Home Renovations Gone Wrong

9/29/2022 (Permalink)

This is the plumbing drain tube that was causing the water leak causing moisture to be detected in the drywall.

This homeowner was doing renovations in her laundry room when she discovered some water damage in the laundry room but didn't know where the water was exactly coming from. She contacted our office in hopes that we could help her out.

Upon arrival, our crew chief took moisture readings and detected moisture on/behind the wall. The technician removed the baseboards, drilled holes in the baseboard line, and set up drying equipment. The technician did some investigating and was able to find the possible source of the leak. The cabinet that was installed above the washer and dryer was right where a plumbing supply would be. So the technician asked the homeowner for approval to remove the cabinet and tear out some drywall. He assured her that if he was wrong that we would repatch the drywall at no cost to her. 

Upon removing the cabinet and piece of drywall there was the source. A drain tube with multiple drill holes in it from where the cabinets were screwed into the wall. The homeowner was so thankful to have our technician be so thorough. We left the equipment onsite for 2 days to allow for the structure to dry properly.

Electrical Malfunction

9/29/2022 (Permalink)

This is the pre- mitigation of the garage where the fire started due to the electrical malfunction in the vehicle.

This homeowner had an electrical malfunction in one of his vehicles and unfortunately had a fire start in their home. They knew of SERVPRO through their great friends (our franchise owners) Greg and Joanne. They immediately called SERVPRO of Western O'Fallon/Wentzville as soon as they filed a claim with insurance.

SERVPRO was immediately on site the next day to begin the initial inspection. They found soot throughout the main level of their home but little to no soot in the finished basement. The remediation began with packing out all salvageable contents that could be cleaned of the present soot—items such as clothing, bedding, kitchen dishes, entertainment centers, etc. Our content cleaners at the warehouse began restoring the items for the family so that they wouldn't be without them for long. Back at the home demo started with tearing out the affected carpet and pad in the rooms and hallways. The next step was to dry sponge all surface areas that were affected by soot including walls, ceilings, cabinets, countertops, light fixtures,  toilets, showers, windows, and any/all structure materials. The garage was a huge part of the home that was damaged due to the fire so the crew spent several days demoing the walls, pulling affected insulation, and inventorying all affected contents. The studs and trusses were cleaned heavily due to being the most affected by smoke/soot damage. The floor was also heavily cleaned due to having a ton of insulation and debris. SERVPRO of Western O'Fallon/Wentzville was able to get the home restored in a timely manner so that the reconstruction team could start their work and get this family back into their home soon.

Why SERVPRO?

9/28/2022 (Permalink)

Part of our great team geared up and ready to go and help a homeowner in need!

Why should you choose SERVPRO and not another restoration company?

Instead of having just two specialties like mold remediation and water damage restoration. SERVPRO offers a lot of different disaster restoration. Services including commercial and residential.

These services include:

• Water Damage Restoration
• Fire Damage Restoration
• Storm Damage Restoration
• Mold Remediation
• Commercial cleaning
• Air duct cleaning
• and many more!

SERVPRO invests heavily in training for its employees. Our highly trained technicians go through extensive training which includes:

• IICRC Training and Certifications
• Employee Certification Training
• Initial Franchise Training
• E-Learning
• and most important, In the field training with the certified crew chief.

SERVPRO also invests in state-of-the-art technology. High-speed air movers cause moisture to evaporate at a faster pace and industrial-grade dehumidifiers pull the water vapor from the air.

Think we could help you or need more information? Give SERVPRO of Western O'Fallon/Wentzville a call today!

636-856-9700

Underwater Basement

9/26/2022 (Permalink)

This is a pre-mitigation photo of the basement where there was standing water that the crew had to extract in order to set proper drying equipment.

This homeowner panicked when he walked downstairs to find his basement underwater. He was quick to call SERVPRO onsite to help with the standing water. Upon arrival, the crew chief walked through the mitigation process to ensure that the homeowner was up to speed with the game plan. While the crew chief was with the homeowner, the crew began setting up the truck mount to get ready to extract water. While extracting the standing water they noticed that there was still water leaking from an unknown source. The crew chief suggested to the homeowner that it would be best to get a plumber on site to find the source and fix the leak if possible to prevent the possibility of the water rising again. The Plumber was onsite and fixed the leak within a couple of hours. The crew began the demo needed, which was the removal of wet insulation. The crew also removed non-salvageable items and made a list so that he could turn it into insurance for reimbursement. Once all demo and disposal of contents were performed the crew was able to set drying equipment. 28 air movers and 3 large dehumidifiers were set for 3.56 days in order to properly dry the structure. At the end of mitigation, the office staff took care of entering and billing the homeowner's insurance company so he could move along with his claim.

Got Water? Give us a chance to make it like it never even happened!

636-856-9700 

Sump Pump Strikes Again

9/23/2022 (Permalink)

This is the basement bathroom after the technicians removed the moisture barrier flooring and set drying equipment to ensure proper drying.

This homeowner had her sump pump fail shortly after having her basement finished. So, it was devastating for her to see her new flooring damaged by water.

Upon initial inspection, our project manager went through the process of what we would do in order to dry the structure properly. This included demo of the affected moisture barrier flooring and detachment of baseboards to dry the structure properly. The equipment was placed for 3 days and monitored every day to ensure that moisture was decreasing and not increasing

When mitigation was finished the homeowner decided to use our contractors for reconstruction. She was pleased that they had quick availability due to the basement being her and her husband's work-from-home space. The contractors were able to get the job done in just 3 days! Leaving the homeowner with enough time to reset her office to start her work week. She was pleased with the work all around that she left us this review!

"Just a couple of months back we had a terrible Monday morning sight! Water from our sump pump was literally fountaining in our basement. We urgently needed someone to come to remediate the water damage. Greg and his team came out quickly and promptly got to work.

Our basement had just been finished the prior fall so seeing 70% of the freshly laid flooring being ripped up was traumatic. Greg and the team were professional and compassionate to our situation. They worked with us and often around us (we both work from home, from the basement, the grossly water-damaged basement). They left no board unturned to ensure they found the full extent of the damage so there would be no surprises later.

Afterward, they worked with me to ensure full compensation from my insurance company and were flexible while I awaited my insurance checks to come in so I could, in turn, pay SERVPRO for the wonderful work they did.

For reconstruction, they recommended a phenomenal team that did a 5 day in just two days, again professional and flexible.

I now type this from my basement office. I can't recommend them highly enough because, looking around, SERVPRO truly lived up to their promise: Like it never even happened."

Commercial Catastrophe

9/23/2022 (Permalink)

Mud and water the technicians extracted and then steam cleaned before placing appropriate drying equipment.

During one of the heaviest rains that this region has seen many offices in this commercial building had water damage and mud left over from when the water did drain.

In order for this company to resume business as normal SERVPRO of Western O'Fallon/Wentzville was on site within an hour of the call and began to assess. Our crew began by extracting any leftover water, steam cleaning the floor affected by mud, tearing out the cove base in affected rooms, drilling holes in the baseboard line in order to properly dry the structure, and setting the appropriate drying equipment. 

Due to the size of this commercial building and the amount of affected square footage, there were a lot of large contents to move in order to extract underneath and dry in place. 56 air movers and 4 large dehumidifiers were placed for 3 days. After day 3 the business was allowed to perform daily duties like the water damage never even happened!

Air Conditioner Crisis

9/23/2022 (Permalink)

This is the window air conditioning unit that had an electrical issue and cause the start of the fire in an upstairs bedroom.

This homeowner is no newbie when it comes to hot and humid Midwest summers, so he decided to install an air conditioning window unit to help cool the upstairs part of his home. While it did help there was an electrical issue that malfunctioned and cause the home to catch fire. Affecting multiple parts of the home. There had also been water damage to the home from the water department putting the fire out. 

During our project manager's initial assessment with the field adjuster, they determined that due to the age of the home it would be in everyone's best interest to get an asbestos test since there was some demo to be done. Once the test results came back it had been confirmed that there was asbestos present in the home. The plan of action from there was to perform the demo needed without disturbing the asbestos. 

Due to the electrical being compromised by the fire temporary power had to be established in order to place the appropriate drying equipment and in order to provide air conditioning to our crew while working in high temperatures. 

Our crew began removing all water-holding materials and debris laying on the floor such as carpet, pad, and any drywall that had fallen onto the floor. Once approval was given, we were allowed to demo the plaster walls affected by smoke/ soot damage. Once all demo was performed, we set air movers and dehumidifiers to properly dry the structure before the reconstruction team could begin work on the home. 

The Storm of the Midwest

9/19/2022 (Permalink)

This is a local highway that flooded due to the rain making it impossible for anyone to travel until the drain was unclogged.

In late June 2022, St.Louis and surrounding areas experienced a storm of a lifetime. The amount of rainfall was historic. In days leading up to the storm, a blanket of hot, humid air draped over the St. Louis area, contributing to an atmosphere heavy with water vapor. as of 7 AM St. Charles county, where SERVPRO WOW is located, had received 8-10 inches of rain and the rain continued. A record 9.07 inches of rain fell in a 24-hour period. it was recorded as once in a 100-year event. 

SERVPROs in or around this region had activated the Wilson storm team to come and help with the abundance of water damage calls.

SERVPRO of Western O'Fallon/Wentzville took care of 48 different homeowners affected by the storm. We had at least 200 calls from homeowners in need of mitigation. Most of these homeowners had to be sent to the storm team for help. We want to extend a huge thank you to all the other SERVPRO franchises that signed up to help our region and thank you to our loyal customers that waited for SERVPRO to come out and make it like it never even happened!

Thank you team Wilson Storm team!

Types of storms

4/29/2022 (Permalink)

a tornado in Joplin, MO back in May 2011

Knowing the types of storms and the potential damage that could come with these storms can help you be prepared for them to happen and what to expect. 

1.) Flooding: Floods occur due to rain and other water rising faster than the drains can handle. Flash floods can leave buildings and roads under several inches of water in a matter of minutes. About 90 percent of all U.S. natural disasters involve flooding. FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) says one inch of floodwater can cause as much as $25,000 in damage to a home.

Ways to prepare for a flood are to pack an emergency kit, move furniture and valuables to a safe place, waterproof your basement, pay attention to flood alerts, and most importantly make sure your homeowner's insurance covers flood damage. If not covered, you could be stuck with the cost of mitigation and repairs. you can also purchase separate flood insurance if you are in a flood-prone area.

2.) Snowstorms: Heavy snow may seem more of an inconvenience than a cause of damage to your home however, heavy build-ups of snow can lead to collapsed roofs or gutters, and blocked drains can cause flooding.

3.) Tornadoes: Tornadoes are extremely dangerous, from the high winds often more than 300 mph, to the debris carried by these high winds. High wind speeds can damage and remove shingles, potentially exposing your roof's sheathing and underlayment. This can leave your home vulnerable to the elements. Missouri is in tornado alley. Tornado Alley is a loosely defined area of the central United States where tornadoes are most frequent.

Stay Safe and Be prepared! 

Have you been affected by a storm and need our help? Give SERVPRO WOW a call! 

(636)-856-9700

Clogged drain Chaos

4/29/2022 (Permalink)

Clogged floor drain surrounded by raw sewage.

This homeowner woke up to a strange smell in his home, so he went around checking all rooms. He did not find anything until he went to his basement and there it was, the cause of the horrendous smell, a sewage backup from a clogged drain. The homeowner quickly called a plumber and SERVPRO as soon as he discovered the sewage. The plumber unclogged the drain in order to prevent more sewage from coming into the basement. Luckily for this homeowner, his basement was unfinished, so he was able to keep costs down a bit. There were a lot of contents affected so our SERVPRO team cleaned and saved as many non-porous items as possible. The items that were unsalvageable were properly documented and turned into insurance for the homeowner to get reimbursement for. With 10 air movers, 1 large dehumidifier, and 1 air scrubber the structure was IICRC standard dry within 3.06 days.

Need our services? Give us a call! (636)-856-9700