The Hidden Threat of Hard Water

Hard water is pretty much a given in the vast majority of the United States. If you live in a typical neighborhood, the water flowing through your pipes will be hard; the only question is how much. Since it's such a common occurrence  many homeowners have come to accept the existence of hard water and are used to its various detrimental effects, such as causing blockage in pipes and wearing down equipment faster than it normally would have. Most of the time, the average homeowner will simply brush these factors aside and just come to accept it as part of home ownership.

But there's a possibility that hard water can cause problems that go beyond the minor inconveniences listed above. With the frequency that the pipes are used on a daily basis in a home, it's easy to forget that hard water causes mineral build-up on the interior. Once the build-up is thick enough, the pipes begin having problems with letting water flow through, and given enough time this can cause leaks and pipe bursts which of course lead to water damage in your home.

Saving Books and Photos from Water Damage

Water damage incidents catch property owners by surprise, oftentimes leaving them feeling helpless and not knowing where to start. These victims face a variety of difficult questions. Should I call a Professional? Is my family’s health at risk? Can I even salvage this? The hardest of these questions may be the last one. Family pictures and other heirlooms can become damaged during incidents and these items are often the hardest to replace. Many water damage victims feel that these were their greatest loss throughout the entire ordeal. The key to saving these items is to act as quickly as possible. While taking all of your photos and books to a professional restoration company is always the best option, there is not always one available. If this is the case, there are things a property owner can do to try and save their photos and books.

Looking Forward a Great New Year

We hope everyone had a great holiday season! Whether you celebrated with friends or family, the holidays are always a good time to touch upon the important things in life. Now that it's officially 2013, we have another year filled with excitement to look forward to. Granted, our industry is not always the type that you want knocking at your door on a regular basis, but when we do show up you can be sure that we'll be in and out in no time.

To kick things off right this new year, we'll start by offering some advice for all of our readers and clients. Here's a couple of quick pointers for common pitfalls and mistakes in case of a flooding scenario.