Our Flood Damage Technicians Discuss Our Black Water Procedure For Your Durham Home

5/29/2019 (Permalink)

Black water emergencies require specialist training and remediation procedure.

Black Water Flood Damage Procedure For Durham Homeowners

Contaminated flood waters can pose a severe risk to your health and require special cleaning procedures from a dedicated professional. A scenario involving contaminated water- also known as black water- could be the result of an external situation like road overflow or an internal one like a backed up open sewer point. Both types require personal protective equipment (PPE) to remediate damages safely.

Homeowners who need help with flood damage in Durham can rely on our out of hours technicians for assistance. On arrival, SERVPRO can immediately get to work securing the job site. Securing the site involves eliminating safety hazards as well as containing the area of damage by setting up physical barriers. Once the quarantine zone is established, only persons wearing appropriate PPE like full-body suits, respirators, and eye protection can enter.

The first step in dealing with a contained black water emergency is to disinfect the site thoroughly. SERVPRO provides technicians with a full range of EPA registered disinfectants. Using shovels, we can begin to remove debris as well as standing silts from the property. Since some of these materials may be considered biohazardous waste, our technicians handle the removal, packaging, and disposal of waste from start to finish.

Contaminated water migrates rapidly so thoroughly drying excess water from carpets using industrial grade extractors is the next step. Once your SERVPRO technician is satisfied that all harmful waste is removed and the area adequately dried, we can conduct a thorough safety inspection to decide which materials are salvageable and which are not.

Generally speaking, a black water flood situation means that the majority of items must be replaced rather than restored. Non-porous structural contents can be pressure washed and disinfected onsite. Porous items like carpets, pads, or other fabrics are usually considered non-salvageable so must be disposed of in line with state and federal guidelines. At the end of service, we can speed up drying using dehumidifiers and dispose of debris at an approved waste disposal site.

Black water emergencies require specialist training and remediation procedure. Contact SERVPRO of North Durham at (919) 467-0880 now.

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