry as a whole. We pride ourselves on our ability to provide the most pain-free claims process, shortest project duration, and highest quality customer service.

We operate strictly in accordance with our mission statement and core values, because they define not only who we are, but who we want to continue to be.