Preventing All Kinds of Water Damage | SERVPRO of Rock County

6/11/2024 (Permalink)

Call SERVPRO of Rock County when you find water damage on your property for a faster response!

There are few things worse than having to deal with water damage in your home. Water moves quickly, and even a small leak can lead to huge issues as water trickles into every nook and cranny. 

With water playing such a crucial role in our daily lives, it’s important to be able to safely use water on demand. We never really know what Mother Nature is going to do, either—which makes being prepared for potential water issues crucial. 

While natural disasters may still leave our homes wet, there are plenty of ways we can prepare and prevent water from causing total chaos in our homes. 

Manmade Disasters

Think about how many appliances in your home use water. How many of them run multiple times a day? Washing machines, dishwashers, water heaters and refrigerators certainly make handling day-to-day life convenient, but they are also highly susceptible to leaks and other failures. Sinks, toilets and showers are other areas of our home where water damage often starts. 

Pull your large appliances out every few months to clean under and behind them. Check for mold growth, musty odors or soft spots in the floor. 

Make sure water lines look like they are in good shape, and replace anything that has worn out. The faster you can find and correct leaks, the less damage you will incur. 

Check under all of your sinks once a week. With numerous water lines (and what is likely entirely too many cleaning products stored under most of your sinks), leaks can be hard to catch until it is too late. 

Run your hands along the water lines to feel for excess moisture and make sure connection points are all tight. Check your bathrooms weekly, too, to make sure everything is running as it should be. 

Natural Disasters

Regular home maintenance doesn’t just go a long way in preventing water damage from internal leaks, but it can also help keep your home prepared for potential natural disasters. Add a few things to your to-do list in order to mitigate as much loss as possible when a strong storm system is predicted to move through. 

Clean your gutters regularly, especially ahead of winter weather. Clean, well-attached gutters and downspouts can ensure water stays off your roof and out of your home. It can also help prevent ice dams from forming during the winter. 

Make sure your yard has plenty of sloping and drainage so that water flows quickly away from your home. Adding organic materials or a rain garden can help increase the rate of absorption in your yard during even the heaviest rain or a fast snowmelt. Keep debris picked up too in order to avoid any kind of blockage. 

Stay ahead of water damage to keep your home protected. With some simple home maintenance, you can rest assured that you are as safe as possible no matter what happens. 

Do you have water damage in your home? Contact us for fast restoration!

Fire Safety While You Sleep | SERVPRO® of Rock County

1/9/2024 (Permalink)

House roof on fire

The day is done and the house is quiet and cozy—it’s finally time to head to bed. There isn’t anything quite as wonderful as crawling under the covers for the night, but did you know that the majority of deaths from fires happen overnight? 

House fires will certainly never happen at a convenient moment, which is why always being prepared is crucial for protecting yourself and your family. With the proper safety equipment in place and a well-rehearsed 

emergency plan, you can still lay your head down and rest peacefully every night. 

The Right Equipment in the Right Places

We all know how important working smoke alarms are in our home, but do you have enough of them? There should be a smoke alarm in or right outside of every sleeping area and at least one of each level of your home. 

That means if you have converted the garage into an extra room, or any other unconventional space into a bedroom, it’s time to double-check your equipment to make sure they are as safe as possible. 

Along with making sure you have working smoke detectors near your sleeping spaces, closing your door at night can make your bedroom much safer if a fire breaks out overnight. A closed door can keep the room temperature considerably lower during a house fire, allowing for anyone inside the room more time to safely exit or wait for help if there is no way out. 

Once you know that you have enough smoke detectors and you get yourself in the habit of closing your door every night, create an evening routine that clears exit routes throughout your house. 

Remove any clutter in hallways or near doors, and make sure space heaters, stove burners and any other item that warms up are turned off. Unplug as many electronics and appliances as you can as well in order to keep your home safe all night long. 

Create and Practice a Plan

Even if you have smoke detectors, clear routes and closed doors—if you don’t know how to respond to a fire, all of those safety features might not help when a disaster strikes. Spend some time creating an emergency plan with your entire family. Practice this regularly, including at night, in order to ensure everyone in your home can quickly and safely get out. 

Draw a basic floor plan of your home, and plot the fastest route out of each room. Choose a designated meeting spot outside of your home, and make sure everyone can safely get there even in the dark. 

Turn your smoke detectors on while the entire family is at home so that everyone knows what they sound like. Make sure to assign pets and younger children a helper. Whoever sleeps closest to them is ideal to ensure they can quickly help each other out. 

Run a fire drill overnight at least once a year. Be sure to let your neighbors know your plans, too. You want them to know that there isn’t a true emergency when you run your drills, but you also should make sure they know where your meeting spot is. That way if something does happen they can make sure everyone was able to safely get out and help with children. 

You deserve a good night’s sleep. Spend some time protecting your home from fires, even overnight. When you know your home is safe, it is that much easier to fall fast asleep. 

Have you experienced a fire in your home, or want other ways to keep your family safe? Contact us for fast restoration and all the best help.

Prevent Holiday Fires

11/22/2023 (Permalink)

The kitchen is the heart of the home especially during the holidays. It is a universal meeting point to converse while rummaging for a snack and is an essential part of any household. So it should be no wonder to know that nearly 41 percent of fires originate in the kitchen area. Multiple factors can play into the dangers of in home fires, many of which we overlook. We will be going through a list of steps to take when confronted with a grease fire and how to practice the proper techniques to either get the fire under control, or remove yourself to seek help.

Once a fire ignites:

• The most immediate approach you can take is to smother the flames with a cooking lid or cookie sheet. Leave on flame until it has been extinguished and the surface has cooled.
• Immediately turn off the heat source
• Baking Soda or Salt are the only two kitchen ingredients to be used when putting out a grease fire. Never use flour or any other substance to extinguish flames as they can make the fire worse.
• If all else has failed and the fire is still manageable, use a fire extinguisher to control situation.

NEVER USE WATER TO PUT OUT GREASE FIRE FLAMES. Do not attempt to move burning items outside.

If all else fails:

• If you cannot get the flames smothered it is imperative to immediately vacate the home and seek help. Kitchen fires can spread very quickly leaving you vulnerable and reduces your points of exit.
• Close all doors behind you as you leave as it can help contain the spread of the flames.
• Call 911 immediately from a safe distance.
• Never under any circumstances reenter your home while fire is in progress.
• Always have a current evacuation plan composed for your family to know which route is best to safely leave in the case of an emergency.

Home fire loss makes for a long process of recovery as well as the possibility of losing precious items that cannot be replaced. These simple steps and help you prevent disaster from striking and keep your family safe.

SERVPRO is ALWAYS Available

11/22/2023 (Permalink)

SERVPRO of Rock County is available 24 hours a day for water emergencies, large or small. When you are dealing with water damage, immediate action is crucial. A delay of just a few hours can greatly increase the severity of the water damage.

We Answer the Phone Ready to Help
Call Today – (608) 754-7202

We understand that when you call us, you may be feeling confused, stressed, and vulnerable. You need an expert to guide you through this crisis. SERVPRO of Rock County has the specific water damage training and experience to help you through this tough time. We specialize in water damage restoration—in fact, it's the cornerstone of our business.

What to Expect

When you call, we will ask several questions regarding your water damage emergency. These questions will help us determine what equipment and resources to bring, including how many trained SERVPRO Professionals may be needed.

Our SERVPRO Representative will ask several questions:

• Your name and contact information
• Your insurance information (if applicable)
• The street address of the water-damaged home or business
• When did the flooding or water damage occur?
• What caused the water damage (if known)?
• Has the problem been fixed?
• Is there electricity available (on-site)?

About SERVPRO of Rock County 

SERVPRO of Rock County specializes in the cleanup and restoration of residential and commercial property after a fire, smoke or water damage event. Our staff is highly trained in property damage restoration. From initial and ongoing training at SERVPRO’s corporate training facility to regular IICRC-industry certification, rest assured our staff is equipped with the knowledge to restore your property.

What to do in a Fire Emergency

11/22/2023 (Permalink)

SERVPRO® of Rock County wants to share the following information about commercial fires and how safety equipment helps to lessen the damage and can assist in preventing any bodily injury. According to the NFPA (National Fire Protection Association), one of the most common causes of commercial fire is electrical and lighting equipment. This type of fire is not easily predicted, as the lighting equipment can look totally fine on the outside.

Tips and Information:

• If there is a lot of smoke inside the building, cover your mouth and nose and do your best to not inhale any of it
• Building sprinklers should be examined and tested every 5 years
• There should always be a fire extinguisher in reach inside of a commercial building and they must be checked annually to ensure they are in working order
• If an office building is on fire, exit the building immediately and do not try to fight the fire yourself
• Wet pipe sprinklers installed in the ceilings of commercial buildings are very effective in helping to fight the fire(s)

In the unfortunate event that a commercial building does catch fire, rest assured that SERVPRO® of Rock County is prepared to help clean up any fire damage the building/area has sustained.

SERVPRO® of Rock County is independently owned and operated.https://www.nfpa.org/News-and-Research/Data-research-and-tools/Building-and-Life-Safety/US-Structure-in-Office-Properties

How to Keep Your Business Sanitary?

11/22/2023 (Permalink)

Keeping your business open and running can be a challenge during a pandemic. Sanitation of your environment is essential in keeping your staff safe. It is important to clean all communal areas such as rest rooms or break rooms. Keeping shared electronic equipment like tablets, touch screens, keyboards, remote controls, and ATM machines sanitized will help further keep your location clean and safe. Wearing protective face masks that limit the spread of airborne pathogens is also a major step that can be taken to avoid the spread of infection. These few step can help keep your staff healthy and your workplace safe and clean. 

Nasty to Really Nasty Water Damage

11/22/2023 (Permalink)

4 Classes of Water Damage

Classes of Water Damage losses are determined by the rate of evaporation based on the type of materials affected by water damage to your property. Determining the Class of Water is an important first step, and will determine the amount and type of equipment utilized to restore your business. There are four IICRC water damage classifications, they are as follows:

Class 1 - Slow Evaporation Rate 
Water losses that affect only part of a room or area, or losses with lower permeance/porosity materials (e.g., plywood, particle board, structural wood, vinyl composition tile or VCT, concrete). Little or no wet carpet or cushion is present. Minimum moisture is absorbed by materials, releasing moisture slowly.

Class 2 - Fast Evaporation Rate 
Water losses that affect an entire room or carpet and cushion. Water has wicked up walls 12" - 24". There is moisture remaining in structural materials (e.g., plywood, particle board, structural wood, concrete).

Class 3 - Fastest Evaporation Rate
Water may have come from overhead. Ceilings, walls, insulation, carpet, cushion and sub-floor in the entire area are saturated.

Class 4 - Specialty Drying Situations
These consist of wet materials with very low permeance/porosity (hardwood, plaster, brick, concrete, stone, and crawlspace). Typically, there are deep pockets of saturation, which requires very low specific humidity.

At SERVPRO of Rock County, We’re Faster To Any Size Disaster whether it strikes your home or business property. Call us at 608-754-7202 when you need to be served by a proven industry leader.

Top "Uncommon" Fire Hazards in Your Home

9/29/2023 (Permalink)

Things you may think will never happen to you, can happen and can cause major damage to your property.

We all know about the traditional fire hazards in our lives. Unattended stoves, candles, grills, and many more that you should be extra careful with every day. But for every traditional fire hazard you know about, there’s most likely an unusual fire hazard nearby that you might not realize can be an issue. Although these are not typical to cause fires they can happen. Making sure that the below appliances and areas of your property are cleaned properly and regularly can help reduce fires significantly. It’s always important to know what they are so you can properly maintain them.  

• Toaster ovens 
• Pests and critters 
• Heaters 
• Bathroom exhaust fans 
• Air conditioners 
• Range hoods 
• Overgrown trees and shrubbery 
• Dryer vents 
• Unwashed rags 
• Lawnmowers 

These items or appliances can run the risk of doing massive damage to your home if they are not properly cleaned or maintained. Because they’re not traditional sources of fire, it can be easy to overlook them and their upkeep. So, to keep your and your family and/or employees safe do yourself a favor and make sure you do some simple regular maintenance to protect your home and family from unexpected fires. 

If disaster strikes, SERVPRO of Rock County is always here to help with boarding up your property or assisting with making it “Like it Never Even Happened”. We can be reached 24/7 at (608)-754-7202 

Why SERVPRO

11/30/2022 (Permalink)

Why SERVPRO?

SERVPRO is not "if" a disaster will occur but "when" it occurs. We are here 24/7/365 days a year for you or your business.  SERVPRO professionals are here to provide you with quick response time, professional job assesment and to make it "Like it never even happened". 

We are known as a nation-wide leader in the restoration company and small enough to help you with whatever restoration, cleaning or repair job you may need. 

We are a one stop shop.  Give us a call today for an assesment of your damages, if not urgent, and we would be happy to help serve you!

Prepare your Business for Winter Weather!

11/11/2022 (Permalink)

Prepare your business for winter weather!

-Check your business property for downed tree limbs and branches. Weather, such as wind, heavy rain, ice and snow, can cause branches to fall, which could cause damage to the property and potentially cause personal injuries. 

-Inspect property, especially walkways and parking lots, for proper drainage to alleviate flood hazard potential. 

-Inspect all handrails, stairwells and entryways to address and correct potential slippery or hazardous areas. Install mats or non-slip surfaces and post caution signs where water could be present.

-Ask your SERVPRO Professional about starting an Emergency Ready Profile (ERP) for your business. 

What is an Emergency Ready Profile?

It is a "snapshot" of each building owned/managed by a business, that provides critical information for emergency preparation right at your fingertips on your smartphone.