Posts Tagged ‘Fire Mitigation’

Furniture Restoration After a Fire is Possible

Wednesday, September 8th, 2010
A house fire is a life altering event. If the owner or renter is lucky enough to have the house minimally damaged, there is still the aftermath. Insurance investigators will do their job once the claim is filed. When the claim is awarded, repair contractors must be hired. Most insurance covers personal belongings and furniture. Often, furniture is written off as a total loss because of the difficulties involved with removing smoke and soot from fabric. Most people will discard the damaged furnishings for this reason.

However, there are times when furniture can be restored and it is economical to do so. Quality and antique furniture may be impossible to replace. A lot of furniture sold now is just not as well-made as that made in the past. For instance, the frame of a sofa may be constructed from a lesser and lighter wood than the hardwoods used in the past. A dresser of yesterday may be all solid wood compared to modern dressers that often incorporate fiber board, paneling and veneers in their construction.

This is not a task for amateurs. Soot and smoke are toxic and contain cancer-causing carcinogens. The work can be tedious, which encourages a progressively sloppy effort. For these reasons, a professional water/ fire damage company should be hired to do the work. It must be done as soon as possible, because the longer the soot sits, the more it will sink in to the fabric or wood.

The restoration professionals have the tools and knowledge to repair furniture in the best manner possible. Each piece of furniture will be inspected to determine the proper course of action. Furniture can be cleaned, reupholstered, refinished and repaired as needed. Deodorization processes are able to remove the all-invasive smell of smoke. Furniture may require water removal techniques such as extraction and the application of desiccants. It will then be placed in dehumidified environment.

Cost is a major concern. Most fire restoration services will provide an estimate that compares the value of replacement with restoration. The consumer has a choice whether or not to restore fire and water damaged furniture. Many choose to save their furniture after learning that it is possible.

Call us today for a free consultation 800-516-8059 or by email at: info@superrestoration.comIn your service,

Rene Vargas
Super Restoration
1 800 516 8059

How a Restoration Company Can Help with Water, Fire, and Mold Damage to Carpet

Monday, September 6th, 2010
Water damage to carpet will be inevitable for many people. With the amount of pipes that burst during winter seasons, or just faulty water pipes in general, homes and businesses can be affected with massive amounts of damage. There is also fire damage that can happen if a home or a business catches on fire. When water is left in carpet for a long period of time, mold can start to set in, and a home can be a dangerous and toxic place to be in. Most water damaged carpets in small areas can be taken care of with a water filtration vacuum cleaner, but if a person’s entire house is damaged, or if a business has many floors of water damaged carpet, they are going to need a better recourse. Restoration companies were created to help homes and businesses save their property from massive amounts of water, fire, flood, and mold damage to carpet.

Restoration companies can bring carpets back from the brink by returning carpets back to their original conditions. Most restoration companies are equipped to help homes and businesses that have been affected by natural disasters, such as hurricanes, tornadoes, rainstorms, mudslides, monsoons, and windstorms, as well as burst pipes, sewer damage, fires, and explosions. No job is too big for most restoration companies. The areas of a home or business that a restoration company can work with are, fire damage, burned walls, clean up, restore, recover, redesign, and reconstruction. Restoration companies have the most state of the art equipment that can perform a dry down of a home or business when water damage has occurred. Their equipment can extract water from any carpet and floor boards underneath. Then,they will use a combination of demolitions, drying equipment, and air movers to further the restoration process. They are also equipped with infra red cameras that can find water damage that is unseen by most people. Once a home or business has been dried down, the recovery stage can take place. This is where the carpet will be restored, redesigned, and reconstructed.

Once a home or a business has been accessed for damages, a restoration company can have carpet back to new again within a few days time. Getting to the water damaged areas as quick as possible will help to save a home or a business from destruction.

Call us today for a free consultation 800-516-8059 or by email at: info@superrestoration.comIn your service,

Rene Vargas
Super Restoration
1 800 516 8059

Cleaning Soot from Porous and Non-Porous Items

Friday, August 20th, 2010
Cleaning soot from porous and non-porous items is a major task. Soot is a result of the incomplete combustion of wood, coal, diesel oil or other materials. Soot is normally found in the form of a black powdery substance consisting mainly of carbon. Soot will absorb energy from sunlight rather than reflect it thus it is seen as one of the main sources of global warming. This is particularly true if soot happens to settle on snow or ice. Soot particles in the air are a contributing cause for many respiratory illnesses. A common cause of soot is burning wood in a fireplace. Fire damage to residential and commercial properties will require the careful removal of soot during the clean-up process. Fire restoration services will often, due to the nature of the damage, necessitate the need for water and mold restoration in a simultaneous fashion.

Professional fire restoration services will be able to properly and completely clean and remove all soot from the premises. Removing soot from porous items is difficult but possible. Soot can penetrate into porous items due to the unique physical qualities of the surface of the item. Leaving the soot on these items can have drastic negative consequences. Chemical deposits can be left behind which can later be transferred into the air by heating and air conditioning systems and cause respiratory issues. Items that cannot be cleaned of soot completely should be discarded for this reason.

Non-porous items are generally easier to clean. Glass and other non-porous surfaces can normally be restored with appropriate cleaning equipment and supplies. The equipment utilized to clean up after a fire includes high tech Industrial ultrasonic equipment used to clean computers completely. High pressure water is another technique used on appropriate surfaces. The equipment and supplies utilized by professional restoration companies is intended to restore the residential or commercial property to living or working quality with no presence of soot.

Fire restoration services must be sought from a fully trained professional. Cleaning up after a fire is not the same thing as removing excess soot from a fireplace area.

Call us today for a free consultation 800-516-8059 or by email at: info@superrestoration.com

In your service,

Rene Vargas
Super Restoration
1 800 516 8059

Why Soot Damage Needs to Be Removed

Friday, July 16th, 2010
When your home has been damaged by fire the destruction does not end once the flames have been squelched. Smoke, soot and water can continue to deteriorate your walls, cabinets, roof and carpets. As a fire burns inside a house, toxic chemical compounds are often created. Dangerous gases can be produced by the reaction between fire and a host of construction components used in building the home; solvents, glues, rubber, wood or paint. Smoke and soot from a fire can leave behind destructive chemical deposits, which is why soot damage needs to be removed.

Soot Damage
Soot is a fine black carbon powder that results from the incomplete combustion between a fuel source, such as wood or coal and the air. Soot is actually an oily substance that continues to cause damage long after putting out the fire if not handled properly.

Smoke and soot travels into the HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) system duct work and into pipe work as well. The residue left behind not only clogs air ducts and pipes, but also releases tiny toxic particles (carcinogens) into the air you breathe.

Besides soot, secondary damage can be imposed from water in the form of mold and rust corrosion; thus it is advisable to have structural components of the home replaced. A pungent odor is often left behind even after visible signs of soot damage are gone. Roofing materials frequently sustain damage in the course of putting out the fire. Walls, cabinets, carpets and roofing materials should be replaced to ensure the health and safety of the inhabitants and to make certain the house can be adequately insured again after restoration.

Health and Safety Codes
Many cities and counties have municipal codes regarding the disposal of infected, contaminated or chemically hazardous materials. After a fire, it is best to replace structural components of a house that may contain hazardous chemical deposits from soot damage and deeply embedded smoke odor. Insurance companies may hesitate to insure the home again if structural elements damaged by soot are only cleaned rather than replaced.

Call us today for a free consultation 800-516-8059 or by email at: info@superrestoration.com

In your service,

Rene Vargas
Super Restoration
1 800 516 8059

Fire Damage call

Thursday, December 3rd, 2009

Recently we were able to help a local condominium association with these very problems. Perhaps taking a look at the situation we were presented with and how we handled it can better describe the services we perform and how well we know their job, and what needs to be done in these types of situations.

At 11AM we received an emergency call from the property manager of the condo association advising they had just been the victims of a fire. The fire had spread to the ball room, hallways, and kitchen. An emergency service crew was disbursed to the scene, and by the time they arrived the local fire department was able to take control of the fire and put it out before it could spread any further.

With the knowledge that the damage a fire causes is threefold, which includes burn, smoke and soot damage, as well as knowing that the odor caused by this damage is a problem as well, our crew went right to work. The first step was for them to remove all burnt content and structural materials, documenting the materials that were discarded as well. We then moved on to cleaning and salvaging whatever walls, ceilings, cabinets, floors, and other contents remained. Although smoke and soot removal is a tedious task, the professionals at Super Restoration have the knowledge required to know what cleaning techniques to use for various surfaces and materials, as well as how to handle delicate items and what chemicals to use.

firedamage-blogMitigation efforts take a few days, and as part of these duties we installed ozone generators which help remove odors caused by the fire, and also used what is called thermo-fog techniques, in conjunction with odor killing chemicals, to combat odor from any non-accessible areas.

This is only one example of how Super Restoration has the knowledge and personnel to deal with an emergency situation. To others, it may just be a job. To the people at Super Restoration, it’s more like a way of life.

Super Restoration provides many services. We provide water damage services, such as water extraction, structural drying, and storm response services. We also deal with mold, providing mold remediation as well as mold inspection services. Other services offered by Super Restoration include document restoration, carpet and upholstery cleaning, reconstruction, portable air conditioning, infrared thermal imaging, emergency power, and pack outs, which can move your possessions to our warehouse for storage and restoration.

Rene Vargas
www.SuperRestoration.com
1 800 516 8059
rene@superrestoration.com

Fire Mitigation for Residential and Commercial Dwellings

Thursday, October 8th, 2009

Few catastrophes are as traumatic to a family as a house fire. And nothing is as damaging to a business as a fire or flood. While the actual fire might not cause total destruction, smoke and soot left behind can leave a home or business unfit for human habitation. At Super Restoration we’ve seen many of these types of issues and have thankfully assisted thousands of residential owners and commercial owners in West Palm Beach, Miami and Broward County.

Aside from the unpleasant smell, residual soot particles can cause serious health problems. Additionally, if left in drywall, chemical reactions with wiring and other metal components may cause damage for years following a fire if immediate steps are not taken to remove this insidious material. Super Restoration will not only eliminate all burned material, but is also equipped to start immediate repairs, a service not offered by many other companies in South Florida.

Although some treasured heirlooms and other irreplaceable mementos can’t be revived, a surprising number of items can be repaired or restored, including smoke and water-damaged documents, books and even micrographic media. Using a number of up-to-date drying methods, many items that were heretofore impossible to retrieve can now be brought back to safe, stable and usable condition. Untreated paperwork will bond together and the subsequent growth of mold will not only destroy information, it will also present health risks. Furthermore, paper becomes brittle from smoke absorption, which will also contaminate the environment with a smoky, smelly residue that can also prove to be extremely unhealthy. Aside from health considerations, the loss of vital documents can destroy a company within months, For these reasons, it is truly imperative that an early call to Super Restoration be made to prevent these calamities while they are still treatable.

It has often been noted that more damage is done by water than fire, and anything from a leaking pipe to a flash flood or hurricane can produce an alarming amount of indoor flooding. Many people will try to remove standing water themselves, and will think the job is done if surfaces look or feel dry. Unfortunately, this is not the case, since any structure will hold ‘hidden’ moisture that must be extracted with professional equipment. Unless every drop of moisture is removed, it will remain to cause structural damage, encourage the growth of mold and otherwise cause damage to valuable contents. That’s why the first people to contact after the firefighters have left is the Super Restoration staff who have the capability to both dry and dehumidify the entire affected area.

Whether you suffer fire, flood or storm damage, Super Restoration Service Company is standing by with the top of the line equipment and expertise you need for complete restoration of your home or business. Our experienced staff will work closely with you to find the most cost-effective plans to restore your home or business to its original condition and to do so as rapidly as possible. Although there are many other remediation companies, most of them handle just one or two aspects of damage mitigation. Super Restoration, however, will handle every phase of recovery, from the initial inspection, through the removal of smoke and soot, restoration of documents and computer contents, thorough drying and dehumidification, and rebuilding damaged construction all the way to the application of the last coat of paint and final cleanup. As a customer, you will be kept in the loop during the entire operation with frequent communication with our highly professional staff providing continuous progress reports. And, when Super Restoration completes your job, we believe you will join our many other highly satisfied clients in saying, “It looks even better than new!”

Rene Vargas
SuperRestoration
Rene@superrestoration.com
305 233 0500
305 989 4849