Month: November 2019

There are two types of risk prevention: taking steps to avoid a disaster from happening and taking steps after a disaster to keep the damage from becoming worse. It can be helpful to understand the main disasters that you can prevent and what to do about the ones you cannot. Here are a few risk prevention tips that can make a difference.

•    Tip #1 – Secure your home before going on vacation. If you do not have a trustworthy home-sitter keeping an eye on your home every day, you should take steps to prevent the potential for water and fire damage. Shut off and unplug as many electrical devices as you possibly can. Turn the water off – if not to the entire house, at least to the toilets, faucets, ice maker, washing machine, and water heater.

•    Tip #2 – Take care when cooking. It might surprise you how many house fires begin with a BBQ by having it too close to the house or leaving it unattended. In addition, not staying present in the kitchen when cooking can be another recipe for disaster.

•    Tip #3 – Call a disaster restoration professional immediately if there is water intrusion. The longer you allow water to stand in your home, the more damage can result. This is not just because home building materials will continue to soak up water, but also because mold may begin growing in areas that are wet that you cannot see.

•    Tip #4 – Use electronics in a same manner. Dependence on power strips and extension cords, as well as overwhelming electrical circuits, is a common cause for electrical fires. Be especially diligent with holiday lights and keeping your tree from becoming dry and brittle.

At Emergency Restoration Xperts (ERX), we serve the Carolinas with a variety of comprehensive disaster restoration services. We would much rather not have to come to your home after a disaster you could have prevented, but know that we are here for you in any emergency and we are active in risk prevention protocol recommendations to keep you and your family safe. Call today with any questions you might have.

As the temperatures drop in the Carolinas, it is common to prepare yourself from winter’s cold. You dig out your winter clothes, heavy boots, and outerwear so you can be sure that you’ll be warm when you head outside. If you forgot to take into consideration what the cold can do to your home’s plumbing system, frozen pipes could be your unfortunate sign that North and South Carolina have hit sustained freezing temperatures.

Pipes can burst when water in the line freezes and expands, putting extra pressure on the pipes. When a pipe first bursts, it might not cause your home any issues. However, once the water thaws, you end up with water damage that can be anything from minor to severe depending on several factors. How soon you notice the leak, how big the leak is, and where it is located all contribute to the amount of water damage you’ll experience.

There are two ways to avoid the water damage that frozen pipes cause. The first is to keep the pipes from freezing in the first place. Better insulation, using heat tape around susceptible areas, and leaving one or more faucets dripping when temperatures will be extra low for several hours are all ways to avoid frozen pipes. The second way to avoid water damage is to be extra observant when the pipes do thaw out so that you can get the water shut off and the pipe repaired if there has been a frozen pipe.

At Emergency Restoration Xperts (ERX), we offer emergency service when frozen pipes have put water inside your home. In addition to our water damage restoration, we can be present to deal with the frozen pipes so that immediate care can be taken once they are thawed. If you have any questions about avoiding frozen pipes or flood damage, don’t hesitate to reach out to us.