Water Restoration (Water Damage Repair - Structural Drying - Water Damage Restoration - Water Damage Cleanup) in a home or business can be a very intricate process. The goal of any water restoration job is to restore a property to a "pre loss" condition. This restoration process can involve many different steps. However, the first step in water restoration is generally the initial inspection. This inspection should start with the first phone call. Questions should be asked in order to better help a customer mitigate the situation until help arrives. "Where did the water damage originate from?" "Is the source of the damage still leaking?" How long ago did the leak occur?" "What areas are affected?" This is all valuable information. Depending on the answers given, instructions can be conveyed to help prevent potential safety hazards and further property damage from occurring. These questions also better informs the water restoration technicians who have been dispatched know what to anticipate before arriving.

The second step in the restoration process happens after arrival. Before any work begins, a work authorization should be signed to protect both the client and the company contracted to restore the property. After authorization has been established work can commence. Water extraction is the next vital step in the water restoration process. Any standing water should be removed quickly to minimize water from spreading to any unaffected areas of the property. If the entire property is affected, removing the standing water will slow down the wicking process. Building materials are like sponges. The longer water is permitted to linger, the more moisture saturation will set in. Contents should be secured as much as possible during the water removal process as well.

Once water extraction is complete and contents secured, a detailed moisture inspection of the affected areas should be conducted to identify two things. what is wet and how wet is it? The answer to these two questions will tell a water restoration tech three things. what structural preparation is needed before drying equipment can be set up, what type of drying equipment is needed to dry the affected materials, and last, how much equipment is needed to dry the affected materials quickly enough to prevent bacteria and mold growth. Though dry time varies from loss to loss, normal situations take between 2-4 days to complete drying. That in a nut shell is what takes place during a water restoration project.