Water Damage Restoration Service

Capital Property Recovery provides expert water damage restoration services to all commercial and residential property owners in the area. Call us 24/7 when you notice water anywhere it shouldn’t be in your home or place of business. Our crews are available any time of day or night – even on holidays – to stop the water damage from getting worse (mitigation), and then repairing the damage so your property is back to the way it was before (restoration).

Keep reading to learn more about:

• Mitigation and restoration
• The main causes of water damage
• Cleaning up sewage
• Flood damage in your basement
• The do’s and don’ts of water damage
• The different types and classes or water damage
• How we help with your water damage insurance claim

What’s The Difference Between Water Damage Mitigation and Restoration?

How Does The Water Damage Mitigation Process Work?

The action you should take is to call us now. We are available 24/7 to dispatch a crew to your home or business to start the process of extracting the water and drying out all wet surfaces. This is known as “water damage mitigation” – which means putting a stop to the damage that water causes and preventing further damage from affecting your property.

We accomplish this by doing the following:

1. We will use commercial-grade tools to pump water out, suction it from floors, and dry it up
   using high-powered blowers and dehumidifiers to dry out all wet structures
2. We will remove wet furniture, drywall and flooring that cannot be dried and salvaged
3. We will clean and disinfect any items that can be saved
4. We will check the structural stability of your home or business property
5. We will board up or tarp over any parts of your home or business that have been exposed to the elements
6. Finally, we will test the humidity in each room that has been affected to determine that it has reached an appropriate level of moisture in the air

As you can see, this first step in the process of dealing with water damage is meant to put a halt to any further structural damage (or mold growth) so that the next step can proceed, which is water damage restoration.

The Water Damage Restoration Process

The restoration process has one main goal: restoring your home or business property to its pre-damaged condition.

So, if the mitigation process resulting in your ceilings and/or walls being removed, carpet and/or flooring being torn out, etc., then these structures need to be repaired, rebuilt, or replaced so that you can get back to living in your home, or working in your place of business just like you were before the disaster occurred.

Sounds simple, right? Well, it can be when we’re dealing with minimal water damage that the property owner was able to spot quickly and call for help right away. However, there are many times, for example, when the property owner is away on vacation (or at work) and the water damage is extensive and has had many hours or days to seep deep into the property’s structures. In a scenario like this, restoring is more involved – but don’t worry, we have the experience, equipment, and technology to handle this situation, or even worse.

What Are The Main Causes of Water Damage?

1) Plumbing problems

Of all the causes of residential and commercial water damage we have seen, this is the number one culprit. Leaking pipes, overflowing toilets, clogged sink drains, etc. Plumbing failure happens generally because your plumbing is tucked away inside walls or under sinks where it’s hard to notice a problem…until it become a BIG problem.

2) Leaking roof

Like plumbing, you roof is not something you see very often. So, when it’s in need of repair you won’t know until the problem becomes obvious, which is when water is seeping through into your home or business.

3) Inadequate gutters and downspouts

Your gutters are part of your roof. If they do their jog then rain water is shuttled away from your property’s foundation. However, they tend to get clogged and when they do, they fail to do their job. When this happens rain water comes off your roof and settles right along side your property’s foundation where it can eventually find its way into your basement.

4) Winter’s freezing temperatures

Winter’s freezing temperatures can crack exposed pipes that are not insulated. The frozen water inside the pipe expands and melts bringing water into your walls, ceilings, and floors. The freezing temperatures also cause ice dams on your roof and gutters causing problems when the ice eventually melts.

5) Storms

Storms bring high winds and heavy rain that damage your roof and over-stress drainage systems that saturate the ground around your property. The water eventually finds its way inside to do its damage.

6) Clogged drains

Drains can clog for many reasons. They can be over taxed by a storm or flood, the pipes that are part of the system can be damage by tree roots, or they can result from putting the wrong items down your sink drain or toilet. Either way, the result is water backing up into your home or place of business.

7) Failed sump pump

When sump pumps are working properly they pump groundwater away from your foundation. However, when your sump pump fails it can be the cause of flooding problems. They can fail for many reasons, including: a broken switch, power failure, frozen or clogged discharge, lack of maintenance. etc.

Of course there are other causes of residential and commercial water damage, but this short list includes the causes we see most often.

Need Immediate Service?
Call Us Now For 24/7 Water Damage Cleanup and Repair

Removing and Cleaning Sewage Damage

Damage caused by sewage can be extremely harmful to your health. There are toxic microbes found in raw sewage, which makes removing that waste extremely risky. Not only can it lead to property damage, but contact with sewage waste can also lead to disease.

If the right precautions aren’t taken, exposure to sewage could lead to a contagious illness. This means that you need more than basic cleaning supplies to dead with sewage damage. This damage isn’t something you can ignore either. The space won’t be safe until the area is cleaned.

If a pipe that’s connected to a sewage line has broken, you shouldn’t try to take care of the mess on your own. Paper towels and rubber gloves aren’t enough when it comes to toxic materials. Instead, you need to seek assistance from a professional company that specializes in sewage mitigation. They’ll have the equipment and experience necessary to clean the sewage safely.

Sewage Backups Can Be Caused By:

• Clogs in drains and toilets
• Rainfall and flooding
• Tree roots

Sewage backups can be caused by many factors. Pouring grease down pipes can cause buildups and clogs. Flushing disposable wipes or paper towels down the toiler can also be an issue. Tree roots can be damaging to sewer lines, preventing water from flowing properly. During heavy rainfall, sewer systems can be overwhelmed, which can cause sewage to back up into homes.

If your property has sewage damage, it’s essential for the sewage to be removed by experienced professionals that have the equipment and supplies needed for safe removal. With the help of a restoration company, like Capital Property Recovery, you can ensure that contaminated spaces are safe. Whether the sewage is in your home or business, it’s crucial that the area is fully disinfected.

Do You Have Flood In Your Basement That Needs To Be Pumped Out and Dried Out?

Dealing with a flooded basement isn’t easy. It can be stressful and frustrating at the same time.

Causes of basement flooding include:

• failed gutters and downspouts
• burst pipes
• drainage from ground water
• crack in foundation
• poorly sealed windows
• failed sump pump
• broken, leaking water heater

If the wet area of the basement is small, and the basement isn’t finished with carpeting or drywall it can be relatively easy to cleanup the water by yourself with a wet vac, some towels, and a dehumidifier.

However, if the basement is finished, or there is several inches of water and obvious water damage, it is best to call Capital Property Recovery to come to your home or business, pump out the water, set up professional grade dehumidifiers and high powered blowers to dry up the water, remove excess moisture from the air, tear out permanently damaged carpeting, padding, or drywall, disinfect and sanitize the area, and work directly with your insurance company and get your basement back into pre-damaged condition.

Things You Should Do and Shout NOT Do When Dealing With Water Damage:

Do’s…

• Call for professional help right away – bacteria growth can begin within hours.
• Remove as much water as possible by mopping and/or blotting.
• Remove wet rugs and floor coverings that are not permanently attached.
• Lift draperies off the floor, loop through a coat hanger and place the hanger on the drapery rod.
• Wipe furniture, prop up wet cushions for even drying, and place aluminum foil under furniture legs.
• Move photos and art objects to a dry location.
• Keep books on shelves. Pack them tightly to prevent warping.
• Open drawers, cabinets, and doors to speed up drying.

Do Nots…

• Do not enter a room with standing water until electricity has been turned off!
• Do not use a vacuum to remove water.
• Do not lift tacked down wall-to-wall carpet without professional assistance.
• Do not use electrical appliances while on wet carpet or flooring.
• Do not disturb visible mold.
• Do not remove books from shelves.

Different Types of Water

The Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC), a non-profit organization which sets standards and provides certifications for the restoration industry, has provided information regarding the two ways of classifying water damage events as to the 1) cleanliness of the water and; 2) difficulty in removing the moisture.

1) Cleanliness Of The Water

Category 1: “Clean Water” refers to water coming from a source that does not pose any significant harm to humans.

Category 2: “Gray Water” is water that poses serious health risks due to significant contamination levels of chemicals, mold, and/or bacteria.

Category 3: “Black Water” is very unsanitary and contains disease-causing toxins and organisms.

2) Difficulty In Removing The Moisture

Class 1. This refers to limited water intrusion inside a room that has little sustained damage to it.

Class 2. This refers to when the water has spread through an entire room and wicked up the walls with under 24 inches.

Class 3. Water has invaded sub-floors, floor coverings, structural members, ceilings, walls, etc. They are saturated with water and incurred substantial damage.

Class 4. Water is inaccessible to regular air overs or is bound inside the material. Specialty equipment and advanced techniques are required, along with longer periods of time.

Help With Your Water Damage Insurance Claim

Having water damage in your home or business is stressful. So, the last thing you want to deal with is a property insurance adjuster when you’re not quite sure what’s covered and what’s not.

Fortunately, we have many years of experience dealing with these issues and can act as a go-between with your insurance company. We can speak with them on your behalf and maximize what you’re entitled to under your policy.

We’re on your side, and will gladly work directly with your insurance company’s adjuster to expedite your claim so you can focus on other things.

Need Immediate Service?
24/7 Water Damage Cleanup and Restoration
Call Us Now!

If you ever have water damage in your home or business from either a plumbing emergency, a storm which cause a flood, or a backed up sewer which has left sewage in your basement, you can call us 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for an immediate cleanup team to rush out to you to begin working. Our goal is to get your commercial or residential property cleaned up and restored back to its normal condition as quickly as possible. Call us today when you need the professionals on your side.

AREAS WE SERVE

We proudly serve customers in Anne Arundel County, Prince George’s County, Talbot County, Calvert County, and Howard County, including these towns and cities:

Easton, Crofton, Odenton, Annapolis, Arnold, Severna Park, Bowie, Millersville, Severn, Glen Burnie, Cape St. Claire, Upper Marlboro, Jessup, Edgewater, Harwood, Dunkirk, Davidsonville, Eastport

We also service Sussex County, Delaware, including these locations: Lewes