Today we wanted to share two safety tips for you to keep in mind should you ever encounter water inside your home. Of course, the first thing you should do is call a professional to remove the water so that you can be absolutely sure your home is dry and the opportunity for mold growth is at a minimum. After you have called a professional, however, you don’t have to just sit back and wait for them to arrive watching your home be destroyed.
First, know where your main water shut-off valve is located within the house. If you find water inside your home somewhere chances are that you have a broken pipe or something. Your best bet at getting the water to stop is with that main shut-off valve. If you can get to it safely, get it shut off ASAP and this will at least stop it from making things worse than they already are.
The second tip would be to know where your main electrical panel is. Electricity can pose a serious threat to your safety when there has been a flood in your home. As you know, water and electricity do not play nice together. Again, if you can manage to get to your electrical panel safely, do so and shut off any circuits that might be affected by the water. If you are unsure as to whether or not it is safe, don’t risk it. Get out of the house and wait for a professional.
After you have completed steps one and two, you can also begin rescuing any valuable items which may be in danger of ruin. Get them out of the water and to a dry place and take as many photos as possible to document your loss. This is especially important if you are planning to make an insurance claim. You can never take too many photos.
We hope you never have flooding problems in your home, but if you do, we hope these tips help and that we can help if you do have a problem.
5 thoughts on “Emergency Water Damage Safety Tips”
It made sense to me when you said that your best bet at getting the water to stop is with that main shut-off valve. If you can get to it safely, get it to shut off ASAP, and this will at least prevent it from making things worse than they already are. My wife and I are planning to have our brick retaining walls in the garden restored. Due to flooding and other issues, cracks have formed, and they have started getting more damages. We will do your tips to find the best water damage restoration contractor.
Thanks for the advice to locate the main water shut-off during a flood. I have a broken pipe in my basement bathroom and was able to turn off the water with the shut-off valve. I will definitely contact a water damage restoration company to help me with the clean-up.
Oh wow, thank you very much for reminding us to be cautious when handling our primary electrical box during a flood. My basement was filled with rain water yesterday and I’ve been thinking how to drain it. I guess it’s time to call a professional to resolve the issue immediately.
Its great when you reminded to know where your main water shut-off valve is located within the house. I live in a flood prone area and I want to repair the water tank that has been broken beside my house. Thanks for the tips on restoring water damage and I will look forward to hiring a good service for my house soon!
Thank you for explaining that the first thing you should do is contact a professional to clear the water so that you can be positively sure your home is dry, and the chance for mold growth is at a minimum. My friend’s home has been drastically affected by severe flooding. I think it’s best to immediately call cleaning services near her place to let them handle the cleaning of water damage.