Recent Posts
Fire Damage in Sarver, PA
10/23/2023 (Permalink)
This family’s Sarver home suffered from fire and smoke caused by an electric fan. SERVPRO of Southern Butler County worked hard to recover the structure and the contents. We removed the soot, inventoried and packed-out content for storage in our warehouse, clean all affected rooms, seal painted areas as required, and eliminated the smoke smell. We also determined which items were not salvageable and recorded those. Our goal is always to make your home “Like it never happened.”
What to Expect:
When we visit your home after a fire loss, we will scope the affected areas to determine the extent of the loss. We have the equipment, expertise, and experience to restore your home from fire and smoke damage. If fire or smoke has damaged your home, please call us right away at 724-473-0745. We will treat you and your family with empathy and respect and treat your property with the utmost care.
Smoke and soot facts:
Hot smoke migrates to cooler areas and upper levels of a structure.
- Smoke flows around plumbing systems, seeping through the holes used by pipes to go from floor to floor.
- They type of smoke may affect the restoration process.
Different Types of Smoke:
There are two different types of smoke, wet and dry. As a result, these leave several types of smoke residue after a fire. We at SERVPRO of Southern Butler County will evaluate the soot to determine which type of smoke damage occurred. The cleaning process will then be based on this information.
Our Fire Damage Restoration Services:
Since each smoke and fire damage case is a little different, each requires a unique solution tailored to the specific conditions. We at SERVPRO of Southern Butler County, have the equipment, expertise, and experience to restore your fire and smoke damage.
Need assistance with fire, smoke or soot damage? Call Us Today at 724-473-0745.
How Many Fire Detectors Do You Need?
3/27/2023 (Permalink)
Not having enough smoke detectors in a house can be a serious risk.
When it comes to smoke alarms, many homeowners do not realize that most homes require more than just a couple of alarms in order to properly give a warning in an emergency scenario. Here are a few things to keep in mind when figuring out how many smoke alarms your home will need.
The safest smoke alarms are ones that are hardwired and interconnected. This means that when one alarm goes off, they all go off. This is important because you may not hear an alarm go off in a different area of your house if you are too far away or behind closed doors. If your home has interconnected smoke alarms, you can still add battery-powered stand-alone alarms as well for additional safety.
According to the National Fire Protection Association, your home should have at least one smoke alarm on every level of the home including the basement. Additionally, there should be one in every bedroom and outside of every sleeping area. For example, a two-story home, with two bedrooms and a basement should have a minimum of five smoke alarms. One on each floor, and one in each bedroom. Another thing to consider is their placement, for example, if your smoke alarm is in your kitchen, you should place it at least ten feet from the cooking appliances like the stove and oven to help mitigate false alarms. You can also use a photoelectric type of alarm in your kitchen to further mitigate the chance of false alarms.
Smoke alarms don’t prevent fires, but they are the first line of defense for your family in an emergency. Properly functioning fire alarms are a crucial part of your home safety. You should check them once a month to ensure proper function and replace the batteries twice a year, usually, people use switching the clocks for daylight savings time as a reminder of when to change the batteries. Additionally, smoke alarms should be replaced every ten years.
While we hope you won’t ever have to call us, if you should find yourself in need of a professional fire restoration company SERVPRO of Southern Butler County is here to help.
Thank you for reading our blog post on fire damage problems. If you need any assistance with fire-related problems call SERVPRO of Southern Butler County today! We are here to help. Call SERVPRO of Southern Butler at 724-473-0745 and we can get to work immediately!
Dealing with the Aftermath of a Commercial Fire
3/27/2023 (Permalink)
Being aware of prevention tactics for commercial buildings is extremely important.
How to Deal with a Commercial Fire's Aftermath
Calling emergency services and the fire restoration company are some of the most important steps you can take when there is a fire inside your Southern Butler County, business. However, addressing the aftermath requires more action, especially as recovery can take some time. Prepare the building for reconstruction and keep your staff safe throughout the process with these procedures.
Prepare Your Fire Insurance
Once everyone is safe and the firemen have controlled the situation, it is crucial to call your insurance company immediately. They will send representatives to work with you, examine the damage and determine the coverage of your business. Additionally, the commercial building restoration service that will handle your property can assist with the claim. It can run the inspection and fire assessment, as well as organize the required paperwork for an easier process.
Avoid Touching the Damage
The experts who will handle the fire restoration inside the building will have the necessary tools and experience to tackle the scenario. As such, you should avoid touching or cleaning affected areas such as:
- Clothes and cloth-based items
- Electrical devices and equipment
- Ceiling lights and other fixtures
- Packaged and sealed food
- Walls, painted surfaces and carpet floors
- Other soot-coated objects
Without the appropriate resources and techniques, you can risk spreading the damage or making its effects permanent. You and anyone else working in the building should leave these areas untouched to ensure a successful smoke cleaning.
Make the Building Safer
Though you cannot interfere with the damaged parts, there are some ways you can make your business building safer for anyone using it. Ensure no one eats any contaminated food by disposing of it. Also, empty the refrigerators and freezers once they are unplugged and keep them open to avoid additional contamination. Collaborate with the remediators to board up the building and prevent more damage.
An immediate response following a commercial fire is important, not just from emergency responders and the fire restoration agents, but also from you. Learn about the steps to take after the incident to facilitate the recovery.
While we hope you won’t ever have to call us, if you should find yourself in need of a professional fire restoration company SERVPRO of Southern Butler County is here to help.
Thank you for reading our blog post on fire damage problems. If you need any assistance with fire-related problems call SERVPRO of Southern Butler County today! We are here to help. Call SERVPRO of Southern Butler at 724-473-0745 and we can get to work immediately!
Common Water Issues
3/14/2023 (Permalink)
Pinhole leaks can wreak havoc on homes.
Common Water-Related Problems
Some plumbing issues may seem insignificant, but identifying and fixing these problems while they're small is vital when it comes to protecting your building. A small problem, such as a drop in water pressure, is often indicative of a larger issue, like a broken pipe. Make sure you regularly inspect your building for the following common water-related problems.
- Pinhole Leaks
Pinhole leaks are common water repair issues for older buildings. Cast-iron pipes are only designed to last approximately 25 years, although certain circumstances can cause them to deteriorate sooner. Keep an eye out for silent leaks by checking for spikes in your water bill or a drastic drop in water pressure. - Dripping Faucets and Toilets
Much like pinhole leaks, dripping bathroom appliances can slowly, yet steadily, drive up your monthly water bill. Take the time to inspect your commercial bathrooms and make any necessary repairs. - Clogged Drains
Customers tend not to treat commercial bathrooms with the same respect that they would their own residential ones. This can lead to many undesirable items getting flushed and ultimately clogging your drains. This can cause a wide range of issues, from an unsightly bathroom to severe toilet overflow. - Low Water Pressure
Low water pressure is a good indicator for several issues, such as leaking pipes. The low pressure is a result of water escaping through the leak, and not making it to the faucet where it's supposed to make its exit. - Structural Damage
Cracked, bulging or otherwise warped walls, ceilings and foundation can signal the presence of a serious leak. These deformities are caused by water accumulating within the walls and ceiling and are a good indication of a major flooding problem caused by a leaking or broken pipe.
A broken pipe, backed up toilet, and clogged drain are all common plumbing issues for commercial building owners. Staying on top of the issue can help reduce the amount of damage your building suffers and keep your business running smoothly. Contact water restoration experts for professional help.
SERVPRO of Southern Butler County specializes in water damage.
Thank you for reading our blog post on water-related problems. If you need any assistance with water-related problems call SERVPRO of Southern Butler County today! We are here to help. Call SERVPRO of Southern Butler immediately at 724-473-0745 and we can get to work immediately!
Recovering form a Fire with SERVPRO
3/14/2023 (Permalink)
SERVPRO Disaster Recovery Team
Any sort of house disaster can be overwhelming and hard to fully understand in the aftermath. If you are a homeowner, you certainly understand that worry! House fires in particular can be especially destructive and can make a large impact on your family’s lives.
Dealing with the cleanup and restoration on your own can be hard, but thankfully you don’t have to do that! Your SERVPRO of Southern Butler County team is here for you to help guide you through the process and take over the restoration for you.
Our Initial Contact
During and immediately following a fire, prioritize making sure that your family is safe. Once you are sure that your loved ones are OK, it’s time to turn to us for help with the cleanup.
The first phone call you make to us will include many questions, just to ensure we fully understand the extent of the fire. This allows us to pack up the right gear and tools for your unique situation. Once the trucks are packed and a team is assembled, we are out the door and on our way to you.
The First Cleaning
Once we arrive, we do a full walkthrough to better understand your home’s layout and the damage. Next, we secure areas of your home that are vulnerable to further damage, like boarding up windows and doors or laying tarps over exposed areas.
Now that your home is secure, we start by removing all of the debris and giving your home a deep-clean to remove residual soot and smoke. This also includes removing fragile possessions to avoid damaging anything else in your home! After the surface damage has been cleaned up, we sanitize the entire area and use our odor-removing techniques to remove any lingering smoke smells from your carpets, furniture and walls.
The Restoration
Now comes the best part! Our restoration process involves full structural repairs to minor ones, and we can rebuild entire sections of your home, lay new carpet or hang new drywall for you.
We have the tools necessary for whatever your project requires, so you can rest easy knowing that when we are through, you would never know a fire tore through your home. Call us at SERVPRO of Southern Butler County! We are ready to help you recover today.
SERVPRO of Southern Butler County specializes in housing restoration
Thank you for reading our blog post on fire damage problems. If you need any assistance with water-related problems call SERVPRO of Southern Butler County today! We are here to help. Call SERVPRO of Southern Butler immediately at 724-473-0745 and we can get to work immediately!
Commercial Emergency Plans
3/14/2023 (Permalink)
Having a shelter-in-place plan is necessary for any business.
If you manage a business or own a commercial space, you expect your employees to report to work per their schedule and fulfill their job duties in a timely manner. Your employees expect you to provide them with a safe environment in which to do their job. Most of the time, these expectations are met without incident. Every commercial space is vulnerable to risk, however, and it’s important to have plans in place to protect your staff when something out of the ordinary occurs.
Some regional risks for businesses in Southern Butler County include floods, tornadoes, and winter storms. Then, health hazards, vehicle or machinery accidents, acts of violence, and power outages or equipment failure are risks that should be included in every Emergency Response Plan no matter your geographical location. In certain emergency situations, evacuation is the safest course of action (scroll down for our previous post, Emergency Readiness: Evacuation Plans). In others—like in the instance of nearby chemical spills or a fire across the street—it’s safer for employees to remain in the building until emergency services say otherwise. For these situations, your business should have a Shelter-in-Place plan.
Shelter-in-Place plans need not be elaborate. To start creating one for your business, designate an area near the center of the building where employees can congregate; this area should be away from windows, and on the second or third floor if available. In the plan, a specific employee should be assigned to shut off the building’s air intake system. As with evacuation plans, your Shelter-in-Place plan should be triggered by an alarm or other alert system recognizable to your employees, and your staff should run practice drills no less than once a year.
Evacuation and Shelter-in-Place plans help keep your employees safe in the event of an emergency, and give them peace of mind all year round. Other ways to improve your business’s emergency preparedness include consulting local law enforcement in creating a Lockdown Plan (some departments even provide training) for our facility, and writing a Crisis Communication Plan, which lets your employees and your customers know exactly when and in what form they can expect contact from you about returning to work after a crisis.
SERVPRO of Southern Butler County specializes in emergencies!
Thank you for reading our blog post on Shelter-in-Place plans. If emergency strikes you call SERVPRO of Southern Butler County today! We are here to help. Call SERVPRO of Southern Butler immediately at 724-473-0745 and we can get to work immediately!
Storm Damage Repair
3/14/2023 (Permalink)
At SERVPRO we are prepared to help you with any storm-damage problems you may have!
SERVPRO's Storm Response Team was created to assist in the organization of larger chains of command in the case of a severe storm. It is evident that we are dedicated to these kinds of unpredicted events. Our team is willing to risk their lives in order to help communities recover from dangerous and unpleasant situations. You can see our green and orange trucks in the background of news feeds from nearly every major storm in the past three decades. This is due to our ability quickly to increase our workforce and equip ourselves with the necessary equipment and then mobilize.
With April showers right around the corner, rest assured that SERVPRO is the best in the business. SERVPRO of Southern Butler County can mobilize equipment and a skilled workforce all across the area when called upon to assist in the recovery efforts following a natural disaster.
We are also prepared for major storms and we will mobilize our team to help those in need. Pre-storm services include board-up, pump and sandbag installation and many other things. We provide emergency services for residential and commercial properties.
We will be monitoring all major hurricanes during hurricane season and will be available to assist in an emergency. We can help you if your building is at risk of flooding. You can have a project manager visit your property to help you document it and be more prepared to manage the restoration of your property in case of major storms.
SERVPRO of Southern Butler County specializes in storm damage repair!
Thank you for reading our blog post on storm damage. If you need any assistance with water-related problems call SERVPRO of Southern Butler County today! We are here to help. Call SERVPRO of Southern Butler immediately at 724-473-0745 and we can get to work immediately!
How Many Fire Detectors Do You Need?
3/14/2023 (Permalink)
Not having enough smoke detectors in a house can be a serious risk.
When it comes to smoke alarms, many homeowners do not realize that most homes require more than just a couple of alarms in order to properly give a warning in an emergency scenario. Here are a few things to keep in mind when figuring out how many smoke alarms your home will need.
The safest smoke alarms are ones that are hardwired and interconnected. This means that when one alarm goes off, they all go off. This is important because you may not hear an alarm go off in a different area of your house if you are too far away or behind closed doors. If your home has interconnected smoke alarms, you can still add battery-powered stand-alone alarms as well for additional safety.
According to the National Fire Protection Association, your home should have at least one smoke alarm on every level of the home including the basement. Additionally, there should be one in every bedroom and outside of every sleeping area. For example, a two-story home, with two bedrooms and a basement should have a minimum of five smoke alarms. One on each floor, and one in each bedroom. Another thing to consider is their placement, for example, if your smoke alarm is in your kitchen, you should place it at least ten feet from the cooking appliances like the stove and oven to help mitigate false alarms. You can also use a photoelectric type of alarm in your kitchen to further mitigate the chance of false alarms.
Smoke alarms don’t prevent fires, but they are the first line of defense for your family in an emergency. Properly functioning fire alarms are a crucial part of your home safety. You should check them once a month to ensure proper function and replace the batteries twice a year, usually, people use switching the clocks for daylight savings time as a reminder of when to change the batteries. Additionally, smoke alarms should be replaced every ten years.
While we hope you won’t ever have to call us, if you should find yourself in need of a professional fire restoration company SERVPRO of Southern Butler County is here to help.
Thank you for reading our blog post on fire damage problems. If you need any assistance with fire-related problems call SERVPRO of Southern Butler County today! We are here to help. Call SERVPRO of Southern Butler at 724-473-0745 and we can get to work immediately!
Responding to Damage to Your Home
2/20/2023 (Permalink)
Here at SERVPRO, we understand that time is of the essence when it comes to storm damage. The faster we can start the drying process, the less damage.
Owners of homes that have sustained damage should start the mitigation and restoration process as soon as possible. Leading restoration companies are always open and can respond to a call, provide an on-site consultation, and offer a verbal briefing within a 24 hour window. Learn more about the timeframe for responding to any type of damage.
Call Response
A fast call response within one hour is ideal for a mitigation and restoration service. The initial communication should cover the following information about damage:
The next step is scheduling a consultation. For the best results, homeowners should make this call within a 24 hour period after damage occurs.
On-Site Consultation
Experts should arrive on location within four hours of a call response. These professionals can assess the degree of damage and recommend strategies to avoid additional damage. Homeowners should document damage for insurance purposes before taking any mitigation measures.
Verbal Briefing
A company should provide a verbal briefing within eight hours of an on-site assessment. This briefing should provide an overview of the remediation process:
- Mitigation measures
- Cleaning methods
- Restoration timeline
Each of these factors will impact the duration of the cleanup and rebuilding process and the overall estimate. A one-stop shop can oversee this process from start to finish.
Estimate and Schedule
A company can then provide an estimate for homeowners to forward to their insurance provider. Depending on the cause and type of damage, an insurer may or may not cover losses. Limits may also apply. Homeowners should review the terms of their coverage prior to filing a claim.
A mitigation and restoration company should provide a fast response and clear description of mitigation and restoration procedures. It may also be possible to obtain mitigation services within a 24 hour period, such as boarding up or tarping over structural damage at a residence in Western Pennsylvania.
SERVPRO of Southern Butler County specializes in damage restoration.
Thank you for reading our blog post on damage restoration. If you need any assistance with damage restoration call SERVPRO of Southern Butler County today! We are here to help.
CALL SERVPRO SOUTHERN BUTLER COUNTY @ (724) 473-0745 OPEN 24 HOURS
The Biology of Mold
2/13/2023 (Permalink)
When water collected underneath this sink, it was not dried properly and resulted in mold growth.
Mold is a fungus and classed as a saprophyte, which means that most types find nutrients by decomposing organic matter. There are over 100,000 types of molds that exist within nature.
Why Use Containment?
Starting as a tiny spore, mold begins in a cluster that contains thousands and thousands of spores. When something disrupts the spore mass, thousands of mold spores are set free, until they settle. Therefore it is important to have mold containment. During the process of cleaning and removing moldy materials, SERVPRO of East Sacramento/West Arden-Arcade sets up plastic barriers to avoid spreading these tiny spores to clean areas of the structure.
What Can Make Fungi and Molds Harmful?
Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites produced by microfungi that can cause health effects. Mycotoxins can be found attached to mold spores and fragments of mold.
At first, you cannot see mold spores. Disturbances of mold can cause spores to mass aerosolize, releasing thousands of spores into the air and you cannot see which materials are affected by these settled spores.
How Can I Prevent Mold Growth?
A fast response to water damage is of the utmost importance when trying to prevent mold growth. Any and all structures that have been damaged by water have the potential to grow mold. In order to prevent mold growth, you should keep good ventilation of your home, keep a dry environment, and the use of fungicides and biocides.
SERVPRO of Southern Butler County specializes in mold remediation.
Thank you for reading our blog post on mold. If you need any assistance with mold call SERVPRO of Southern Butler County today! We are here to help.
CALL SERVPRO SOUTHERN BUTLER COUNTY @ (724) 473-0745 OPEN 24 HOURS
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