High Humidity Levels could be causing property damage in your Brooklyn home

7/23/2019 (Permalink)

Over time hidden moisture can contribute to high humidity levels, creating ideal conditions for mold growth and other property damage concerns.

Local Brooklyn homes and commercial buildings are at great risk from disaster water damage, it is a top reason for property damage insurance claims in the Boroughs. Water damage from floods, burst pipes, and sewage backups are obvious and require emergency SERVPRO property disaster restoration service right away. However, “hidden moisture” water damage can be difficult to detect and often leads to a considerable amount of property damage and an increased cost for water disaster restoration including cleanup, restoration and repairs.

One concern hidden moisture problems or sustained water damage can cause is an increase in the overall humidity of your property. The EPA recommends keeping indoor humidity between 30 and 60 percent. During warm spring and summer months keeping an ideal relative humidity can be difficult, especially if your property is hiding a moisture issue. If you are having trouble with high humidity in your Brooklyn residence or commercial building “hidden moisture” could be a cause.

Potential problem areas in your property for high humidity are, damp basements, moisture prone high traffic areas, bathrooms, laundry rooms and kitchens with high humidity activities and poor circulation. Common signs of excessive humidity include condensation on windows, pipes, and walls. Over time hidden moisture, for example a slow attic leak or a foundation crack can contribute to high indoor humidity levels and during ideal conditions can cause mold growth and other property concerns to emerge. The possible causes of water damage lurking in your home can originate from many different sources, with varying intensities, contamination levels, and scope of damage. Some of our largest Brooklyn property restoration projects start as small water leaks that cause serious structural and indoor air quality issues over time.

Our SERVPRO of Southwest Brooklyn crews use many tools and techniques to successfully and thoroughly locate and address local Brooklyn area high humidity and other hidden water damage concerns. Calling local SERVPRO restoration professionals can help investigate the source behind high humidity or hidden water damage concerns and inspect for any sign of visible mold or other secondary property damages.

How do SERVPRO property restoration specialists find hidden water?

Our SERVPRO professionals have IICRC certification and extensive training to handle all facets of water loss recovery in homes and businesses throughout NYC. Our technicians double check to ensure success during the water disaster restoration process, our goal is to provide quick and effective service to get life and operations back to normal. We use state of the art moisture monitoring and thermal imaging equipment to locate hidden water damage that could be lurking in your home after an emergency loss or lingering water property disaster.

MOISTURE DETECTION DEVICES:
Our SERVPRO water damage technicians use moisture detection devices, like a stud finder these moisture readers can indicate the presence of moisture behind, ceilings, walls and floors. The devices that our teams use emits electromagnetic waves and measures the resistance in their return to determine moisture content in the affected materials. This sophisticated equipment can help us to decide when structural element could be too saturated or damaged to preserve.

THERMAL IMAGING EQUIPMENT:
Our local SERVPRO disaster restoration professionals also use thermal imagery to indicate the presence of moisture pockets throughout affected and exposed areas of your property. Much of the damage in many water loss incidents can occur out of sight, so seeing a temperature array to detail the presence of moisture and dampness in challenging areas can help to determine the best points for installing drying equipment.

Is Hidden Moisture Causing Disaster Water Damage in your local Brooklyn Home or Business

Hidden moisture or water leaks are dangerous because they can cause serious issues like structural damage and mold growth before they are discovered. Excess water and moisture get absorbed in wood, drywall, insulation, and furniture and can lead to warping, stains, bubbling, and structural deterioration.

Common signs of hidden water damage look like:

Water spots or warping under sink cabinets

If you see water under the bathroom or kitchen sink, it’s a warning sign that you have water damage and potential mold growth around the sink area. If the leak is bad enough, it could cause additional damage to the building structure, including the floor and walls, even if there’s no water present, water spots clearly indicate that pipes under the sink have a slow leak.

Ceiling or wall stains and bubbling

Ceiling and wall stains are obvious signs of a roof, appliance, or plumbing leak, water saturates insulation and drywall, it can also lead to major water damage, that can compromise the structural integrity of the property. Check your roof for damage, broken tiles or puddling, also investigate appliances such as the washing machine, dishwasher, and toilets for leaky spigots that could be dripping water and causing damage.

Squishy or Warping kitchen/bathroom floors or tile

Water damage is not always visible. In fact, it’s more common for damage to occur behind the floor, ceiling, and walls where you can’t see it. Since the bathroom is the most humid room in your home, it’s a common place for water damage and mold growth.

Moisture detection equipment can help our SERVPRO restoration professionals to identify problem areas within your home that could be contributing to your home’s high humidity. Excessive moisture and high humidity can also cause mold to grow and spread in areas behind walls and ceilings where it is not easily detected. If water damage isn’t properly mitigated, mold and other secondary damages can begin to spread throughout your property in just a few days. That’s why it’s important to choose quality restoration professionals to dry and restore your property and take necessary steps to avoid further damages.

Ask SERVPRO of Southwest Brooklyn about a Visible Mold Inspection

The key to mold prevention is simple: moisture control and adequate airflow. If you suspect your Brooklyn property is suffering from excessive high humidity, get in touch with our SERVPRO staff right away. Our Disaster Restoration team can inspect your property for mold and water damage, locate the source of hidden moisture and plan a mold removal and remediation process to get your home healthy and safe, “Like it never even happened.”

Signs of mold in your property are unpleasant odor, health effects or visual signs of mold growth.

If our SERVPRO technicians do discover mold during the inspection and mitigation process, they will evaluate the mold growth and contain any damage to the smallest area possible. They will then physically remove the mold and thoroughly dry any contaminated areas to ensure that the mold does not return. Finally, the technicians will follow established procedures to return the property to a preloss condition.

When your Brooklyn home or business experiences a water disaster issue, or you suspect that high humidity maybe a problem, call our trusted local SERVPRO of Southwest Brooklyn Property Restoration Service Specialists. Our sophisticated tools can make it easy to determine the presence of hidden moisture and dampness in your local Brooklyn property, waiting too long to choose a professional cleanup and recovery service can be a costly and hazardous mistake. Our SERVPRO specialists closely monitor and document all our cleanup, mitigation and remediation steps and make sure your moisture problem is taken care of correctly. To schedule a FREE inspection for property damage, give our SERVPRO of Southwest Brooklyn team a call 24/7 at (718) 375-2388.