Smoke Alarms

Batteries should be changed out every 6 months according to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). Most alarms only use batteries as a backup because they are hardwired, but that is not always the case. Some detectors have a built-in battery that may last up to 10 years before having to be disposed of.

Smoke alarms are an important item to keep up with as they may very well save your life in the event there is a fire. The Ohio Board of Building Standards says that a properly installed smoke alarm can alert you 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Plus, smoke alarms are constantly sampling the air for fire and smoke regardless of whether you are awake or asleep.

Smoke alarms should be tested regularly to ensure they are working properly and that the batteries haven’t died every month. First Alert recommends changing out the alarms at least every 10 years to ensure you have a properly working alarm in the event there is an emergency.

According to the NFPA, you should install a smoke alarm that detects both ionization and photoelectric technologies. This will provide homeowners with the earliest possible warning and the longest possible escape time, no matter what type of fire is encountered.

For the hearing impaired there are smoke alarms that have low frequency, strobe lights that flash, or vibration to help bring attention to the user that there is an issue. There may be newer technology on the market as this seems to keep evolving.

Check with your local building or fire department for a reduced price or even free, smoke alarms. When ready to replace do your research to see what smoke alarms are viewed the best on the market. Being prepared and having plans in place in case of a fire will increase your chances of escape as well as prevent further damage to your home if caught early.

Carbon Monoxide Alarms

It is very important to have a carbon monoxide alarm in your home due to the fact you cannot see or smell the gases. It is known as the “silent killer” because we are not aware of its surrounding, which is why it is very dangerous and deadly. Carbon monoxide is very dangerous to humans and pets’ health when inhaled. Having a CO alarm not only gives you peace of mind, but it protects you and the ones you love from experiencing carbon monoxide poisoning.

According to First Alert carbon monoxide alarms detect poisonous gases and provide early warnings in the event there is a CO leak. It is critical to point out if your CO alarm is going off that you get fresh air as soon as possible.

Things that produce carbon monoxide are any items that are a fuel-burning device such as gas fireplaces, kerosene heaters, gas furnaces, gas water heaters, and a gas dryer and ranges. It is important to point out that wood stoves even though not fueled by gas can produce CO in your home. Contact your local fire department if you are not sure what will cause CO in your home, they should be able to help.

Every level of a home must have a CO alarm so everyone can be alerted quickly to the emergency. It is best to have CO alarms in each room that has a family member sleeping in them. CO alarms can be placed anywhere in the room for any detection of poisonous gas as long as they are not obstructed.

Be responsible for knowing how your CO alarm works. Just because your CO alarm goes off does not mean there is CO in the area. Learn the different beeps of your particular CO alarm because they mean different things such as low battery or end of life of the alarm. Some CO alarms have a display screen that allows you to view the message of the alarm while others may be a series of beeps describing what the issue is for that particular device.

Just like your smoke alarms the CO alarms need to be checked as well once a month to ensure they are working properly and that the batteries are not dead. Make sure to keep the CO alarm clear of obstructions, clean, and dust-free at all times. It is important to note that the CO alarms need to be replaced between 5 – 7 years according to First Alert.

According to Fire Fighter Insider responding to check CO and other potentially dangerous gases is one of the many things fire departments are responsible for. They use meters called Combustible Gas Indicator (CGI’s) to help them check for various dangerous gases and their levels. They will assess the danger, find the potential sources of the gas and do whatever is necessary to make the space safe again for you and your loved ones.

Typically, your gas company does not check for CO. If you suspect CO in your home, you should call your local fire department, 911 for an emergency, or any professional on-site air testing company. If you call 911, they will dispatch the fire department and any other necessary emergency personnel to respond to your home and check for poisonous gases. You should never try to assess a gas leak yourself especially when you don’t have the proper meters and training to do so. Leave it to the professionals!

Thermostats

Batteries in thermostats are needed to help keep settings during a power outage as well as keeping the original settings. Batteries help act as a secondary power source. It helps keep your settings, preferences, and schedule in place without having to reset every setting. If the batteries were to die you would have to solely rely on your memory to reset all the settings on the thermostat.

Most thermostats allow you to program them to fit your needs. Whether you want it hot/cold when you wake up or set it to turn off when you leave for work and turn back on when you return. Some thermostats allow you to turn them on and off remotely as long as there is Wi-Fi.

Setting up your thermostat to your preferences can help cut costs since you can set times when the thermostat kicks the furnace on and off. This is more energy-efficient since your furnace isn’t running to heat or cool an unoccupied home.

Changing batteries regularly in your thermostat helps you maintain control of your HVAC. Also, it helps save time from having to manually turn it on and off, especially once the power comes back on. Without battery backup, your thermostat will not automatically come on or function properly without your assistance. Some thermostats are hardwired and only use battery backup when the power goes out. Most have a display showing the battery life along with an audible sound letting you know the battery needs replaced. They need to be replaced quickly to avoid performance issues and having to reset everything that you programmed.

It is recommended to change batteries out at least once a year. Thermostats with fresh batteries help keep everything running without a problem. It ensures the thermostat is running properly with no issues and saves you time from having to reprogram the settings.

Water mitigation is usually required after storms, pipes, sump pumps, water heaters, water softeners, just to name a few, have failed or caused flooding. Water damage starts to occur immediately and it is important to call a water damage restoration professional quickly to minimize the damage.

Don’t try to attempt drying out your home with just residential fans and dehumidifiers. The fans don’t push enough air to pull the moisture out of the wet contents and the dehumidifiers can’t pull enough pints of water out causing more saturation. This will lead to wet rot and quickly turn from a category 1 into a category 2 or a category 2 to a category 3 depending on what the category was to begin with if the moisture is not removed in a quick and proper amount of time. 

Most professionals have commercial heavy-duty grade air movers and dehumidifiers which pull moisture out and remove it very quickly. There needs to be a balance drying system which means you don’t want your air movers pulling out moisture faster than your dehumidifier can remove it or this will cause secondary damage.

There are formulas that we use as professionals to tell us exactly how much equipment we should be able to use to dry out in the 3-day range of industry standards. Most times we can hit that mark, but there are times when we can’t; due to the severity of the damage and how long the damage has occurred before calling. These formulas are based on the cubed footage of the area affected. If there is not enough equipment, it will lead to more damage.

There is a science behind what we do as professionals to dry out your home. We know how to manipulate the direction and the amount being pulled by moving the air movers and dehumidifiers around. We know when we need to add or remove equipment based on our measuring equipment. This will tell us if we are drying out or not.

We use various equipment and methods to check the extent of the water damage. The equipment we use allows us to pinpoint exactly where the water has migrated. Most of the time the damage is not contained in one area. Wet seeks dry so water will continue to migrate to other areas absorbing it’s surrounding such as drywall, carpet, pad, and trim just to name a few.

The Moisture meter we use sends off an alarm showing us what areas and what exactly is wet. This lets us know all of the affected areas so we can plan accordingly to start removing the water and the wet contents immediately.

The moisture sensor allows us to check the percentage of moisture that is in the drywall, trim, and surrounding furniture. This will let us know how far the moisture has wicked up the wall and how wet the legs of the furniture are.

Also, we use a hygrometer to measure the temperature, relative humidity, and dew point. We want to see higher temps and lower RH to know we are drying out. Higher RH and lower temps mean we have a lot of moisture in the area and drying needs to continue.

Typically, drying times are within 3 days of removing moisture and water-damaged contents. This is not always the case. Sometimes depending on the severity of the water damage, it can take longer. That is where all of the measuring equipment comes into play because it shows us exactly the areas that are dry and the areas that are still wet. Then we can focus on those particular areas of interest to continue the drying process.

Most hygroscopic materials such as drywall and trim dry much faster than a sill plate or subfloor. They may require longer times for air movers and dehumidifiers to run depending on the amount of saturation.

Just because the industry standard is usually 3 days doesn’t mean we are pulling our equipment out until your home is completely dried. We will stay in constant communication with your insurance adjuster letting them know every step to dry out your home properly. 

We have a methodical process that we follow to ensure that we are drying your home or business in accordance with the IICRC (Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification) Standard of Care.

By drying out your home or business in a timely manner, we are preventing the opportunity for mold growth and contamination, which starts to occur within the first 24 to 48 hours after a home or business experiences water damage.

What you can do until a professional arrives

Safety should be number one when dealing with water damage in a home or business. Here are some reminders until a professional gets there:

• Is house or business safe to stay in?
• Electrical Hazards.
• Slips and Trips due to wet conditions.
• Only perform things that are safe to do.
• Wet materials attract water and become heavy.
• When in doubt, don’t do it!

Things You Can Do After Water Damage

• Eliminate the source of water.
• Turn off circuit breakers to the wet area.
• Avoid entering areas of possible hazard.
• Remove and secure small furniture items.
• Place protection beneath furniture.
• Hang draperies and pin up furniture skirts.
• Excess water can be removed by mopping or squeegee.
• Remove any excess water on wood furniture to prevent further damage.
• Remove and secure breakables, moisture-sensitive or high-value items (pictures, artwork, etc.).
• Colored rugs can cause staining on wet carpet and needs to be removed.
• Remove any papers, magazines, and important documents from the affected area.

Things you Can’t Do After Water Damage

• Don’t enter areas with standing water.
• Don’t leave wet fabrics, pillows, cushions, colored rugs/fabrics, etc. in affected area.
• Don’t leave books, magazines, papers, and important documents on wet carpet, floors, or surfaces.
• Don’t use any electrical appliances (TV, lamps, etc.) in affected area.
• Don’t use a regular household vacuum to remove water from the affected area.
• Don’t walk on wet surfaces any more than necessary.
• Don’t enter any room where the ceilings look like they are sagging or going to collapse.
• Don’t activate the HVAC system.
• Don’t adjust the indoor temperature.

Make sure to clear leaves and debris from your gutters. With the amount of rain, we get during the winter months. The gutters need to be able to drain properly or it will come into your home causing damage. Also, when snow does present itself, the gutters need to function properly when the snow begins to melt.

If you find yourself in need of water restoration services due to a burst pipe, failed sump pump, or bad weather BuckCreek Restoration and Home Solutions is here to help. We are dedicated to meeting and exceeding client expectations, and providing outstanding workmanship on every job. BuckCreek Restoration and Home Solutions is IICRC Certified and Fully Insured.

That’s why it is important to contact a professional immediately to remove the water quickly and efficiently to avoid more damage. They have the experience, knowledge, and equipment to extract the water quickly preserving the structure, preventing secondary damage along with potential mold growth.

Physical extraction has been proven to be more efficient, effective, and quicker when it comes to removing water in a home. That means extraction is 1200 times faster than mechanical evaporation and dehumidification when it comes to removing water. This will cut out days in the drying time and will prevent further damage to your home and contents by removing the water quickly.

Don’t allow water to sit in your home long-term. This will cause damage to your home’s structure, flooring, framing while creating an environment for mold to grow, causing more damage. Once the water has been completely extracted and damaged materials have been removed. Air movers and dehumidifiers will be placed in your home to complete the drying process.

We take your emergency very seriously and will do everything possible to save and dry your home and get it back to a pre-loss condition.

#waterextraction #waterextractiondriesfaster #waterremoval #waterdamage #waterdamagerestoration

We will then inspect the carpet, pad, trim, drywall, and other materials to determine the extent of damage. This will tell us what can be salvaged or needs to be removed. Then we can bring in the number of air movers and dehumidifiers based on the size of the space and the scope of the problem to start the drying process. This is how we will dry out your home or business and its contents that are experiencing water damage.

• Personal records – marriage license, birth certificates, adoption papers, passports, social security cards, diplomas, and a list of phone numbers of family and friends.
• Medical records – anything you need in case of an emergency such as doctor numbers, list of prescriptions, copy of insurance cards (front and back).
• House records – mortgage statements, deed, and insurance policies.
• Car records – payments, titles, insurance policies.
• Financial records –bank accounts and passwords, 401k, IRA’s, tax records, and wills.
• Misc. Items – electronic files, computer backups, important CDs or DVDs, photos, and a list of your user names and passwords.

How to store
Invest in some water/fireproof containers that allow your important papers, documents, and photos to be protected from any type of water/fire damage. This will give you the option to grab them when you need to evacuate your property due to a disaster.

• Do not store them around windows, water lines, drains, or anywhere that could have the potential for water damage to occur.
• Store containers where they are safe, dry, and easy for you to grab but, out of sight.
• Make sure if you stack containers that they are at least six inches off the floor.

When disaster strikes, your important belongings will be protected in some kind of a waterproof container but, your home on the other hand will not be. When you experience any type of water damage, please give BuckCreek Restoration and Home Solutions a call at 513-518-7165. We are ready to serve you when disaster strikes.

• Water Stains
• Mold
• Musty Smells
• Peeling of paint, texture, or wallpaper
• Warping/Blistering/Buckling of porous materials

If you notice signs of water damage contact a professional today to help you get this issue resolved. We have the knowledge and tools to find and correct the issue. We will get your home dried and fixed eliminating further damage and cost to you.