 Pump Outs, Water Damage, Water Restoration
Quick action is critical to reduce damage from water intrusion into a building, such as from broken water pipes, overflowing toilets, sewer back-ups, broken water sprinklers, roof damage, etc. Delaying action will make the situation worse causing damage to the sub-flooring, walls, cabinets, furniture and ceilings and allowing time for microorganisms to grow. When the moisture content of most cellulose-based materials exceed 20-25% of their weight, damage will be serious. Reducing damage is accomplished by water removal plus controlling the relative humidity, temperature, and air movement.
Take care when removing water from carpets because they can lose up to 50% of their structural strength when they get wet and can be permanently damaged by excessive bending or folding or by foot traffic.
Step 1 in any pump-out situation is to inspect thoroughly for damage, being especially alert for microbial growth.
Determine extent of damage to the carpet by disengaging it in the corners and inspecting. Inspect for delamination.
Check the tuft bind by pulling on the tufts. If tufts easily pull out, the latex which binds the primary and secondary backings together has been compromised and carpet replacement may be required. Zippering occurs in a loop pile carpet in which tufts are pulled from the backing resulting in long, lengthwise pulls out of the carpet. Zippering occurs when the latex has been damaged due to water damage.
After a carpet gets wet from water damage and then dries, shrinkage sometimes occurs in the backing system that will lead to wrinkling and puckering.
Carpet padding cannot be cleaned - only dried. Padding tends to hold odors. Any natural fiber padding, such as jute or horsehair must be replaced.
Check for damage to the sub-floor - especially plywood and parquet. Is the tack strip secure to the floor?
On-Location Drying
Move furniture to a dry area and tab or block it if it is wet. Hang drapery with a coat hanger to avoid contact with the wet floor. Extract - clear the vacuum hose at the end of each dry stroke by lifting up the cleaning tool. Using the Water Claw® Sub-Surface Flood Extractor will speed the operation.
Remove all rust and furniture stains.
Use a 100 pound roller to compress the carpet and padding and force the excess water to the corners for extraction. Fold back all four corners of the room. Cut and remove the exposed padding. Release the carpet at door metals. Work the roller from the center of the room to the corner where the water can be extracted out.
Do a final extraction of the entire area.
Place air movers in a corner with the snout on top of the pad and under the carpet and secure the carpet to the air mover. Float the carpet 4-6 inches off the floor. Usually, one air mover is required for every 200 square feet of carpet. Avoid walking on the carpet when the air movers are lifting the carpet. DO NOT use air movers where there is active mold!
In some cases, a dehumidifier is required to remove excess moisture from the room.
SATURATE the contaminated carpet with an anti-microbial such as MediClean® or Sporicidin®. Use a stainless steel sprayer or the >Multi-Sprayer® Wet fogging can be used for inaccessible areas, but is not as effective as spraying. Anti-microbials must contact all affected materials and be allowed at least 10 - 15 minutes dwell time. Pets, plants and animals must not be present during application of anti-microbials.
On 100% olefin fibers and concrete, apply undiluted chlorine bleach, agitate, and extract after 20 minutes of dwell time.
 An unsightly water ring is often evident at the point where capillary drying has stopped. The water ring contains soil, minerals, etc. left behind as the carpet dried. Prespray, clean, and do a Brown Out® flush with 2 - 4 ounces of Brown Out per gallon of water through the base unit. Even stronger concentrations of Brown Out may be required.
Once carpet has completely dried out, replace any padding that has been discarded, reinstall the carpet, move the furniture back in, and make a final application of anti-microbial.
In water damage situations, MediClean or Sporicidin Disinfectant Solution should be applied in addition to “Step 1.” The use of an electric atomizer placed in front of an air mover is advisable. DO NOT use air movers where there is active mold!
“Sub-Surface” Extraction
In many cases, the Water Claw® Sub-Surface Flood Extractor can be used with a Bane-Clene truckmount equipped with the Aqua-Mount® System to remove flood water without having to pull the pad or use a roller. The use of the Water Claw Flood Tool greatly increases the speed and effectiveness of water extraction. This process is deceptively fast and easy:
- To initiate flood extraction where carpet is floating on standing water, place tool in the middle of room to draw out excess water only. (At this point DO NOT allow the tool to extract water from pad or face fibers.)
- Water migration in pad is essentially stopped during the succeeding “Sub-Surface” extraction process as excess water (source water) is drawn away as described above.
- Begin the “Sub-Surface” extraction process in one corner. Then check pad to confirm extraction results and adjust to appropriate tool size as needed. (Larger tools are for speed and smaller tools for concentrated suction as needed in cases of Berber, thick pad and/or carpet, or weaker vacuums, etc.)
- Once proper tool size is determined, a rhythm of moving the tool can be quickly mastered by first standing on the tool for 3-5 seconds for “Sub-Surface” extraction.
- To reposition tool, drop one foot back off the tool, then lift slightly with the adjustable waist-height handle, pushing the tool forward with your other foot still in position on the tool. Then replace the tool on the carpet while bringing your other foot back onto the tool. (Overlapping is not recommended.) The total elapsed time from one placement to the next, including extraction time, will typically take 5-7 seconds.
After the Sub-Surface extraction process has been performed, a small amount of moisture will be left on the face fibers, which can then be more quickly and efficiently extracted with a floor tool. This will further reduce drying time. Multiple Sub-Surface extraction passes are usually ineffective, as Sub-Surface extraction is best accomplished while both carpet and pad are saturated.
If water is present in the pad only, the Water Claw can be used in one of 2 ways:
- Pull the carpet back and extract the pad directly, or
- Saturate the face fibers with a hose or buckets of water; this will raise the water level up through the face fibers to better facilitate Sub-Surface extraction.
DO NOT extract water from face fiber before using the WATER CLAW, as this will cause the tool to suck air through the face fibers, inhibiting the Sub-Surface extraction process in most cases.
Definitions
- Air mover: A high velocity air mover designed to speed up drying of carpet after water damage or after cleaning of berber carpet. Also called “carpet dryer” or “blower” DO NOT use air movers where there is active mold!
- Anti-microbial: A chemical that kills or retards the growth of bacteria, fungi, yeast, algae, mold, mildew, and other microorganisms. The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) defines an anti-microbial as "intended to have a pesticide activity against microbiological pests, or to protect inanimate articles, substances, industrial processes or systems from deterioration, fouling, or contamination caused by bacterial, viral, fungal, protozoan, algal or slime pests with several exceptions, especially related to food. The primary antimicrobials sold by Bane-Clene are MediClean, Sporicidin Disinfectant Solution and Steri-Fab. Any product making anti-microbial claims MUST be registered by the EPA and can only be used in accordance with the label directions.
- Bacteria: One-celled microorganisms that lack the green pigment chlorophyll.
- Black Water: Water containing high levels of dangerous pathogenic microorganisms, as from a sewer back-up, floods, and toilet overflow. Protect rest of building, current immunizations against Hepatitis A and B, Tetanus, and Polio. Wear protective clothing. Carpet, pad, and debris should be placed in heavy-duty plastic bags and discarded. Hard surfaces should be cleaned thoroughly and treated with an antimicrobial.
- Brown Out Flush: The process of rinsing the carpet with Brown Out, usually at 2-4 ounces per gallon, through the Bane-Clene base unit to remove excess detergent residue, ice melt, and minerals from water damage.
- Clean Water: Potable water, such as from a broken pipe or water sprinkler going off.
- Fungi: A large group of non-green (have no chlorophyll) plants that live by feeding on either living or dead organisms. Fungi include molds, mildews, mushrooms and yeasts. Their growth is stimulated by moisture, darkness, lack of air circulation, abundant food source (cellulosic materials), and 68-86 degrees F temperatures. Most fungi do not grow well unless humidity is above 65% or moisture is available on the surface where they are attempting to grow. Thus, moisture control is a preferred way to limit fungal growth.
- Fungicide: A chemical that kills fungi. Must be registered with the EPA. Most fungicides are cationic and their use may void the warranty on stain-resistant nylon carpet.
- Gray water: Water with foreign materials such as detergents, food particles, etc. such as from a laundry or dish washer break.
- Mildew: A growth caused by spore-forming fungi that requires absence of light, moisture, oxygen, stagnant air, and an organic host to survive and grow. Once a heavy growth of gray-black mildew is visible on cellulosic fibers, fabric damage has probably occurred – clean very cautiously and get a waiver of responsibility or a signed release!
- Mildewcide: Chemicals, such as MediClean Disinfectant and Sporicidin Disinfectant Solution, which kill mildew.
- Mold: One of a number of one-cell plant-like minute parasitic fungi—the gray, woolly patches caused by fungi on damp or decaying organic matter or on living organisms. Optimum conditions for the growth of most mold on carpet and other surfaces are dark, damp, and warm. DO NOT use air movers where there is active mold! The development of mold should be suspected when excessive moisture is present beyond 48 hours of the initial water intrusion.
- Mycelium: Colonies of hypha, which forms the basic fungus structure. This is the gray or black mildew seen on materials.
- Natural fibers: Fibers made from organic sources that have not been chemically altered. They include wool, cotton, silk, sea grass, jute, horsehair, and hemp. Natural fibers require more drying time because they are very absorbent, are more easily damaged by chemicals, shrink, stain easily, water spot, fade, and are readily attacked by mold and insects.
- Pathogen: A microorganism that causes disease.
NOTE: Many states require that a contractor applying a pest control product be licensed. Please contact your state EPA office for further information.
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