What Are Some Useful Things to Know When Planning Fire Restoration?

9/29/2020 (Permalink)

Fire damage restoration is expensive. SERVPRO knows how to restore your home cost efficiently.

From the Vast Experiences Handling Fire Damage Restoration Exercises in Wayne, SERVPRO Can Guide Homeowners on What to Do 

Restoring a fire-damaged property takes several processes to deal with damaged materials, soiled areas, and other problems. Although each situation may have unique requirements, loss incidents also share common characteristics. Knowing specific things can help deliver better results. When SERVPRO technicians inspect Wayne properties after fire incidents, we can help point out crucial things that the owners need to know. 

What information does SERVPRO reveal about fire damage restoration to Wayne homeowners? 

• Cleaning contents and structural items may differ even when involving similar materials
• Restorative processes should exhaust mild methods before trying harsh ones
• Restoration must address the interior and exterior house sections, as well as assemblies
• Materials can determine the usefulness of restorative procedures 

A significant percentage of the restoration processes done after fire damage in Wayne involves cleanup of affected contents and building materials. Generally, cleaning methods depend on the type of soil and the type of material involved. However, whether you are dealing with a material that is part of the structure or contents can influence the decisions you make. For instance, if an item in your content inventory proves challenging to clean, you can move it to offsite storage until it is convenient to do the cleanup. However, issues with structural items must be addressed holistically. 

It is possible to use several cleaning approaches to accomplish the same goal. For instance, removing smoke residues from surfaces can be achieved through vacuuming, wet wiping, pressure washing, or using abrasive techniques such as sanding. However, starting with mild methods presents many advantages, including faster completion of the task and lower cost. Our SERVPRO technicians opt for approaches such as vacuuming the soiled surface and wiping with chemical sponges instead of pressure washing, which can over-wet the materials leading to other complications. We only use the advanced cleaning methods where we determine the soiling is too severe. We explore cleaning before opting for different approaches such as resurfacing or teardown of materials. 

What are some of the advanced cleaning methods commonly used during fire restoration? 

• Peroxide active cleaning
• Soda blasting
• Abrading surfaces with steel wool pads
• Wet cleaning with alkaline or acid solutions 

With the sophisticated systems, it is possible to care for the specific type of soiling or unique materials that need extra care during restoration. For instance, soda blasting can remove massive soot deposits from unfinished wood surfaces such as trusses. Peroxide active cleaning, on the other hand, is excellent for restoring acoustic tiles. 

Should all sections of a house receive the same level of attention? 

When a fire damages your Wayne house, you are likely to worry about the damage to interior surfaces such as walls and ceilings. You will also probably notice damage to the eaves and exterior walls and thus think of ways to address it. However, the process is not complete. Even hidden areas such as wall cavities and assemblies such as cabinets need attention. Smoke tends to collect in such places since hot smoke and other gases filter inside to replace the colder air trapped there. Therefore, even when there are no physical damage signs, there is a need to open the cavities for cleaning.

Our SERVPRO technicians are better suited for the cleaning tasks involving assemblies and structural cavities. Apart from having the sophisticated cleaning equipment, we also bring the small tools that help simplify the process of opening up hidden areas at the loss site: 

• Pry bars
• Rubber hammers
• Molding lifters
• Flashlights 

Do confusing situations arise during the restoration of fire damage? 

You might think that once you identify the areas affected by the fire, it is easy to decide whether to perform restoration or to remove the affected materials for disposal. However, in practice, you might find yourself stuck, not because there are no solutions, but because you cannot make a decision. The damage to some contents in the house can complicate decision making if it is not bad enough to warrant immediate disposal. At the same time, it might seem too extensive to guarantee a positive outcome from the restoration. Our SERVPRO technicians help classify such items as questionable, which allows them to be set aside until there is an opportunity to examine them thoroughly and decide the best course of action. 

Various unexpected issues might crop up during the restoration of your fire-damaged property. SERVPRO of Wayne sends experienced technicians to West Milford, Pompton Lakes, or Ringwood properties to help manage unexpected issues. Call us at (973) 546-4977. We're Faster To Any Size Disaster.