FAQs

Water damage always has the potential to cause mold growth. Mold thrives in moist environments, any place that is wet and humid will create a perfect environment for mold to grow. With the right conditions, mold can begin to grow within 24-48 hours. Taking immediate action when you experience ANY water loss to your home will limit the possibilities of fungal and microbial growth!

There are many categories of water loss. Water is categorized 3 ways as listed below. Depending on the CAT level, the mitigation protocol will vary.
A trained Ark Restoration tech will determine your water loss type and advise you on our plan of action for mitigation.

• Clean water – poses no harm to people. This includes water damage caused by a sink or bathtub overflow or an appliance malfunction, such as a water heater or washing machine.
• Gray water – can cause harm and illness to people. This category includes water that has a significant amount of contamination, which can be chemical, physical and/or biological.
• Black water – can cause severe illness to people. Black water is very unsanitary and contains pathogenic agents coming from other contaminated water sources. Black water can come from seawater, ground surface water and sewage backups.

No. Your insurance providers prefer you to call a water damage mitigation/restoration company first to begin water extraction and cleanup as soon as possible. Ark Restoration is the first responder for any flood loss. The faster our crews arrive, the more destruction we can prevent. This decreases restoration costs and protects your home from further water damage. However, you still need to call your insurance provider to make a claim, but you should not wait for an adjuster to meet with you before calling a professional company to fix water damage. Ark Restoration will work on your behalf with your provider to ensure your home is dry, safe and the work is performed to the standard.

Water mitigation is a multi-phase process. The first course of action is to remove all standing water from the floor, wet carpet and other affected materials. Once the water is removed, dehumidifiers and other specialized equipment are used to dry the areas. This can take multiple days, depending on the amount of water and spaces involved. Throughout the process, we use moisture meters and when applicable thermal imaging cameras to confirm your home is drying and when finished, completely dry. Often times water damage involves removal of baseboards, drywall, carpet/pad removal or cleaning, wood floor repair or removal, mold removal and odor control.

The dry time of a structure depends on the severity of the water loss. Most losses consist of 2 phases, the mitigation phase and the restoration phase. Typically, a structure can be dried in 2-3 days but occasionally it can take as many as 5 days. The restoration phase will be longer, depending on the types of materials and their availability. It could range from a few days to several weeks. The Ark team will work closely with you and your provider to develop scopes and timelines for restoration to get your property back to a pre-loss condition as quickly as possible.

The cost for water mitigation and cleanup will depend on the size of the flooded area and amount of time and equipment it takes to dry out. Most insurance policies cover water mitigation and restoration, you are typically only responsible for the deductible. Because water can move so quickly and be extremely destructive, when not promptly removed and with the right equipment, there can be even larger problems like mold growth and structural damage. When done properly, fixing water damage can take several days and many man-hours to complete.

The Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) provides a specific set of standards for fixing water damage. According to the IICRC S500, water damage repair should only be done by experienced and trained technicians that will promptly and professionally fix water damage from a house flood according to IICRC standards. Ark Restoration holds many levels of certification through IICRC and require all technicians to be certified and proficient in all areas of water damage repair.