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Have you ever experienced leaking or foundation problems during a rain storm? Perhaps your basement leaks a bit or you find water sneaking in around the front door. This is a larger problem in areas where it does not rain all too much or in older homes, so going through ways to improve your home and to cut down on the potential for any rain and water related problems is helpful. Here is a list of ways for you to prep your home before a rain storm.

Sandbags Around the Doorway

For heavier rain storms, consider placing sandbags around the doorway. Generally, pile the sandbags up two to three deep in order to create a barrier. Many cities provide free sand and bags available for residents. Even if these are not available, it is inexpensive to pick this up, so if you have any sort of leaking around the doors (or even garage doors), this is the way to go.

Cover Exposed Soil

If you live in an area with a lot of hills, you need to cover up any exposed soil. Exposed soil is more likely to take on too much water as there are no plants and root systems there to absorb the water.

Should this happen, it can make the soil unstable and cause small mudslides. This really only happens in a hilly area or alongside a mountain, but even if you live in flat lands, look towards covering the soil up to at least prevent overly muddy areas of your property.

Sump Pump

If you have a sump pump, turn it on before the storm hits. The sump pump is an excellent way to push water away from your home in order to prevent it from causing damage to the foundation of the house. A sump pump is usually more often used in locations that receive a large amount of water throughout the year or a property that is located at the base of a hill.

If your home does not have a sump pump and you sustain water leaking into the basement or are at the base of a hill, you might want to look into investing in such a system, it can drastically cut down on the impact water from a rain storm or even melting snow may have on your property and the underground foundation.

Clear the Gutters

Cleaning out the gutters is a must, and you really should do it at least once in the spring and once in the fall. Over time, all sorts of debris can collect in the gutter. From foliage from local trees to birds building nests, there are all sorts of items that can find its way into the gutter. If the gutter is not cleared out it is both going to cause water to spill out in different areas around the house but it can seep up and cause water damage to the roof as well.

These are different ways you can prep your home for an upcoming rain storm. If you’ve suffered any severe damage in the Northern Virginia area, you can always call Drying Tech to restore any water damage.

You wake up to something no homeowner wants to see. Your basement has flooded. A million things go through your head from “How can I fix it?” to “What was ruined?” While you may not be thinking straight there are some common sense things you should be doing. Read More

Insurances can be a pain and we all know it.

When water damages happen, you as a home owner have enough to worry about.

There is so much on one’s mine such as “What plumber should I use?”, “How do I turn the water off?”, “What Water Damage company should I use?” and lastly “Will/should I use my insurance to cover this?”

It is okay because we have all been there.

No one expects a tornado to run though their house but they buy insurance to cover that so why should water be any different.

Before calling your insurance company wait for your plumber and water Restoration Company to arrive and assist you. Sometimes your deductible can be higher than the damage itself so why call and pay more and possibly raise your rates?

At Drying Tech we work with most insurances and help take the burden off of you the home owner.

We strive to make a disaster into something manageable.

We know that there is a lot of clean up and sorting through belongings after they were damages or wet.

We also know that as a home owner you work to make a living so sometimes taking off work can be a hassle. That is why Drying Tech is so perfect for home owners. We work on your time. We don’t give you a 5 hour window and say we will be there when we get there. We give you an hour window and we are there within that time. We don’t want this process to be stressful and a headache so we do our best as a company to make your life just a little bit easier.

Should I Hire a Professional After Water Damage?

People are tempted, even driven sometimes, to take on the cleaning when faced with water damage. Most incidences of water or moisture damage won’t have the daunting impact of a flood or natural disaster. If the damage doesn’t look too bad, or if you have some experience with this kind of clean-up, you might be tempted to save some money. If you are thinking about doing it yourself, you should know there are some very solid reasons to hire a professional water damage company. Those reasons go beyond just saving money. They address your buildings long-term structural integrity, your financial stability and your peace of mind. It is cheaper to deal with a water damage then a mold remediation financially.

Read More

If you own a home with a basement, you’ve probably dreaded the day that you might have to deal with serious water damage. You can alleviate some of your fears by preparing a well-thought out contingency plan that includes the immediate actions to be taken when the crisis is discovered. The most important thing is to act quickly, in order to avoid irreparable damage to your personal possessions and your family’s physical health. Don’t underestimate the amount of harm that a “small” amount of water can cause. You need to really take things seriously at these early stages to prevent a disaster at the end. Read More

Our Team!

The Special Olympics program is a program that provides year-round training and competitions to more than 4.4 million athletes in 170 countries. Special Olympics competitions are held every day, all around the world—including local, national and regional competitions, adding up to more than 70,000 events a year. This year we put our best foot forward and did our first Polar Plunge for Special Olympics and our goal was $1,000. I am very proud to say we raised approximately 1,000 dollars! Thank you everyone who helped raise money for Special Olympics. Many people asked or stated “Are you crazy to go into that water?!?!” or “Why this cause?” Well it is simple, what is a moment of being in freezing water compared to those who have special needs? Some can’t communicate, others have a hard time with noises and/or lights, while others have issues with mobility and have to live that way every day. As our mother plungers would tell you, they were blessed to have healthy babies. Parents of special needs children were not punished nor where they burdened with a child who needs a little help along the way. These parents are some of the hardest working people I know. They are truly great people!

If you want to learn more, please check out these sites. We would love to have you join our team for next year’s plunge. We will be Freez’n for a Reason!!!

http://www.specialolympics.org/mission.aspx?source=QL

http://polarplunge.com/

Why is frozen pipes a problem for homeowners?

Water has a unique property that lets it expand while it freezes.

This expansion can put tremendous pressure on whatever is containing it, including metal or plastic pipes.

Expanding water can cause pipes to crack or even brake.

Pipes that freeze most frequently are:

• Outdoor hose bibs
• Swimming pool supply lines
• Water sprinkler lines
• Water supply pipes in unheated interior areas
  • Basements
  • Crawl Spaces
  • Attics
  • Garages
  • Kitchen Cabinets
• Pipes that run against exterior walls that have little or no insulation are also subject to freezing.

Preventing Frozen Pipes

Before the onset of cold weather, prevent freezing of these water supply lines and pipes by following these recommendations:

• Remove, drain, and store hoses used outdoors. Close inside valves supplying outdoor hose bibs. Open the outside hose bibs to allow water to drain. Keep the outside valve open so that any water remaining in the pipe can expand without causing the pipe to break.
• Check around the home for other areas where water supply lines are located in unheated areas. Look in the basement, crawl space, attic, garage, and under kitchen and bathroom cabinets. Both hot and cold water pipes in these areas should be insulated.
• Consider installing specific products made to insulate water pipes like a “pipe sleeve” or installing UL-listed “heat tape,” “heat cable,” or similar materials on exposed water pipes.

Ideas to keep pipes warm

Open kitchen and bathroom cabinet doors to allow warmer air to circulate around the plumbing. Be sure to move any harmful cleaners and household chemicals up out of the reach of children.

When the weather is very cold outside, let the cold water drip from the faucet served by exposed pipes. Running water through the pipe – even at a trickle – helps prevent pipes from freezing.

Keep the thermostat set to the same temperature both during the day and at night. By temporarily suspending the use of lower nighttime temperatures, you may incur a higher heating bill, but you can prevent a much more costly repair job if pipes freeze and burst.

If you will be going away during cold weather, leave the heat on in your home, set to a temperature no lower than 55° F.

To Thaw Frozen Pipes

If you turn on a faucet and only a trickle comes out, suspect a frozen pipe. Likely places for frozen pipes include against exterior walls or where your water service enters your home through the foundation.

Keep the faucet open. As you treat the frozen pipe and the frozen area begins to melt, water will begin to flow through the frozen area. Running water through the pipe will help melt ice in the pipe.

Apply heat to the section of pipe using an electric heating pad wrapped around the pipe, an electric hair dryer, a portable space heater (kept away from flammable materials), or by wrapping pipes with towels soaked in hot water. Do not use a blowtorch, kerosene or propane heater, charcoal stove, or other open flame device.

Apply heat until full water pressure is restored. If you are unable to locate the frozen area, if the frozen area is not accessible, or if you cannot thaw the pipe, call a licensed plumber.

Check all other faucets in your home to find out if you have additional frozen pipes. If one pipe freezes, others may freeze, too.

To find out more please go to http://www.redcross.org/prepare/disaster/winter-storm/preventing-thawing-frozen-pipes

Or call your local Plumber

Perhaps the most important task to tend to after a flood or fire damage to your home is water damage restoration. It can be devastating when water damages your home because the process not only involves draining excess water, but also repairing parts and items that have been soaked in water for a long time and restoring them to their original state.

What is important when this happens is to make sure that the clean-up, repair and restoration gets started and completed as soon as possible following the damage. When time is limited and you are confused about the mess, the best thing to do is to hire a professional water damage restoration contractor within 24 hours of the event. There are many benefits to hiring a licensed contractor over doing the project yourself. Some of them are described below in detail.

Water damage restoration is quick and easy with professional service

Hiring a contractor can meet any challenge pertaining water damage. These professionals do the entire process of cleanup and restoration quickly and without hassles because they carry the necessary equipment to complete the job. Furthermore, they employ many workers to get it done quickly and handle several aspects of damage as well.

Water damage restoration professionals prevent mold and mildew growth

Professionals know the techniques to prevent mold and mildew from growing on walls, cabinets, windows, doors, basements and other places where water has made its way. They use industrial grade cleaners and safe disinfectants to ensure there is no danger from these elements to you or your family’s health in the future.

If untreated or handled by you, you will be risking health and property value, so it is always best left to professionals. They will take care of preliminary water damage and make sure secondary water damage in the form of potentially harmful fungi never happens.

Professionals offer extra benefits

Some contractors offer reconstruction help as part of their restoration services or they are in partnership with other professionals to do it. Whenever you hire people to work on your water damage project, take the time to research them. Ask professionals for as many references as possible and get at least three verified. Make sure that they meet your requirements. No one likes to crunch numbers but having a budget is another way to determine the scope of the project.

Having water in your basement can cause major problems for your home. The humidity can cause wood to warp and damage the infrastructure, and if left unchecked, can erode the foundation of your home. The good news is that taking care of water in your basement is typically very easy and can be handled by your local professionals. Let’s go over some of the ways that a water damage restoration company can help remove the water from your basement, and some tips on how to prevent your basement from flooding or suffering leakage in the first place.

Getting Rid of Water in the Basement

Basements exist underground, which makes them very susceptible to flooding during heavy rain, or when rivers/lakes overflow. Dealing with major flooding like this is usually handled by the sump pump to remove excess water. Many people seem to think that a sump pump can help prevent flooding, but this isn’t the case most of the time. The purpose of the sump pump is to collect water from around the foundation, and redirect it away from your foundation. Trying to use it while the basement is still in the process of flooding may not be successful depending on how fast the water is coming in, and where you’re pumping the excess water.

If the water levels aren’t massively high, sometimes the problem can be handled with a wet/dry vacuum. This can be dangerous if there are electrical devices in the basement though so your best bet is to call the professionals to handle things for you.

Preventing Your Basement from Flooding

There are several ways to avoid flooding in your basement, some more expensive and complicated than others. The most obvious way is to not build your house or buy a house in an area that is known to flood. If this isn’t an option at this point, you’ll have to look into other options. One such option is having a check valve installed. This will get the water out of your basement when it floods and move it into the sewer. If the sewer is flooded it will hold onto it until it can be disposed of.

Another option is to use a back flow pipe. Basically the pipe will use downward pressure of water that accumulates in the pipe to push out any water that flows into your basement. It may sound complicated but it really isn’t. Regardless of which method you want to use, you should call the professionals to help you get it set up.

When a problem occurs we run to the internet to find answers…not all answers are true. We have found many sites stating to clean mold with Bleach and water or soap and water. These statements can cause more of a problem then they help. For example, When cleaning with Bleach/water you are getting rid of the problem temporary. Only for it to come back later down the road. Bleach and many cleaning products are mostly water. Mold needs Water, “food”, and time to grow.

So please when in need to get rid of mold call a restoration company and get their opinion before you do anything.