Emerging Technologies in Moisture Detection: Revolutionizing Water Damage Restoration
February 01, 2025
A comfortable, safe home is a blessing. However, the threat of water damage is a constant curse. According to industry estimates, 14,000 people in the US experience a water damage emergency at home or work each day. Even more risky, 98% of basements in the US will suffer from some type of water damage during their lifetime.
Managing excess moisture reduces the chance of structural deterioration, mold growth, and indoor air quality problems. You can bolster your home's moisture resistance with these tips:
Take advantage of your "built-in" protections. Your gutters and downspouts should drain away from your house, not toward the foundation. Oak, hickory, beech, and maples dump debris throughout the year. Pine Ridge recommends checking your gutters every two weeks for leaves, acorns, and pine needles. Take a leaf blower and water hose with a strong jet to remove trapped material.
Lastly, keep plants and shrubs trimmed several feet back away from the external A/C unit to ensure good airflow.
Be on the lookout for evidence of moisture in your home. Musty smells and surface discoloration and stains due to mold are obvious indicators of problems. So is excessive, continuous condensation around windows. Examine the refrigerator, hot water heater, and washing machine water line connections to look for excess moisture.
Your home's relative humidity should be roughly 30-50%. Consider buying an inexpensive hygrometer to keep tabs on your home's humidity levels over the seasons of the year.
Set your air conditioner's fan to automatic. Make sure your HVAC is the right size for your home- not too small OR too large. Keep your unit's condensate drainage line to the outside clean and clear of debris.
Make sure your home is properly vented to keep the moisture out. Proper circulation prevents warm, moist air from condensing on cooler surfaces through evaporation. Carter recommends these ventilation best practices:
When you have water damage in your home, the restoration plan will be customized for you depending on the extent of the water damage. Pine Ridge technicians consider the category of water, the age of the home, materials used, client timing, and client budget. For example, structural drying equipment might be installed to rapidly remove any remaining water from the building materials.
Before and during mitigation, they will monitor and document the drying progress to completion. An experienced estimator will submit all the necessary paperwork to your insurance company- serving as liaison to your insurance adjuster to ensure you receive the maximum loss settlement.
The water damage restoration experts at Pine Ridge Restoration are the team to protect your home. Started in 1989, our company began as a cleaning business with a single truck. Over the years, the entire fleet of vehicles evolved to include many types of cleaning services: residential, commercial, industrial, and restoration. Their steadfast commitment to providing high-quality, comprehensive water damage cleaning and restoration solutions while delivering extraordinary customer service is driven by a family-owned and operated approach.
January 15, 2025