Drying Crawl Spaces in Teaneck Homes to Counter Water Damage

3/30/2023 (Permalink)

Call the experts at SERVPRO when your Teaneck property experiences water damage.

How Does SERVPRO Address Concealed Areas in Teaneck During Water Restoration?

When water leaks in your Teaneck home, the wetness can reach many problematic areas, including crawlspaces. Leaks can also originate from these areas when a pipe bursts or a joint gives way. Crawl spaces vary, but in general, it is a hollow area under the home floor with a limited height. Whatever the space type or moisture situation, you need a sound plan to dry the affected hidden areas. Some viable moisture management solutions are circulating sufficient volumes of dry air in the concealed area or removing wet materials.

Several problems can develop in your Teaneck home when water damage affects a crawl space. The most common issues include mold growth, bad smell, rot, and pest infestations. Crawl spaces typically get minimal attention, thus allowing the buildup of debris, dirt, and minor structural issues like cracks to develop unnoticed. Also, the internal surfaces in these areas are usually unfinished. Combining these issues complicates moisture management since they necessitate additional actions apart from drying procedures. Our SERVPRO technicians anticipate these complexities when coming to your home, thus preparing in advance on how to handle them.

Other confined areas in a home:

• Attics
• Wall cavities
• Cabinet interiors
• Subfloors

The first step when managing water damage in confined spaces is creating access to facilitate water extraction, cleaning, and drying. Removal of significantly deteriorated materials, especially with mold, is also essential. We can make entry through controlled demolition or by using specialized equipment. SERVPRO offers a significant advantage since our crews are conversant with building procedures, and we bring various handy devices, including prying tools, cutting equipment, and hammers. 

Handling Moisture Issues in Concealed Areas

Extracting any standing water is a priority step in managing water damage. A wet vac or a portable extractor with extended hoses are effective tools for handling the extraction. Cleaning the soils deposited by the intruding water or accumulated in the area over time is also essential since it helps combat mold, bad smells, and other issues related to soiling. Our IICRC Certified SERVPRO technicians can conveniently complete cleaning with multipurpose extractors that combine vacuuming and heating capabilities.

Implementing drying procedures helps remove the moisture absorbed by structural materials and the ground area on the crawl space. The main focus should be on:

• Insulation on the subfloors above the space
• Structural wood framing 
• Concrete on the floor area

The materials, especially wood and concrete, might exhibit a gradient of moisture whereby the core of the material is wetter than the surface. Drying requires surface evaporation and internal moisture movement. Otherwise, you might think the area is dried because the surfaces look dry, only for problems to develop later. Our SERVPRO technicians facilitate uniform dying by supplying heat and sufficient air currents to promote faster drying. Heating surfaces boost vapor transfer in the material while heating the air improves its ability to hold more water, thus sustaining evaporation from the wet materials. We use air movers and space heaters to enhance drying.

While fixing water damage in a crawl space, it can trigger other unrelated problems. In most cases, utility connections such as gas pipes, electrical wiring, and waste disposal systems pass through these areas. Puncturing or severing any of these connections can lead to unnecessary disruption or personal injuries. Our SERVPRO technicians follow an established safety guideline to limit the chances of such issues developing. 

SERVPRO of Teaneck / Englewood can help you deal with water damage in any section of your home "Like it never even happened." You can reach us at (201) 266-0482.