Phoenix inc., your first choice for disaster restoration

In order to limit the extent as much as possible:

- Raising furniture and moving expensive articles to a safe place is always a good idea
- Sometimes it is necessary to shut off the main water valve
- In other cases a plumber's services are required
- Notify your insurer as quickly as possible
- Phone us immediately! for assistance Cleaning

Once our team has arrived on the premises, you will be asked to answer a series of questions in order to determine the type of water damage. There are three possible categories, depending on the water source and the amount of time that has passed since the beginning of the incident.

Category 1: Clean water (burst conduit, overflowing bath tub or sink, house-hold appliances, melting snow, torrential rain, burst reservoir, etc) that has been present for less than 24 hours is not a health hazard. This same water, however, will become “grey” within 24 to 48 hours if it is not removed and dried quickly. (In this category, it is possible to recuperate the carpet underlay in your rooms if you wish.)

Category 2: “Grey” water is significantly contaminated and can cause discomfort or sickness in the event of consumption or exposure. This category includes all kinds of floods: from any water source, from the underground, or a category 1 water damage that has been present for more than 72 hours. These water sources introduce silt and organic matter into the area rendering it uninhabitable. Grey water contains micro organisms as well as their nutritional substances. (Waste water from dishwashers and washing machines, overflow from a washing machine or a toilet containing urine, defective drainage pumps, broken aquariums, punctured waterbeds, etc.) With this type of damage it is crucial to intervene as quickly as possible in order to minimize losses. (In this category, it is necessary to completely remove the carpet underlay in the affected rooms.)

Category 3: “Black” water contains pathogenic (disease-causing) agents, making it dangerous to your health. This type of water comes from backed-up sewers, overflowing septic tanks, or when a category 2 water damage has been present for more than 72 hours. Water is also considered to be “black” when a flooded structure and/or its contents have been contaminated by pesticides, heavy metals, or toxic substances. If your water damage fits into this category, anyone with a weakened immune system, respiratory problems or allergies, and anyone under 2 or over 65 years of age must be evacuated until the area has been judged safe. (In this category, all carpets and carpet underlays that have come into contact with water must absolutely be discarded.)

It is therefore in your best interest to QUICKLY attend to water damage. Contact us now !

Afterward, temperature readings are done and humidity levels are tested to prioritize the zones that need drying. Our drying and mould remediation work is then divided into two parts:

• Work related to the contents (your goods and furniture, etc)
• Work related to the structure (all structural elements such as walls, ceilings, floors, etc)

In some cases, a partial removal of the contents is necessary in order to carry out the demolition which will allow us to thoroughly dry out the entire structure (for example: small openings in the walls, complete removal of the carpet, flooring, and vinyl, opening the ceiling, etc.) Before going ahead with these steps, a structural evaluator will come on-site to evaluate the water damage and losses.

We must begin by sorting your goods so that water damaged and worthless objects are thrown away. Everything that has been wet or that is too damp must be verified, dried, cleaned, disinfected, and deodorized. Occasionally, certain items are too heavily damaged for the intervention team to be able to save them. In certain cases we may need to transport your goods to our warehouses in order to properly clean and dry them. If this is the case, each article is carefully wrapped and identified with the client's name. If any of your clothes have been wet, we can send them to the dry-cleaners; the same applies to your damaged electronics, which we can have checked by a technician if necessary.

Structural Work

This covers any work that affects the structure of the building, according to its level of humidity. The disaster expert often calls on a contractor to help evaluate “minor” demolition work that would allow for the complete drying of the walls, ceilings, floors, etc. If the contractor's services are needed, the disaster expert will call on him to carry out the work. In this case, we empty the water damaged rooms of all their contents, and proceed with the structural openings and mould remediation. In this way, we are able to install our drying equipment in an efficient manner and ensure the entire structure is dried out as quickly as possible.

Drying Time

Drying times vary greatly from one building to the next, depending on the nature and magnitude of the water damage. Several visits are necessary in order to adjust our equipment according to the humidity levels. With the help of our humidity meters, we can identify the quantity and type of dehumidifying and ventilating machines that will be needed in order to properly dry the area, and then carefully follow the progress of the drying and mold remediation. If your important and confidential documents have been damaged, Phoenix can save them. Whether they have been damaged by water, smoke, or mold, we have the technology and the equipment for a professional restoration of your valuable documents, while always respecting the highest level of discretion.

What happens when the water damage has been cleaned up?

When everything is dry, clean, and disinfected, there is no way for mold or other microorganisms to appear or grow. The next step is reconstruction of what has been damaged or demolished by the contractor. He will make an estimate of the reconstruction costs, which must be approved by the insurer in order for the work to be carried out. After the reconstruction work, our team comes back to do a final “post-construction” cleaning before replacing each piece of furniture and every object at its proper place, as it was before the water damage. Most disasters require about 3 weeks of work before everything is back in order. The goal of all these steps is to remove as much of the burden as possible from your shoulders, as we know how depressing it can be to come home to water damage and not know what to do!

With our help, water damage is never as bad as you thought. Because we are there to look after you! Contact us now!

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