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The Parable of the Crying Water Heater
11/30/2020 (Permalink)
A basement subject to flooding due to a neglected water heater.
The Story of the Forgotten Water Heater
Once upon a time, in the mountainous landscape of Evergreen Colorado, there sat a charming little house by a creek. The house was frequented by wildlife visitors everyday. Elk, deer, squirrel, and stellar blue jays drank from the creek as they passed the small and inviting home. On the inside, every room was warm and bright. That is, every room but one. The utility room was at the very last level of the home, deep down in the basement. There were no windows in this room, only a single light bulb with a string attached poked down from the ceiling to illuminate the cement floors and metal inhabitants. No one in the house ever visited this room. There seemed to be no point. Every other room was so much better and soon the utility room was all but forgotten.
Now, inside this utility room sat a silver cylinder that was getting very old. It was the water heater. It finally got so old and neglected that it started to cry, or I suppose you could say, it started to leak. The leak grew larger and larger and the water heater cried more and more as the days and weeks and months passed without anyone noticing. That water heater cried so much it flooded the entire basement! There were several inches of water covering the floor that could no longer be ignored.
One day, one of the occupants, Lisa, needed to go down into the basement to gather Christmas decorations from out of storage. She turned on the light and walked down the stairs and saw the pool of water. She immediately called SERVPRO of Golden, Wheat Ridge, Evergreen who came out within a snap of the finger.
SERVPRO of Golden, Wheat Ridge, Evergreen quickly assessed the damage. They protected and removed all of the furniture and content that was in the area and started on extracting the water from the flood. After that was complete, the team whipped out drying equipment and dehumidifiers that were set up all around the basement to dry it. After some time, it was all dry and the cleaning was able to take place. Mold was remediated, dirt was removed, and everything was sanitized to sparkling clean conditions. The restoration process had begun and before long, the basement was like new again.
Unfortunately the water heater had to be replaced with a new one, but the new one was never ever neglected. Lisa regularly checked on her little water heater in the utility room. She understood the importance of paying attention and caring for the little silver cylinder. And her basement never flooded with water heater tears again.
Ok, ok, ok. This story may have been a bit silly, but it is a parable. After reading it, you might think about your own water heater and how you can prevent a basement flood from occurring due to an old or neglected one. The best part about this blog is it is not only a parable, but a guide into the steps you may take if you find yourself caught in a story like Lisa.
Prevention
First things first. We want to prevent a basement flood due to a water heater leak. This is done by regularly checking your water heater. Regularly check for leaks or condensation on or around the system, as well as in the piping.
Also be sure you are replacing your water heaters when they are getting too old. Most water heaters are not built to last beyond 10-12 years.
What to do if your basement floods...before SERVPRO arrives
Even if you follow all of the preventative advice to a T, you still may find yourself with a flooded basement. We cannot always prevent disaster from striking, so it is good to know what to do if you fall victim to creeping water. You will always want to call in the professionals, as water damage can get ugly fast. Before they can arrive at your home, here is what you can do to help mitigate the damage.
Mop and soak up as much water as you possibly can.
Wipe off all of the wooden furniture so they cannot be further damaged.
Upholstery, cushions, pillows, and blankets should be removed from the area.
Put blocks between the legs of furniture and the floor.
Removed colored rugs carefully.
Gather loose items that may be in the way or cluttering the affected area.
Additionally, there are things you DO NOT want to do before the help arrives. Avoiding these key things with help to keep you safe and limit the damage to your home and its belongings. Always leave the hard stuff or anything you are not comfortable with for the professionals.
Do not leave colored items out in the wet area.
Do not use household items that use electricity such as TV’s.
Do not remove anything that is too heavy for you.
Do not go into a room with a wet and sagging ceiling.
What we do
Our process was creatively described in the story of Lisa’s house, but the following is a list of our 6 step process. We follow 6 basic and standard steps when dealing with a water damage situation. Following the 6 steps ensures a quick and uniform process, so the homeowner and the team at SERVPRO know what to expect each time.
- Emergency contact
- Inspection of the damage
- Water removal and extraction
- Drying and dehumidifying
- Cleaning and Sanitizing
- Restoration
Why SERVPRO of Golden, Wheat Ridge, Evergreen
SERVPRO is an industry leader in flood restoration. We use advanced equipment and techniques to get the water removed quickly and efficiently. The equipment helps to detect hidden moisture, extract the standing water quickly, and deep clean and dry your home and its contents. We are a locally owned and operated family business, so customer care is our number one goal. We live where we serve!
We provide extensive training to our employees and are highly specialized in flood restoration putting great emphasis on monitoring and documenting the drying process until completion.
We are a preferred vendor to many national and local insurance companies making the claims process easy and painless for the homeowner.
Please give us a call for any of your home restoration needs! (303) 279-8055
Or visit our website at https://www.SERVPRO.com/water-damage-restoration