24/7 Emergency Service
Water Spigot leaks into Split Level Home
6/17/2019 (Permalink)
Technician Work on Water Damage from Spigot Leak
The Phone Call
The last day of the week, SERVPRO of Black Hawk County got a call for a water damage job. The call was received in the office where our CEO Scott Demuth took down the name, address, and telephone number. He then called Evan, a production manager who was already out in the field, to go to the house to inspect the situation and set a plan of action on how to remove the water. Before Evan arrived at the customer’s home, Evan called the customer to introduce himself and give him an estimated time of arrival. The customer was running an errand so there was a quick coffee stop at our local cafe Sidecar.
The Arrival
After, Evan drove up to a nice neighborhood with newer homes. Evan parked his truck and brought in an iPad, a small black case that held a handheld moisture meter and a thermal hydrometer, and a moisture meter gun or a Hydrosensor. The customer just arrived and was waiting on the front porch. The customer led Evan inside the house. Gary (the customer) started entering the house as he started to talk about the situation in the lower level of his home but was interrupted by the barking of a small, cute dog. The customer warned Evan that his dog isn’t very friendly with strangers but Evan is not scared of no cute dog. He proceeded to introduce himself to Gary (the customer) and went to great details of what he will be doing there.
The Intro
“Hi Gary, I’m Evan, a production manager from SERVPRO. We just spoke a moment ago. I heard you have a water situation in the basement caused possibly by a water spigot. I’m going to go over what to expect by my visit. I will inspect the damage and then after that, I have a few documents that I will need you to sign before we can get started with our services. I have a production team on their way with the equipment so they should be here shortly. Can you show me the location of the water damage?”
The Situation
Gary lead Evan downstairs to a walkout basement. They walked towards a corner by sliding doors leading to the backyard. There was a wall that connected two rooms. On the other side of the room was a guest bedroom. The water seems to have stemmed from that corner. Gary let us know that there’s a spigot outside that seems to be right in between this wall. Gary and his wife had recently started using the spigot to water their outside plants. The other day, his wife went down to the lower level to work on a craft project when she felt the squish of the water by the table near that corner. Gary let us know that there will be a plumber to check it on Monday. Evan took out his handy dandy Hydrosensor and started poking it to the carpet. It beeped loudly, letting Evan know that it was definitely wet. He then walked further from the corner until the beeping didn’t occur to determine how far the affected area was. He then went to the guest bedroom and repeated the same thing. Luckily, the affected area wasn’t too large. He then pulled up the carpet from the corner and noticed a small growth of mold spores. The carpet pad that lay underneath the carpet had a moisture barrier on the top but it did little to prevent the water that came from below.
The Plan
Evan told him that we will start by extracting any water from the carpet and carpet pad. Then, we will cut out the affected carpet pad which can later be replaced. Then, we will spray the carpet and floors with an antibacterial to prevent odor-causing bacteria. The team will also cut out about 15” of drywall which is referred to as a flood cut. This will allow easy access to the spigot for the plumbers and to avoid further growth of bacteria caused by moisture. We will then pull out the affected baseboard and tack strip that have been warped by the moisture. After, we will set up a dehumidifier and air dryers that are strategically placed to dry up the moisture.
The Documents
Evan then read through documents that needed to be signed before the plan can be started. He thoroughly read each document, clarifying any concerns or questions that Gary had. These documents include an Authorization to Perform and Direction of Payment Form, Customer Information Form, and Customer Equipment Responsibility Form. This took only about 10-12 minutes to complete. During that time, Chris our technician arrived with the truck.
Plan into Action
Our other technicians were held back at other jobs but Evan was able to help Chris get the process started. The team did everything as planned while Gary took a break upstairs with the confidence and trust that SERVPRO will make it “Like it never even happened.”
CALL US AT (319) 268-1521
If you have water damage caused by a leak, be confident that we will be there as soon as we can to prevent further damage and help restore your home. Water damage that is left ignored may cause further problems to your home. We have a hard-working team that gets the job done so you won’t have to!