Shielding Your Sanctuary: Understanding Home Insurance Coverage for Disasters

1/5/2024 (Permalink)

Many insurance companies provide an umbrella coverage to protect more than just your home.

Home disasters can strike unexpectedly. Your safeguard against financial ruin in such scenarios lies in understanding your home insurance coverage. Policies vary, so it's crucial to know the extent of protection your plan offers. From natural disasters like floods and hurricanes to more common issues such as fire or theft, a comprehensive policy can provide financial support for rebuilding and replacing belongings. Regularly review and update your coverage to align with the changing value of your home and possessions. Don't wait for disaster to strike; be proactive in securing the right insurance, ensuring you remain protected in the face of unforeseen challenges.

Should you have to file a claim, SERVPRO is here to help and will work with your insurance to ensure coverage.

Dripping Dangers: Unveiling the Most Common Causes of Water Damage

1/5/2024 (Permalink)

A roof leak or water heater leak could have lead to this water damage stain on this ceiling.

Water damage can wreak havoc on homes, often stemming from preventable issues that catch homeowners off guard. The leading culprit is often plumbing failures, ranging from burst pipes to leaking fixtures. Roof leaks, often overlooked, allow water to infiltrate and compromise structural integrity. Appliance malfunctions, such as faulty water heaters or washing machines, can unleash torrents of water when least expected. Poorly maintained gutters and downspouts contribute to water accumulation around foundations, leading to potential flooding. Finally, natural disasters like floods and storms pose significant risks. Regular inspections, prompt repairs, and proactive maintenance are essential defenses against these common causes. Stay vigilant to safeguard your home against the silent threat of water damage.

If you uncover water damage to your home, contact your local SERVPRO.

Winter Ready: Essential Steps to Prepare for Cold Weather

1/5/2024 (Permalink)

This suburban house is experiencing snow and has hopefully safeguarded against the cold weather.

As the chilly embrace of winter approaches, preparing your home for the cold is paramount. Begin by inspecting and insulating windows and doors to keep warmth in and drafts out. Service your heating system, ensuring it's ready for the increased workload. Stock up on essentials like blankets, warm clothing, and emergency supplies. Clear gutters to prevent ice dams and protect your roof from damage. Trim overhanging branches that could pose a threat in snow or ice storms. Finally, familiarize yourself with emergency procedures and have a winter-ready kit on hand. By taking these steps, you'll be well-prepared to weather the winter chill comfortably and safely. Should your home encounter any interior damages from winter-related catastrophes, call your local SERVPRO® today.

Fire Damage takes a True Professional to Restore

12/21/2021 (Permalink)

This gal didn't call SERVPRO, and tried to fix things herself, and now she's distraught. Don't be like her. You'll regret it.

Fire has a habit of seemingly ruining delicate fabrics, furniture, and flooring, even if they’re not exactly burned. Don’t think that just because your items weren’t cooked to a crisp that they’re somehow not damaged. If you simply scrub soot off of what you can see and think the job is done, you could still be breathing in leftover smoke residue without even realizing it! Luckily, SERVPRO of Burlington NC is IICRC-certified to clean and restore your home after experiencing fire damage loss! Smoke, fire, and soot can all damage the surfaces of your home, and you need a trained franchise professional to come clean it up using state-of-the-art technology, and fast! Luckily for you, our office in Burlington, NC is available to call 24/7, and we can have someone dispatched to you within four hours (usually quicker!) to come help your house “Like it never even happened.”

Practice Proper Fire Safety this Winter!

12/21/2021 (Permalink)

I was roasting a marshmallow and I blinked.

Every year, folks in the Northern Hemisphere face a perennial problem: cold can be quite dangerous, causing frostbite, hypothermia, and that thing where your extremities just shrivel up a bit and go numb and you can’t move them really fast until you warm em up. All are equally horrific and dangerous to the health and safety of your family. However, we face another arguably worse problem: fire is dangerous. I don’t wish to go into all the horrors fire has wrecked upon our civilization, but let’s just say Alexandria doesn’t have any good reading material anymore.

But there’s good news too! Fire may be the most powerful tool in your arsenal for staying warm this winter, but it doesn’t have to be the most dangerous. If you practice fire safety, you can avoid calling SERVPRO of Burlington to come help you cleanup and restore your fire damage (but we’ll still be there for you if something goes wrong)!

If you’ve got a fire going in your home, whether it’s a candle or a fireplace or a gas stove, you can’t be lax with your attention. Remember to always keep an eye on the fires you start and don’t leave them unattended until you’re certain the fire is completely out. Also, you might want to familiarize yourself with where the fire extinguishers are in your home, and if you don’t have any, get one. You probably won’t ever need to use it, but you’ll be happy to have it if you ever do.

And if all else fails, you can always call SERVPRO of Burlington NC at (336) 229-1156 and we can help clean and restore your fire damage!

Restore Documents and Upholstery

12/13/2021 (Permalink)

This is just my personal reading stash. Actually, it's just part of it. My comic books are on a different shelf.

Water damage for floors and walls is bad, but damage to documents and upholstery is worse! If the water isn’t cleaned up quickly, the damage could even be permanent! But you need more than just cleaning if you want your documents and upholstery safe--you need a company to restore your precious items. You need SERVPRO of Burlington!

We specialise in restoration of water damage, and we’re IICRC-certified for water damage restoration as well, so you can be certain you’re in good hands if your documents, upholstery, or other sensitive or fragile items get damaged by a water catastrophe.

So if you find yourself in the aforementioned conundrum, or something resembling it, give us a call at (336) 229-1156. We can make it “Like it never even happened.?”

What’s my Risk for Blizzard Damage?

12/7/2021 (Permalink)

I don't get it... Red is cold now?? This has to be illegal! We live in a society!!

Living in North Carolina, you might not be too worried about a rapid cold wave or blizzard.

But should you be?

Probably not.

If you live in the Piedmont Triad, your chances of falling prey to a rapid cold wave and blizzard are pretty slight. In fact, you're right on the edge of safety in the region. Nevertheless, it’s always smart to check!

Luckily, you won’t have to worry about getting grant funding, gathering data from instruments, and handling the stats math, because FEMA already did it for you! https://hazards.fema.gov/nri/cold-wave is the site, and it’s online and running for ya.

I’ve also linked the image in this blogpost, so you can see your risk, provided you’re not on the West Coast (sorry, there’s a crop!)

How do you get Water out of the Basement?

12/7/2021 (Permalink)

Woof! You might wanna do a bit more than just clean up the water in here. Maybe get some natural light in here? Also, put some windows in!

What do a fist at a concert, a bodybuilder, a woman with one shoe, and your flooded basement have in common?

They all could use a good pump!

There, now that all the fun is out of the way, let’s get serious: a flooded basement is not a problem you can ignore and delay fixing. No, it’s not your very own underground pool, it’s a spawning ground for pathogens and insects, and it’s destroying your baby photos and birth certificates you’re storing down there, and if those are destroyed, you no longer exist!

So what should you do? Call SERVPRO of Burlington NC and we can be there in mere hours, ready to help you clean and restore your basement and get it back to as close to preloss conditions as possible!

Leaking Attic?

12/7/2021 (Permalink)

Yeesh! Water is the least of your problems! You must be going through half a bottle of loratadine a day with this dust!

The attic is the forgotten room at the top of your home, filled with priceless heirlooms and worthless junk. It’s also dark and warm half of the year.

What does that mean?

It means a leak in your attic could ruin your week. (If there’s a leek in your attic, though, you just have a delicious and nutritious snack!) Mold, water damage, and general “funk” can start to develop without you even realising it! Go up into your attic more than twice a year (before and after Christmas) and check for any leaking. Bonus points if you catch it before it puddles up and warps the wood up there! Do be careful not to fall through the ceiling, though. That’s always a horrible and hilarious way to visit the hospital. 

But what can you do if you are too late, and a sixth Great Lake has formed up there, along with its own biome and new flora and fauna?

Call SERVPRO of Burlington NC. We specialise in repairing water damage in attics, basements, or whatever they call the thing in between the attic and the basement. I believe the popular nomenclature is “house.”

The first thing we will do is get all that standing water out of the attic. Then, we will get industrial dryers up there to get the humidity up there back to what is optimal for the room. Finally, we will get to work making sure your documents and books up there are safe from permanent water damage.

If you find yourself in this situation, call SERVPRO and we can make it “Like it never even happened.”

SERVPRO Hours? 24/7!

12/3/2021 (Permalink)

Great minds think alike!

If you’re reading this, you are probably wondering what the hours are for SERVPRO of Burlington NC. They’re 24/7. That’s right--24 hours a day, seven days a week. There’s your answer.

Wait! 

Don’t go anywhere! These blogposts have to be 125 words or longer! I’ve got more to say!!

Don’t come to our office at 2am on a Thursday holding a speaker over your head in the rain, though. We won’t be there.

We will, however, take your calls for emergencies that need cleaning and restoration, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and we will send someone out there in a matter of hours to assess the damage, formulate a plan, and implement steps to get you back to as close to preloss conditions as possible.