Recent Posts

Emergency Ready

1/2/2024 (Permalink)

Approximately 50% of the businesses that close due to a disaster, such as fire and flood never reopen!  Of the businesses that survive, the overwhelming majority of them had a preparedness plan in place.  

Preparation is a key component for making it through any size disaster, whether is is a small water leak, a large fire, or an area flood.  The best time to plan for such events is not when the event happens, but well before it happens.

The SERVPRO Emergency Ready Profile serves as a quick reference of important building and contact information or can be an ideal supplement to any well-designed emergency preparedness or existing contingency program. It outlines who the proper contacts are for the specific type of loss.  Also shows photos and a detailed description as to where the different turns off are in the building. 

Rather than simply reacting to disaster situations, most prefer proactive measures to establish a relationship with a restoration services company.

By working with SERVPRO to help develop your personalized Emergency Ready Profile your business will receive the benefit of over 40 years of experience in reducing the impact of any natural or man-made disaster. 

SERVPRO is a leader in water and fire damage response and can help you quickly get your property and business cleaned up and back in working order.  

Frozen Pipes

1/2/2024 (Permalink)

Pipes freeze when the water inside is cold enough to solidify. In extremely cold weather, pipes can freeze in a matter of minutes.  If water is flowing through the pipe it requires a lot more work to make it freeze and is not very common.  In a home a pipe is likely to freeze if it is near outer walls, low to the ground, gaps in insulation or where air flow from the outside is possible.  

Usually  only a small section of the pipe freezes.  Water expands as it freezes; the expansion starts by increasing in length along the pipe.  If the pipe has bends in it, the ice that forms is less likely to expand away from the cold.  A section of water can become trapped and the pressure in that section increases, once the pressure is too high the pipe will burst.  

A few tips to Prevent pipes from freezing: Leave tap open/dripping on pipes that freezing could occur.  Leave the space around the pipes as open as possible.  Ensure your heat is on I all areas of you home.  Insulate all areas of your home well. If the temperatures decrease a additional heater may be needed.    

Frozen Pipe Season

12/4/2023 (Permalink)

Pipes freeze when the water inside is cold enough to solidify. In extremely cold weather, pipes can freeze in a matter of minutes.  If water is flowing through the pipe it requires a lot more work to make it freeze and is not very common.  In a home a pipe is likely to freeze if it is near outer walls, low to the ground, gaps in insulation or where air flow from the outside is possible.  

Usually  only a small section of the pipe freezes.  Water expands as it freezes; the expansion starts by increasing in length along the pipe.  If the pipe has bends in it, the ice that forms is less likely to expand away from the cold.  A section of water can become trapped and the pressure in that section increases, once the pressure is too high the pipe will burst.  

A few tips to Prevent pipes from freezing: Leave tap open/dripping on pipes that freezing could occur.  Leave the space around the pipes as open as possible.  Ensure your heat is on I all areas of you home.  Insulate all areas of your home well. If the temperatures decrease a additional heater may be needed. 

The most wonderful time of the year

12/4/2023 (Permalink)

Pipes freeze when the water inside is cold enough to solidify. In extremely cold weather, pipes can freeze in a matter of minutes.  If water is flowing through the pipe it requires a lot more work to make it freeze and is not very common.  In a home a pipe is likely to freeze if it is near outer walls, low to the ground, gaps in insulation or where air flow from the outside is possible.  

Usually  only a small section of the pipe freezes.  Water expands as it freezes; the expansion starts by increasing in length along the pipe.  If the pipe has bends in it, the ice that forms is less likely to expand away from the cold.  A section of water can become trapped and the pressure in that section increases, once the pressure is too high the pipe will burst.  

A few tips to Prevent pipes from freezing: Leave tap open/dripping on pipes that freezing could occur.  Leave the space around the pipes as open as possible.  Ensure your heat is on I all areas of you home.  Insulate all areas of your home well. If the temperatures decrease a additional heater may be needed.    

Fastest in any disaster

12/4/2023 (Permalink)

From a burst pipe in a office building to faulty wiring in an apartment complex, fire and water losses are never planned, but they do occur. 

SERVPRO professionals know there's no such thing as a small emergency when it threatens the welfare of the tenants and revenue of the property owner.  SERVPRO has a 1-4-8 Service Response guideline.  Within one hour from the notice of loss a SERVPRO professional will contact you to arrange for service.  With in four hours of loss notification SERVPRO will be on site to start mitigation and within eight business hours of an on-site arrival a verbal briefing of the scope will be communicated to the appropriate party.   

Our team is available 24 hours a day and 365 days a year.  SERVPRO Professionals will work diligently to restore your property and its contents to pre loss condition helping you become the hero in an emergency situation. 

Mold Tips

12/4/2023 (Permalink)

In order for mold to grow and thrive, there must be excess moisture, food, the right temperature and lack of ventilation. 

The most important step that any property owner can take is to identify any humidity, moisture or water problems before they create bigger more costly issues. Look for any water or moisture present in your home.  Be sure to pay special attention to your plumbing in basements and crawl spaces where a water leak wouldn't be as noticeable.  Recognize musty or moldy odors, which indicate mold growth.  Your sense of smell may alert you to potential problems you cannot see.   As soon as you become aware of a different smell this is perfect time to start investigating a little bit further.  Control humidity in bathrooms and wherever water is used on a regular basis.  The use of exhaust fans, proper caulking and effective cleaning with a bleach based product will help keep problems away.  Inspect your HVAC systems and air conditioners as well as this is a common location where mold is present.  Regular inspection and maintenance can identify moisture problems or drain clogs before they get worse.  

If moisture or mold is spotted contact a SERVPRO® professional to come out and take a look. We will be able to provide you with an estimate for what it will take to clean the affected areas.

How does water damage carpet?

12/4/2023 (Permalink)

One goal of water damage restoration is to preserve and protect the structure.  One concern is water saturated carpet and pad.  Delamination is the most frequent type of damage to carpets when exposed to water.  Delamination is a mode of failure for composite materials and steel. In laminated materials, repeated cyclic stresses, impact, and so on can cause layers to separate, forming a mica-like structure of separate layers, with significant loss of mechanical toughness.  Delamination is caused when the latex adhesive holding the primary backing to the secondary backing is damaged.  Good carpets have higher quality of latex and may suffer less damage even after hours of exposure.  While at your home our SERVPRO® service professionals will inspect the flooring to ensure proper mitigation can take place. 

Water damage to glued down carpeting often causes bubbling due to loss of adhesive.  If it is a small area that has bubbled, the carpet might be restored.  Otherwise, the carpet may need to be replaced.  Again SERVPRO service professionals will be able to determine the status of the flooring.

Mildew usually refers to molds that grow in wet buildings.  Natural fiber carpets are especially prone to mildew odor damage.  Saturated carpets should be dried properly and treated with a mildew deodorizer.

By responding quickly and drying  the carpet thoroughly, SERVPRO professionals can help mitigate these secondary damages following any water loss.

ERP

8/3/2023 (Permalink)

Approximately 50% of the businesses that close due to a disaster, such as fire and flood never reopen!  Of the businesses that survive, the overwhelming majority of them had a preparedness plan in place.  

Preparation is a key component for making it through any size disaster, whether is is a small water leak, a large fire, or an area flood.  The best time to plan for such events is not when the event happens, but well before it happens.

The SERVPRO Emergency Ready Profile serves as a quick reference of important building and contact information or can be an ideal supplement to any well-designed emergency preparedness or existing contingency program. It outlines who the proper contacts are for the specific type of loss.  Also shows photos and a detailed description as to where the different turns off are in the building. 

Rather than simply reacting to disaster situations, most prefer proactive measures to establish a relationship with a restoration services company.

By working with SERVPRO to help develop your personalized Emergency Ready Profile your business will receive the benefit of over 40 years of experience in reducing the impact of any natural or man-made disaster. 

SERVPRO is a leader in water and fire damage response and can help you quickly get your property and business cleaned up and back in working order.  

Storm Damage Safety

8/3/2023 (Permalink)

If there is a high wind storm and a tree gets blown over on to your home, what do you do?

First, and most importantly, make sure  that you and your family are safe. Do not try and get on the roof to assess the damage, just give SERVPRO a call to come and check everything out. Leave it for the professionals. 

Next, call your insurance company. For yourself, it is important to know what kind of coverage you will receive from your insurance company. But it is also important for SERVPRO to know because otherwise we cannot give you a proper estimate and let you know how much you will have to pay. 

The most important thing about this situation is knowing this information before something like this happens to your home! 

Green is Green!

8/2/2023 (Permalink)

This past Sunday there was a fire at Toledo Middle School.  Fire crews were able to extinguish the fire, but not before extensive damage was done to the basement and smoke damage to the above classrooms. 

SERVPRO of Cedar Rapids was called to the scene shortly after the fire to begin emergency services. SERVPRO of Cedar Rapids will be working hand in hand with SERVPRO of Black Hawk county to get the school back up and running before the new year begins in just a couple weeks. 

Even though each franchise is individually owned and operated, green is green and we are always here to help.  It is so nice to have people available and willing to lend a hand to get the job done. 

Within weeks, SERVPRO of Cedar Rapids will be able to make it "Like it never even happened."