Tips to deal with flooding

If you’re a homeowner, you’ll likely have to deal with flooding at some point in time. Whether it’s come from a burst pipe, a crack in the basement, a leak in the ceiling, or some other unexpected event, the most important thing is to remain calm so you can deal with the flooding quickly.

As you might expect, time is of the essence when flooding occurs. So take these SECCO tips to heart to mitigate flooding problems:

• If the flooding is due to a burst pipe, turn off the water supply either to the pipe (if it’s in an isolated area, such as a p-trap under the bathroom sink) or the whole house. (Our advice is to know where the shut-off valve is before this happens, so take a moment today and look for it if you’re not sure.)

• If water has leaked or pooled around electric cords, adapters, outlets, etc., shut off the electricity to the affected section of the house by shutting off the flow of electrical power at the breaker. DO NOT TRY TO UNPLUG ITEMS BEFORE THE ELECTRICITY IS SHUT OFF! This is critical, because you could incur serious, even fatal, injuries.

• After shutting off the water supply, or the flooding has ceased (or slowed down), begin to clean up any water that has amassed on the floor, under the sink, etc. Use towels, a Shop-Vac® or whatever you have on hand.

• Contact a professional immediately. (Our suggestion is to have your preferred maintenance provider programmed into your phone. You never know when an emergency will strike!) If you’re in the central Pennsylvania area (e.g., Camp Hill, Harrisburg, Carlisle, Hershey, Linglestown, New Cumberland, Mechanicsburg), please call SECCO and we’ll get someone out to you fast.

• Remove all the furniture from the flooded area, and dry it out either inside or – if it’s sunny and dry – outside.

• If the flooding occurred in a carpeted area, remove the carpeting. It costs much less to replace carpeting than it does to replace carpeting AND fix rotted/mildew areas. (With that being said, if the flooding was minimal, you may be able to save the carpeting if you can remove the moisture asap.)

Remember – the actions you take when dealing with flooding can help save dollars, not to mention provides lasting peace of mind!

EXTRA HINT: Be aware that mold will begin to grow very rapidly, which can lead to serious health issues.

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