Bonita Springs, Florida Water Damage

Books and papers that have gotten wet by Bonita Springs fire, flood, and broken pipe can be recovered. It is time-intensive and best left to the professionals, but if you’ve got one or two wet books that

if not dried perfectly you would not fret about, and the time to spare, you can attempt to recover the books yourself.

The most important thing, upon which everything else hinges, is get the book frozen fast. Once the book dries out, the wrinkles and warping are set, and there’s nothing anybody can do about it. But

freeze it, and all damage stops. And the book can stay frozen until you’re ready to handle it.

Wrap the book in a U of wax or freezer paper, or in a plastic bag. It’s best to freeze it at -15F or lower, so if you can get access to a commercial freezer space, it would be a good idea. If

that’s not available, a home freezer will do in a pinch, but the results won’t be quite as good. If possible, freeze the book spine down, and supported so it won’t lean or fall over. If you have

to lay it on its side, make sure that the book is fully and flatly supported. If you have anything under it smaller than the book, the book can and will mold itself to that object. All you will

need is your freezer, a hair dryer and lots of time.

The recovery process is fairly simple:

1. Start with the cover. Open the cover (gently pry loose the inside page, if it’s sticking). Run the air stream from the hair dryer (I’d recommend top settings on both heat and fan) over the

cover, back and forth, top to bottom, and inside and out. When it feels dry and warm to the touch (not hot!) go on to the inside page. Same procedure. Smooth the page with your hand as you work.

Work page to page this way.

2. When the next page starts to feel wet to your fingers, that are not frozen, stop. Stick in a piece of paper as a bookmark, and put the book back in the freezer. Take out the next book (if

there’s more than one) and start on it. Leave the first book in the freezer for at least a day.

3. Covers may soak up more moisture than the pages, so you may have to do the cover several times. Just keep the book frozen, and work only so long as it’s frozen, quitting when it starts to thaw.

4. There are a few circumstances which are a little more problematic than the general procedure I outlined above. You may run into these:
- Art Books.
- Coffee table books.
- Books with a lot of pictures.
- This type of book relies on a particular type of clay-impregnated paper to print the sharp, clean colors of the pictures. The problem comes when this paper gets wet. The clay leeches to the

surface of the paper, and if the book even begins to dry, the clay will bond to itself and form a solid, irrecoverable block out of the book. Therefore, it becomes even more imperative than usual

that the book be frozen before it has a chance to dry. Once it’s frozen, you can proceed as usual, although you will probably have to exercise some caution in turning the pages as you dry them.

Have a sharp knife handy to open any edges that may have bonded.

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A tale of two Bonita Springs water losses.

Scenario #1

A condominium owner in your town has a unit that he rents out during the “season” to help pay his mortgage and insurance expenses. Last month his renter called him to say that the cold water supply hose on the washing machine burst during the night. Before he could wake up, find the main water shut off and stop the flooding there was 1 inch of Bonita Springs water in the hallway to the front door, the kitchen and guest bathroom were Bonita Springs flooded and Bonita Springs water was beginning to soak the living room and guest bedroom carpets.

The owner had the condominium maintenance man pull out as much Bonita Springs water as he could with a wet/dry vacuum, open the windows and run the ceiling fans to encourage the unit to dry out. This time of year the humidity is low and there was a nice breeze with temps in the mid 70’s during the day. At the end of the next day the carpets felt almost dry and all the tiled flooring looked as if nothing had ever happened. The renter went home the following Sunday.

The condo sat empty for two weeks before the next renter was scheduled to arrive and when he did arrive the owner got this call. “The condo smells really musty and the walls are black just above the baseboard”. The renter checked into a local motel and the condo owner called a Professional Bonita Springs Water Damage Restoration Company.

The Bonita Springs Restoration Company removed all the Bonita Springs mold affected materials in a containment, made sure the structure was completely dry, cleaned and treated the structural components behind the walls and rebuilt the areas where building materials were removed. The Bonita Springs Restoration Company then arranged for a Certified Indoor Environmentalist (CIE) to perform an air (clearance) test to document that the condo had no Bonita Springs mold growing inside.

What Happened here?

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Half an inch of standing water in our Bonita Springs living room

A home owner writes; We had driven to Orlando for the long weekend with the kids. The house looked fine when we pulled into the driveway after our trip but when I opened the front door it hit me like a punch. There was half an inch of standing water in our Bonita Springs living room, dining room and kitchen. We all walked in and stood in the puddle that was our home. As I walked to the bedrooms each one was soaked, the carpet squishing beneath my feet. I had no idea what to do.

Thank goodness my wife was still thinking and said where is the water coming from? I ran out the back door and shut off the main water supply to the house and felt momentary relief. Now what!

This is a much too common experience for Bonita Springs Florida homeowners. Some think it is just bad luck but I say it is lack of preparation and planning. In this particular case the problem was a water supply line failure in the kitchen but there are many potential water lines and hose that can flood your entire home in a weekend.

First and foremost, do you know where the main water shut off is for your house? If a plumbing line failed, even when you are at home, it could cause substantial Bonita Springs Florida Water damage before you could figure it out and shut the water off. Find your main water shut off and show everyone in your family where it is and how to operate the valve.

If you have a Bonita Springs Florida flood in your home, be sure to call a restoration company that will dry your home properly. Drying a structure requires technical training and specialized equipment. Ask if your Bonita Springs Florida Water Damage restoration company has technicians trained and certified by IICRC, The Institute of Cleaning and Restoration Certification. Restoration experts can often save cherished possessions and will speed your recovery time. Proper drying of your Bonita Springs Florida home structure is the key to preventing mold growth.

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Do you live in an area that is likely to be affected by Bonita Springs flooding?

Do you live in an area that is likely to be affected by Bonita Springs flooding? If yes, then you need to purchase flood insurance. This is a requirement from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

It is true that people who live in a relatively dry climate are still victims of flooding. It is important to but Bonita Springs flood insurance to cover damages that may result from storms, melting snow, inadequate or overloaded drains or hurricane non-wind damages.

The regular home owners insurance does not cover your home and property against Bonita Springs water damages. Statistics show that about twenty five percent of Bonita Springs flood claims are filed by people that have low to moderate risk of flooding. You cannot add flood coverage to your home owner’s insurance policy as a rider. You must buy this Bonita Springs Flood coverage from an insurer associated with the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).

This coverage can be purchased at any time unless the threat of flooding is imminent. There is a thirty day waiting period before Bonita Springs flood insurance becomes active.

Bonita Springs Flooding is defined by the National Flood Insurance Program as a general and temporary condition of partial or complete inundation of two or more acres of normally dry land area or two or more properties (at least one of which is your property from: Overflow of inland waters, unusual and rapid accumulation or runoff of surface waters from ANY SOURCE, and mudflows.

This can be brought on by landslides, a hurricane, earthquakes, or other natural disasters that influence Bonita Springs flooding, but while a homeowner may, for example, have earthquake coverage, that coverage may not cover Bonita Springs floods as a result of earthquakes.

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Finding the source of a water leak in your Bonita Springs home

Finding the source of a water leak in your Bonita Springs home can be a monumental challenge.

Here in Bonita Springs Florida we have a sub tropical weather pattern. That means every year we have several months of torrential rains driven by high winds. During this rainy season we experience daily thunder storms. These wind driven rain storms create extreme conditions that may cause water intrusions into your Bonita Springs home that are unique to this area.

There are several problem areas that are common to a typical concrete block construction home with a hip roof here in Bonita Springs Florida.

The Bonita Springs Roof: Asphalt shingle roofing is held in place with roofing nails and adheres to the neighboring shingle with asphalt sealant. This sealant degrades over time with the intense sun and heat of Bonita Springs Florida. Hip roofs, though designed to resist lift in a hurricane situation, create more outside corners on the roof. These outside corners must be capped with cut shingles. This is a weak spot for water penetration. The high winds of a storm can lift a shingle and driving rain penetrates under the shingle to the roof sheathing below. Once water has penetrated to the plywood roof deck it may drip straight down or travel along a roof truss until an obstacle stops the flow and a drip occurs there. The drip penetrates the insulation in your Bonita Springs attic space and shows up a spot on your drywall ceiling. If the paper on the drywall or the paper backing on your insulation stays wet more than a few days mold growth can begin. The same process can occur with tile roofing but tiled roofs are more water penetration resistant.

Bonita Springs Roof Soffits and flashing: Extreme horizontal winds can drive rain through the roof soffits and into the attic space. Once into the Bonita Springs attic space water will wet insulation and the drywall that is your interior ceiling. Similarly lifting of the bottom course of shingles past the flashing will expose the roof sheathing to wetting.

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Most people associate Bonita Springs water damage with hurricanes and wind blown rain

In Bonita Springs, most people associate water damage with hurricanes and wind blown rain but in fact, most Bonita Springs Water Damages occur from plumbing leaks and appliance failure.

The most common sources of Bonita Springs Water Damage from water leaks and ruptures are:

- Water heater tank or fitting leak or rupture

- Washing machine supply hose leaks or rupture

- Washing machine pump out hose coming out of drain

- Ice maker line leaks or disconnection

- Toilet and sink supply lines leak or rupture

- Damaged wax ring on toilets

- Cracked tanks on toilets

- Air Handler condensation drain line blockage

- Tears and leaks in A/C ducting causing condensation

- Copper plumbing lines corrosion or solder failure

- Plastic plumbing lines cracks or glued fitting failure

- Gutter backup or improper installation

- Stucco cracks around windows and doors

- Roof shingle cracking from heat and weather damage

- Roof flashing and drip edge damage and cracking of seal

Whether a slow drip or a rush of pressurized water the damage is the same. Bonita Springs Water Damage wets flooring, drywall, cabinets, base molding, doors and wood casings. If these building materials are not dried out quickly and thoroughly mold growth can occur in as little as 48 hours. Water will structurally damage particle board in cabinets and furniture. Water will rot and delaminate plywood and OSB. Water will weaken and delaminate the backing of your carpeting. Water will warp and crack base molding and wood interior doors. Water will encourage mold growth on the paper face and backing of drywall. Any water leak in an Bonita Springs home must be dried quickly and completely to prevent damage to building materials, furnishings and cabinetry.

The science of drying is called psychometrics. The concept involves a containment known as “the envelope”. In this envelope heat and air movement encourage wet materials to release their water content in the form of humidity. High speed air movers force air across wet surfaces at a shallow angle which creates low pressure at the material surface. This literally pulls the moisture out of the material and into the air in the form of humidity. This humidity is captured by an LGR “low grain refrigerant” dehumidifier and pumped into a sink or floor drain. This dehumidifier can remove 62 pints or 7.75 gallons in 24 hours from the air in the drying envelope.

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Bonita Springs Water Damage: After a fire, flood or plumbing failure

Bonita Springs Water Damage: After a fire, flood or plumbing failure, fast action to dry out and restore Bonita Springs Water Damaged areas can mean saving thousands of dollars in loss structural components, electrical equipment, paper documents and furnishings.

The Bonita Springs Water Damage may be imperceptibly slow and minor such as water spots that could eventually mar a surface, or it may be instantaneous and catastrophic such as flooding. However fast it occurs, Bonita Springs Water Damage is a very major contributor to loss of property.

Bonita Springs Water Damage is typically classified into one of the following three categories:

Category 1 Bonita Springs Water Damage – Refers to a source of water that does not pose substantial threat to humans and classified as “Clean Water”. Examples are broken water supply lines, tub or sink overflows or appliance malfunctions that involves water supply lines.

Category 2 Bonita Springs Water Damage – Refers to a source of water that contains a significant degree of chemical, biological or physical contaminants and causes discomfort or sickness when exposed or even consumed. Known as “Grey Water”. This type carries micro organisms and nutrients of micro organisms. Examples are toilet bowls with urine (no feces), sump pump failures, seepage due to hydrostatic failure and water discharge from dishwashers or washing machines.

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