1 Massive Problem Water Damage Can Cause To Insulation

6/29/2020 (Permalink)

It is important to remove wet insulation to avoid potential mold growth.

When wet drywall is apparent, most likely, so is your insulation.   

Behind the drywall of your home is insulation. Insulation is made from glass fiber and is used to help regulate the temperature of your home. When the insulation is not mitigated correctly after water damage, your home can suffer from more significant problems. 

What is the biggest problem wet insulation can cause?

Wet insulation that is not adequately dried after water damage can cause MOLD DAMAGE. When the insulation gets wet, it acts like a sponge and will instantly lose its thermal resistance. However, our water damage professionals know that if it dried out properly, it could retain its insulation properties. 

Act fast when water damage strikes

Wet insulation in your home or business will most likely migrate to the bottom of the insulation and soak all of the surrounding materials, including the drywall and framing materials. If not handled quickly, the insulation and surrounding materials may develop mold growth and decay the wood framing. 

Costs of Mold and Water Damage  

When a customer tries to take care of a water loss on their own without the proper drying equipment, there is a high possibility that the mold will develop. Water damage is not a task for a non-trained individual. Mold on top of water damage can be extremely costly for a homeowner. Hiring a company like SERVPRO is essential to negate the issue altogether. SERVPRO professionals have taken extensive training to understand how to try a structure as quickly as possible properly. Calling a water damage contractor as soon as the first sight of water damage will help relieve the stress of potential mold damage. 

The cost of water damage will vary on a few variables. Our professionals will take into consideration three primary indicators when providing an estimate.

1. The amount of water
2. The amount of damaged materials 
3. The class of the water loss

When our professionals arrive onsite to water damage, we will use moisture meters to detect how wet all contents are. In most cases, we will be forced to cut out parts of any wet drywall and remove the wet materials to allow the contents to dry. 

Our goal for drying any water damage is within 2-3 days. If your home's insulation continues to stay wet after 2-3 days, we will have to remove the materials because wet insulation is highly susceptible to mold damage.  

In the case that we can salvage all of the wet insulation and get it fully dry, we will put the materials back into the wall cavity and patch the drywall. 

You mustn't try to handle water damages on your own. There are different types of water damages, where all of the materials need to be removed. All materials that are the results from a flood or sewage water need to be removed because these types of water damages possibly contain toxins that sit inside the drywall and insulation even after the water is dried. For health and safety reasons, the professionals at SERVPRO of Downtown Atlanta will dictate what type of water loss your home or business has undergone and what is and what is not entirely salvageable. 

Give us a call at (404) 835-0200 if your property has recently suffered from a water damage loss. SERVPRO of Downtown Atlanta is equipped with a team of restoration professionals that can handle any size disaster. 

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