Dealing with Property Insurance Claims

Water Damage Austin Texas

When disaster strikes, many homeowners are left with an overwhelming task - picking up, repairing, and ultimately restoring their homes to its previous condition. The process and - most of all - cost may seem daunting, but with home insurance, your policy may cover the damage. However, claiming the disaster isn’t typically fun and easy, but there are certainly tips to make the process go more smoothly!

The first step in any disaster is to know about your insurance policy - if you’re unsure of what is or isn’t insured around your house, read over the policy until you become familiar. If you don’t have a copy of it laying around the house or it was damaged in the disaster (whether that be a fire or flood), give your insurance agent a call and request a new copy!

Do you have questions about your policy? Direct them to your insurance agent - that’s what they’re there for! Don’t hesitate either, you’ll thank yourself later when you’re dealing with the adjuster.

Next comes assessing the water damage around the home. The professional restoration company that you’ve called in - like us, here at The Steam Team - can help you to examine and determine the extent of damage (what can/can’t be salvaged). The more information you have, the better. For example, if you have old pictures around the home that show the previous condition - that’s great! Additionally, any original receipts that you can find will help to further your claim.

What if you don’t have insurance?

If you don’t have home insurance, you should still take an inventory and keep track of everything that was lost or needs to be repaired. Of course, your professional restoration company can help you with a damage estimate - don’t worry!

We know this time is hard for everyone, that’s why we’re available to help 24 hours a day, 7 days a week - don’t hesitate to give us a call!

Do You Have to Leave Your Home After a Disaster?

Water Damage Austin, Texas

When it comes to a disaster like a fire or flood, you may worry about your safety if you stay in your home - and rightfully so. Depending on the severity of the disaster, you may need to leave the premises for a while and stay somewhere else. Let’s break it down a little further:

Fire Damage

With fire damage, large or small, the smoke, ash, and carbon monoxide can be exceptionally dangerous - especially to your health.

Once aware of the fire in your home, you should always evacuate immediately and call for emergency help. After reaching the local firefighters, call your local restoration company - like The Steam Team.

After the property is deemed ‘safe’ by the firefighters, your restoration company can assess the damage. However, until the property is properly cleaned by professionals, the safest option (remember, no matter the size of the fire) is to find somewhere else to stay.

Water Damage

On the other hand, where there’s water damage, there’s always the potential for mold growth. Depending on the extent of the damage, it may take a few days to even a week to completely dry out the entire property. Now, that doesn’t mean it’s necessary for you to leave the home (always). In some cases, you could stick around and help pick up things around the house - however, you do risk mold exposure and the drying equipment doesn’t always make the most pleasant noises.

With extensive damage - the kind that may require reconstruction of certain structures - finding somewhere else to live may be your best option. When children are involved, you may want to leave the premises until a professional has completely restored the home.

If you’re suffering from any kind of damage - whether it be smoke, fire, or water - don’t hesitate to contact your local professional steam cleaning company, like us, here at The Steam Team. We’re available to help you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week!

Should Businesses or Homes Worry About Flooding?

water damage austin texas

With all of the heavy rainfall lately many homeowners across Texas have experienced tragic floods. But, for those of you who run businesses or own buildings, that may be your current concern - is my business going to flood? Unfortunately, rainwater doesn’t discriminate - it’s not going to stay away from your building just because it’s your place of work. But, there are certainly things you can do to prepare and protect your business!

First thing’s first; know where your weak spots are in the building, where water is most likely to come through. If you haven’t thoroughly examined your entire building, now’s the time. You can even hire a professional to come in and inspect the premises and shed some light on what you’re dealing with. This is where property maintenance over time is extremely important as structures and surroundings can change through the years.

As a business owner, do you know about the dangers of flooding?

Often times, people think that flood damage is confined to the property alone. The belongings located inside, the papers you could lose, the flooring you may need to replace, etc. Not often do they think about any structural damage - which is entirely possible in a flood. In fact, the entire structure of the building could be compromised depending on the situation.

And, just as many homeowners do, you may need to leave the building for an extended period of time for it to be properly restored.

While all of this sounds devastating - and it is - it’s all to say; if your business is in danger of flooding, the best thing you can do is have a disaster plan. Alternate shipping routes, ways to keep your business running as much as you can so you don’t face losing business on top of flooding.

Above all, know who to call when disaster strikes - your local restoration company - like us, here at The Steam Team. We know how devastating flooding can be and we’re always here to help 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

What Causes Pipes to Burst?

Water Damage Austin

Even though it so rarely drops below freezing here in Texas, it does happen every now and then. But even so, do you know what causes pipes to burst in freezing weather? We’ll give you some inside knowledge, you never know when you’ll be dealing with frozen pipes! Many people assume it’s from an ice blockage or expansion inside the frozen pipe itself, but it’s actually not.

In fact, the built up water pressure inside the pipe is what ultimately causes it to burst open.

So what happens when a pipe bursts?

Unfortunately, busted pipes often cause flooding beginning wherever the pipe was located (the attic, inside the walls, etc.).

Now, how should you react in the event of a flood?

Obviously it’s not something any homeowner wishes to deal with at any time - but it does happen and it’s always better to be prepared prior to disaster than trying to figure it out as you go during the moment. The first thing you should do when facing a broken pipe is turn off the water - then call a plumber!

While you’re waiting for professional help, you can collect the water in a bucket (if the leak is in the ceiling) or soak it up if it’s elsewhere.

Then, give your local restoration company a call - like us, here at The Steam Team - because the professionals have been properly trained in how to deal with these things. Using professional equipment can soak up the excess water more quickly and get your home dried out faster as well - which is the most important thing in all of this. Without ridding of the excess water quickly, you could be facing even further damage - like mold growth - around the home, nobody wants that!

Don’t worry if you’re facing flood damage - we’re always here to help when you call!

How to Save Your Home from Flood Damage

Water Damage

Water Damage is tragic - there’s no way around that. But, suffering a flood doesn’t mean that you’ll lose everything, have to sell the house, or that you can’t get your ‘home’ back, by any means. The damage may seem daunting at first - but try not to worry too much. (We know that’s easier said than done). But when you hire a professional, you’re in good hands and will have lots of help along the way to make the process smoother and quicker.

So, how can you save your home after a flood? We think the better question here is; how will the professional restoration company restore your home? There’s a multiple-step process that goes a little something like this:

• In the beginning, the main concern is removing any and all of the excess water that’s standing around the home.

• Then, the professional company should examine the areas that were affected to determine if any mold growth is present - if it is, then they’ll clean these areas and treat them so the mold will stop spreading.

• Another important task that your professional company can handle which is often difficult for homeowners is deciding what belongings are salvageable versus those that aren’t. It’s typically really hard because many of these belongings have sentimental value, but if they’re damaged beyond repair - it could be dangerous to your health to keep them around.

Safety Precautions to Take in the Event of a Flood

Move away from standing water as quickly as possible. Whether the flood occurred because of a natural storm or a pipe bursted, it’s important that you know how contaminated and dirty the water is regardless - do not stay in standing water. And especially - do not reach for any electronics while standing in water!

The best idea is to leave the premises and call your local restoration company - they’ll be able to remove the dangers from your home, making it safe for you and your family to return.