Protecting Your Roof During a Hurricane

8/31/2023 (Permalink)

How to Protect Your Roof During a Hurricane

Protect your roof. Consider hurricane straps to ensure your roof is bolted to the rest of your house. And inspect your roof tiles or shingles to make sure they are secure. Use roofing cement to fix any loose tiles to prevent them from becoming lethal projectiles during a storm and damaging the underlying roofing material. Seal any areas where wires enter the home, minimizing the chance of water damage during heavy wind and rain.

Trim your trees. Broken limbs could land on your (or your neighbor’s) roof/house or become missiles that can break windows during a storm. If your tree damages your house or a neighbor’s house, your insurance cover the damages, but it may pay only a portion.

If your home is damaged during a San Antonio area storm, call the professionals at SERVPRO of Helotes and Leon Springs.  Faster to Any Size Disaster

Source: Kiplinger

Why SERVPRO?  SERVPRO Uses Industrial Grade Equipment and Cleaning Products on your Home or Busines

8/31/2023 (Permalink)

Certified Professionals at SERVPRO of Helotes/Leon Springs

If your home or business has suffered a water damage event, simply cleaning up the water and opening up the windows will not completely dry the space, leaving your home or business vulnerable to future mold growth (known as secondary damage).  SERVPRO of Helotes and Leon Springs uses industrial grade dehumidifiers and fans to completely dry your home or business.  SERVPRO of Helotes and Leon Springs uses moister testing devices to make sure your walls, closets, and floors are dry before we leave your home and close out the job.  In addition to drying, commercial grade anti-fungal treatments are applied in order to prevent mold from forming.

If your home or business has suffered a fire damage event, air scrubbers are brought in to the area to "scrub" the air clean and remove the chemical and smoke odor. In addition to air scrubbers, special cleaning agents are used to save as many smoke-affected items as possible in your home or business.

If your home or business has suffered a water damage, fire damage, or mold growth event, please do not hesitate to call us today.

Three Probable Causes of a Leaky Refrigerator

8/31/2023 (Permalink)

WATER FILTER

If your filter is not installed properly, or the filter is old or doesn't fit correctly with your refrigerator model, chances are there is a poor connection between the filter and the water supply. To prevent your refrigerator from leaking, check to see if water is escaping due to holes in the filter. Also, check the size and model of both the fridge and filter to ensure it's the correct part for your refrigerator.

DRAIN PAN

Examine the drain pan for any cracks, which is located at the bottom of the refrigerator. If you notice a significant amount of pooling underneath, chances are the pan has a crack and that's what is causing the leak. Replace the pan immediately if you notice any damage.

DEFROST DRAIN

One of the most common causes of a leaky refrigerator is a faulty defrost drain. When the defrost drain is blocked by food particles or ice, it prevents the water accumulated during the defrost cycle to properly drain into the pan. Eventually, water will start to build up. Without anywhere to drain, water will begin to flow right onto your floor. Remove any blockage caused by food particles or ice by flushing the drain with hot water and removing debris carefully.

Source: Roto-Rooter Online

5 Things Never to Plug into a Power Strip

8/31/2023 (Permalink)

What Shouldn't I Plug into a Power strip?

No matter where you live—house, apartment, dorm room, mobile home—one factor remains constant: There never seem to be enough power outlets. This may explain the popularity of multi-outlet power strips, which provide additional outlets and also let you control multiple components with a single on-off switch. There are some appliances, however, that should never be used with power strips because they could overload the circuit and cause overheating or even a fire…

1. Refrigerators and Freezers

Large appliances like refrigerators require a lot of power and frequently cycle on and off, which can easily overload a power strip. These devices should be plugged directly into a wall outlet dedicated solely to powering the appliance. If you try to plug additional appliances into the same outlet, you risk tripping the circuit.  

1. Microwaves

The microwave is a miracle of modern food preparation, thawing, cooking, and reheating food in a fraction of the time it takes a conventional oven. But all that marvelous activity requires more energy than a power strip can provide. Like a conventional electric oven, the microwave should have its own dedicated power outlet.

1. Coffee Makers

You may not think that your morning cup of joe requires that much energy to brew, but most coffee makers need quite bit of amperage to turn those roasted beans into a hot beverage. Plug your coffee maker directly into the outlet or you run the risk of waking up to a half-brewed pot of coffee.

1. Toasters

If you’ve ever peered into a toaster to remove a particularly stubborn piece of broken crust, you know that the inside is basically a bunch of wires that heat up to red-hot temperatures to toast the bread. The current draw that those wires require can easily cause a power strip to overheat. This same issue affects toaster ovens, electric skillets, and waffle irons as well.

1. Slow Cookers and Hot Plates

You might think you're one clever cook when you plug your slow cooker into a power strip to free up outlet space for other countertop appliances, but you'd be wrong. These cooking appliances require more juice over a longer period of time than a power strip can handle. And because the appeal of a slow cooker is that it can operate without supervision, you definitely want to make sure it is safely plugged into a wall outlet to minimize any hazardous outcomes.

Source: MSN Online

Four Ways to Check for Hidden Water Leaks

9/6/2022 (Permalink)

Think you may have a water leak somewhere in your home? Here are some good ways to tell when the leak is not obvious.

1. Pay Attention to Increased Water Bills

Monitor your water bill for sudden unexplained increases.

2. Check Your Water Meter

Pick a few hours when you can go without using the water in your home. Record your water meter before and after. Was there an increase?

3. Toilet Leaks

Put a drop of food coloring in your toilet’s tank. If within 15 minutes or less, the toilet bowl reveals that color, you may have a leak. Make sure to flush the toilet multiple times after performing this test so your bowl does not get stained.

4. Look for Mold

Where there is mold, there is moisture. Something is feeding that moisture. It’s possible there is a leak somewhere.

SERVPRO of Helotes / Leon Springs can assist with restoring water leaks as well as mold remediation. Call today to learn more about what we can do for you.

We Use Moisture Meters to Detect Water Damage You Cannot Easily See

9/1/2022 (Permalink)

Just by glancing at the wall in the picture, one would assume that it is dry. It doesn’t appear to be wet. There is no water around the baseboard and there aren’t water droplets rolling down the wall. However, after a water damage disaster, one cannot make these kinds of assessments based on sight alone, which is why our water damage specialists use the moisture meter. This tool is an essential part of our restoration tool kit. We have two different kinds of moisture meters – one that lets us gather moisture levels from non-porous materials such as plaster and hardwood, and the other has prongs that we use on porous materials like carpet.  Moisture meters allow our technicians at SERVPRO of Helotes / Leon Springs to detect and measure the percentage of water in any given material. Our water damage specialists then use this information to determine which materials have been affected and require the most attention.

Water Damage to Your Hardwood Flooring

8/24/2022 (Permalink)

It doesn’t require a disaster of the scope of a spring flood or hurricane to damage a wood floor. Plumbing leaks, fire hoses and the upstairs neighbor’s overflowing tub might pose problems for porous wood floors and substructures. Whatever the cause, water causes warping, and can trigger mold and mildew growth that can ruin wood. Major flooding creates problems in foundations and walls that must be addressed, but the first step in mitigating the damage done by water to a building -- including its wood floors -- is to gently but quickly ventilate and dry materials.

SERVPRO® of Helotes and Leon Springs uses commercial-grade machines that extract the water from the wood flooring with a powerful force.  If we are called immediately following a water damage event, there is a good possibility we can save your wood floors from buckling using the high-powered water extractors.  Don't hesitate to call right away.

Source: Homeguides

Tips to Prevent Water Damage to your Business' Properties

8/16/2022 (Permalink)

1. Train all employees on the location of the water shut off valves and make sure they are easily accessible.
2. Find out if your business is located on a flood plain and if your area offers programs for business owners.
3. Conduct regular inspections of your HVAC units, roof, water heaters, refrigerators, sinks, toilets, and any other area you have that may have a water leak.
4. Make sure your insurance policy is up to date and you are insured.
5. Keep any documents, inventory, or anything critical to your business' survival at least a few feet off the ground.
6. Be prepared for a water damage event. The faster the water is removed and dried out, the better off you are going to be. Time is an important factor. Please save our number to your phone so you know who to call. SERVPRO® of Helotes / Leon Springs: (210) 973-7636

Causes of Refrigerator Leaks

7/25/2022 (Permalink)

Maybe your water alarm alerted you, maybe you see a puddle or some dripping, or maybe you see some signs of water damage (corrosion, water stains, etc.). Once you’ve discovered a leak, consider the possible causes.

Blocked defroster. A blocked defroster can stop defrost-cycle water from draining properly. Try clearing out the small drain by pouring hot water into it. Remove any debris with a pipe cleaner.

Drain pan. Sometimes the drain pan itself can leak. Check for cracks.

Filter. Refrigerators with filters can leak if the filter is the wrong size or not installed properly.

Water line. This is potentially the most problematic. Refrigerators with ice makers or water dispensers have water lines running between the main water supply and the back of the fridge. Feel to see if the water line is wet or dripping. Cracked hoses and loose connections are often the culprit.

Refrigerator leaks can damage the flooring and cabinets in your kitchen.  If you experience a refrigerator leak, please contact us right away to treat and help to prevent any further damage.

Source: ER Plumbing

The Importance of Proper Smoke Remediation after Smoke or Fire Damage to your Home

7/24/2022 (Permalink)

Fire Damage Restoration

After a fire in a home it's very possible that contaminating smoke has touched every item and area in your home. In smoke, there are residual amounts of chemicals and other bi-products due to burning plastics and other chemical-based items in your home that may have burned in the fire.  Those residual chemicals have been transferred by the smoke and is now left on your walls, furniture, floors, personal items, and other contents in your home.  Even things like your light bulbs in your lamps must be decontaminated or disposed of properly.

It's important to remove and remediate the items in the home that were exposed to the fire and smoke so that they do not further contaminate your home.  The residual amounts of chemicals and other bi-products can irritate: eyes, lungs, skin, and other parts of the body.

SERVPRO® uses special equipment, techniques, and cleaning products to remove the smoke and soot from your home and salvageable contents. SERVPRO® will also remove the odors using our industrial air scrubbers and fogging equipment. In most cases, air ducts will need to be cleaned as well along with new HVAC filters installed.

SERVPRO of Helotes and Leon Springs will help to make it "Like it never even happened."