Storms, Attics, and Water Damage in St. Petersburg

4/18/2019 (Permalink)

Storms can damage roofs, allowing water to enter your attic. Did you know that SERVPRO offers emergency tarping services?

Lightning Strike Leads to Water Removal in a St. Petersburg Attic

Florida residents are certainly not strangers to stormy weather. Lightning strikes the ground as much as 3,500 times a day in the Sunshine State. However, most Floridians are unprepared for lightning strikes that cause felled trees to fall on their roofing and cause leaks in their attic.  

If a roof leak from weather-related damage requires water removal in your St. Petersburg home, certified SERVPRO technicians are ready to answer your call and restore your attic. Our professionals dedicate themselves to removing any risk of mold growth or structural warping from water absorption before it can cause long-term issues in your home.  

When removing water from any attic space, one of the biggest questions regards restoring insulation. Waterlogged insulation, especially if made from organic materials such as cellulose, can become a breeding ground for mold. Fiberglass insulation is more common and can often be dried and salvaged, but each type of insulation material requires different treatment. For drying, we place air movers at 45-degree angles, generally in a clockwise arrangement, to pull moisture out of surfaces. Industrial-grade dehumidifiers such as the Low Grain Refrigerant (LGR) dehumidifier are well-suited to absorbing this air moisture, collecting water to be drained, and expelling warm, dry air. If the leak is in a more contained space, polyethylene chambers may be constructed to accelerate drying.  

In an unfinished attic affected by water, it is vital to ensure that all wood is cleaned and dried. If you use your attic for storage, we can also move, clean, and dry your possessions to prevent microbial growth. After ensuring that the moisture levels on your surfaces are safe, we can then clean wood and other fixtures in your attic with an EPA-registered antimicrobial cleaner as another buffer against mold and other odor-causing bacteria.  

SERVPRO of NE St. Petersburg is ready to assist you with emergency response and cleanup 24/7. If disaster strikes in your home or business, give us a call today at (727) 522-0000.

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