Recent Posts

Combatting Damage from a Toilet Overflow in Your Aiken Home

5/9/2023 (Permalink)

Professional Water Damage Services for Your Home

One of the most common sources of water damage in homes in Aiken is overflowing toilets. Most homeowners thankfully are quick to discover an overflowing toilet, meaning they can act quickly to alleviate the issue.

Depending on the location of the bathroom in your home and the type of overflow you are dealing with, you must approach the situation from different angles. A second-story bathroom or an overflow that contains sewage presents obstacles that are unique in handling this kind of damage.

When it comes to sewage, you want the expert help of the professionals at SERVPRO. Not only can we clean up all the water and dry your home back out, but we also need to combat the smells of the mess left behind.

The first step in getting rid of odors is to of course get rid of what is causing it – in this case, the sewage. Odor problems from water damage occur because wet materials are not dry. Once the moisture level returns to normal, a lot of the odor problems go away as well.

In most situations with deodorization, odors are coming from multiple sources. To find all of them and figure out the specific methods to fight each of them requires technical equipment and much knowledge. Instead, SERVPRO techs use various methods to combat the smells.

One kind of deodorization agent does not work on every odor, so we use more than one type to treat the various odors we encounter in these situations. Plus, we ensure that you as our customer like the smell of the professional product we choose to apply.

When it comes down to it, SERVPRO of Aiken is the one to trust with a water overflow disaster. Not only can we clean everything up, but we ensure that your home is back to normal again when you call us at (803) 648-3936 .

  

What to Know About Fire Damage in Your Aiken Home

5/9/2023 (Permalink)

The most extensive part of fire damage to a facility is not usually the fire itself. Most commercial structures and many private homes now have fire suppression systems in place. It is the hidden damage from that which can wind up costing more than actual flames.

Fire damage in Aiken homes and businesses caused by flame and heat is readily visible and for the most part, quickly demolished and removed. Soot damage is also easy to see and either remove or clean depending on how extensive it is and how long it has been left in place. SERVPRO knows that smoke damage has to be sought out and found the same way an inspector examines a home or facility before it goes into escrow.

Every room and closet have to be checked. Ceiling tiles have to be examined and removed so crawl spaces can be examined. HVAC systems must be inspected and cleaned before they are reactivated. If not, then the damage can be blown into areas that previously had no damage from the fire. All of this, especially the crawl spaces, must be accomplished in appropriate safety gear which can range from a basic mask and gloves to a protective suit and breathing apparatus.


This is why fire suppression is so important. Flame and heat damage can be stopped quickly with the right setup, and water damage can be ameliorated if caught quickly enough. Smoke and soot damage, once it occurs, usually requires extensive cleaning and repainting at best or removal and replacement at worst.

SERVPRO of Aiken has been in the business of restoring the effects of fire damage to commercial facilities and private residences for many years. We are proud to serve our South Carolina communities with some of the best trained and experienced inspectors and restoration crews in the industry. If you have need of our expertise or wish to schedule an inspection to determine a preventive plan, contact us at 803-648-3936 today.

The Importance of Using Proper Equipment after a Water Damage

5/9/2023 (Permalink)

Disasters can strike Aiken homes without much warning, from flooding to storm damages. However, there are also concerns that can happen within the home that can allow for damages of their own. Leaks to fixtures, failing appliances, and user errors are among the top culprits for water loss incidents that occur within the house, and our team can help to ensure that these occurrences are not devastating to your home and its contents.

While many Aiken residents might not view water damage as a serious occurrence, it can have severe effects on property without the right drying and moisture removal efforts. To adequately clean up the mess and dry out the saturated materials affected, you need advanced equipment and the expertise of professionals like our SERVPRO response team. We arrive quickly to emergencies to ensure that the right steps get taken to protect the structural elements and contents of your home from impending irreparable water damages.

One of the ways that we can ensure our success when we get to work on water damage incidents within your home is through our advanced technology. We have tools like leak detection equipment and thermal imagery cameras. These devices can help to locate concerns within the plumbing where there might be potential leaks, and the cameras can help to identify moisture pockets in wall cavities, flooring materials, and more to ensure that we set up our drying equipment in the right locations for maximum results.

Our focus from the moment that we arrive is to protect and preserve installed materials when possible. When this is not possible through our conventional restoration techniques, our SERVPRO professionals can utilize controlled demolition strategies to remove irreparable portions of material without needing to take down entire walls or remove entire floors.

Finding the right professionals to help you overcome water damage in your home is simple. If you want to make the damage “Like it never even happened.” give SERVPRO of Aiken water restoration technicians a call today at 803-648-3936.

Restore your Aiken Home after Storm Damage

5/9/2023 (Permalink)

When a tropical storm or hurricane bears down on a community, water can enter your home from a wide range of sources. The rain often measures more than 12 inches and flood damage can spread to all Aiken counties. Rainwater is relatively clean, but the waters from rivers, streams, and the ocean usually must be considered as infectious waste. The storm surge can contain water that has raw sewage, dead animals, and a random mixture of chemicals and toxic wastes. As the water seeps or rushes into your home, it can also loosen building materials within your house that pose dangers such as asbestos in insulation and pipe or furnace coverings. If you store paints, pesticides, and cleaning agents in the basement, the contents of cans and bottles can leach into the standing water in your home.

Because this mix of water can be so dangerous to you and your family, a do-it-yourself cleanup is strongly discouraged. SERVPRO technicians have the experience and the specialized training and equipment to guide you through a difficult clean-up. We will assess the danger of retaining items that are porous and unlikely to be satisfactorily disinfected. Carpeting and upholstered furniture are usually considered too risky to keep. These and other items that have absorbed contaminated water will be discarded according to local codes while non-porous structures and contents will be professionally treated with proper products to abate the danger of contamination. If possible, you and your family will be barricaded away for the areas of your home that contain toxic waste as we clean and remove articles. If containment is not possible, we recommend a temporary evacuation while we manage the flooded areas.

Because of the complications dirty water in the lower levels of your home can bring, be sure to contact SERVPRO immediately after the water infiltrates. It is extremely important that professionals assess the quality of water soaking your walls and flooring before a decision is made to try either to restore them or to remove them because of concerns about potential biohazards and microbial growth.

Choose a Restoration Company You Can Count On

6/7/2022 (Permalink)

If a storm comes through the area, it can be quite scary to endure. If that storm causes damage to your home or business, it can be even worse. The damage that storms cause has increased in recent years, leading to the necessity to be prepared instead of waiting until you have damage to decide what to do.

Damage to your property is a difficult thing to take care of, so choosing the best restoration company possible makes such a big difference in your peace of mind and the quality of work. Doing your research and choosing a company you can depend on is a huge factor in how your overall restoration experience will be.

Choosing the Right Storm Restoration Company for Your Property

Determine how trustworthy they are. Being certain that you are choosing a company that is trustworthy is so important, especially considering the rise of scams that occur after severe weather. Make sure you are choosing a company that is well-regarded both on a local and a national level to ensure you do not fall victim to these scams.

Determine how they can handle demand surges If there is a serious event regarding severe weather in the area, there will likely be many people in need of restoration. If that is the case, ensuring your restoration company can handle this is so important. With our national SERVPRO® partners, you can be certain we can handle disasters of any size as we can scale up our resources and workforce to meet any demand.

Determine when you will be able to contact them. Storms have a knack for causing damage at the worst possible time. Making sure that your chosen company can be there for you regardless of when the damage occurs is so important. That is why we have set up a 24⁄7 emergency service line, so you can call us at any hour and allow us to begin formulating a response to dispatch to you quickly.

SERVPRO® of Aiken is here to help you 24/7/365 with any storm damage and restoration issue.

What To Do If Your Business Floods

6/3/2022 (Permalink)

Taking steps beforehand to prevent or reduce flood damages to your business is a wise business move and can go a long way towards alleviating distress and flood-related costs to your enterprise, but sometimes even the best-laid protection plans don’t stop the damage from occurring. 

Here are some things to consider if your business floods:

RESPONSE. A rapid response to flood-related damages is going to be crucial in reducing secondary damages and restoration costs. Contacting a professional restoration team and getting them on the scene right away will help you stay open for business or get you back on your feet quickly.

SERVICES. If your property has experienced downed telephone poles or utilities have been affected, contact local authorities right away and let them know what has happened. If it is due to a weather event in the area, they will be recording affected properties and areas to schedule service, so this will help them to plan.

WORKFORCE. Make sure you have connected with your workforce to see if everyone is safe. At this point, you can establish methods of completing work from home if possible so that no time is lost. 

INFORMED. Keep a close watch on the weather so that you are as well-informed as possible. If there are new storms coming or if any dam-releases are scheduled, for example, you will be able to plan ahead. 

DOCUMENTATION. You should be storing your business-related documentation in the cloud as well as in hard copy form. If floodwaters damage or destroy these items, you always have your cloud copies to pull from. 

Contact the experts at SERVPRO of Aiken!

Firework Safety

6/3/2022 (Permalink)

Each 4th of July, thousands of people, often children and teens, are injured while using consumer fireworks which includes sparklers and firecrackers. 

Sparklers burn hot enough to cause third degree burns. Sparklers account for roughly one quarter of the emergency room firework injuries.

Fireworks start an average of 18,500 fires per year, including 1,300 structure fires, 300 vehicle fires, and 16,900 outside and other fires. These fires caused an average of three deaths, 40 civilian injuries and an average of $43 million in direct property damage as per the NFPA's Research, Data & Analytics Division.

Be careful and be safe by not using consumer fireworks. If you want to see fireworks, go to a public show put on by experts in your town and keep a close eye on children at events where fireworks are being used.

Let's keep the spark in our patriotism and not on our homes, friends and family members.

Have a happy and safe 4th of July!

Call SERVPRO When Dealing With a Flood

6/3/2022 (Permalink)

When flooding occurs in buildings it needs to be dealt with as soon as possible in order to combat and prevent the litany of issues that come with a water damage. Flooding brings with it structural degradation, outside contaminants and bacteria, odor, warping, and possibly microbial growth.  All of which threaten both your home or business and the people who reside within. 

In order to take care of your flood damage in your home make sure you hire professionals who know how to prevent microbial growth and deal with water, toxins and odor. Our technicians here at SERVPRO are specialized in handling the challenges posed by flood damage and know what needs to be done to ensure the highest standards in restoration service. 

Going through any kind of damage to your home is a stressful experience that can put any homeowner on the edge. This is why we train our technicians to treat every job they go on, whether it is a big or small damage, with compassion and respect. We find that walking our customers through our process puts them at ease and lets them know they are in competent and responsible hands who will take care of their issue. 

When flooding strikes your home, our technicians have the expertise to make it “Like it never even happened.” We are faster to any disaster and are here to help get you back to preloss condition. 

We Can Handle Your Aiken Water Loss Damage

6/3/2022 (Permalink)

Having an accident or flood can be a devastating experience. Even a little water can lead to significant damage if given enough time. It can affect your belongings, furniture, and even the structural stability of your home. 


When facing water removal issues in your Aiken or North Augusta area home, it is important to have a trained professional on your side. You want to locate the source of the problem, get excess water out of your home, and have someone available to deal with unsuspected damages. 
  
SERVPRO has 24-hour emergency service, IICRC certified technicians, industrial-grade equipment, and years of experience providing extraction, drying, cleaning, and repair services for customers just like you. We understand how water works, making its way into cracks and crevices, leading to expensive damages. 
  
Our technicians use infrared moisture detectors to locate even the smallest amounts of water, water extractors of all shapes and sizes, along with drying and dehumidification equipment to get water out of your home in a quick, efficient manner that limits any losses you may experience.  
  
We can perform wet carpet removals, content and structural decontamination, humid or flooded basement cleanup services, as well as complete structural drying. We even make sure that the inside of your walls remains entirely moisture-free and perform remediation services when necessary to help you maintain a clean, healthy home.  
  
Attempting to perform your water removal services alone leaves you with hidden pockets of water throughout your home that can cause excessive damages in the future. Without the right tools and experience, everything can get out of hand quite fast, leaving you with a huge mess and significant problems to your home. 
  
We can provide you and your family with the services you deserve. By assigning qualified technicians, we help return everything to normal in a quick, efficient manner, after an emergency occurs.  
  
Get the help you need by calling SERVPRO of Aiken today!

Roof Leaks in Aiken

5/12/2022 (Permalink)

We have all been told from time to time to “be thankful you have a roof over your head.” When you become a homeowner, you realize how the roof plays a vital role in safeguarding your home from rain, wind, storms, and extreme temperatures. Because of this, you should be paying close attention to your roof and making sure it is in great shape.    

Roof leaks happen, it is just what comes with being a homeowner. They are frustrating because of the damage it can cause to your home. It is also very common for roof leaks to go unnoticed for quite some time. Unfortunately, they are noticed when there is already a significant amount of damage done to your home.  

As a homeowner, you need to be alerted to avoid these situations. Follow these tips for prevention measures:  

  • Have regular roof inspections – Have a trained professional inspect your roof. This is essential in spotting early signs of roof damage.  
  • Pay attention to roof flashings – Without good, secure flashings around chimneys, vents, wall/roof junctions, skylights, water can enter a home and cause damage to your walls, ceilings, insultation and even electrical systems.  
  • Maintain gutters and downspouts – Gutters and downspouts that are full of leaves and debris will cause water to back up under your roof shingles causing potential leaks and water damage.  
  • Do not block ventilation – Proper attic ventilation will help prevent structural damage caused by moisture and increase roofing material life.  
  • Keep trees and bushes away – Leaves and falling limbs can cause moisture problems from algae and rot, damage to roof tiles and clogged gutters.