Recent Posts

Commercial Business Fire Damage

4/4/2023 (Permalink)

Making sure your insurance coverage is well within the industry you are in, bars, garage or conventional office building may vary widely based on the difference in fire risk levels. 

  • Alcohol
  • Chemicals
  • Cooking equipment
  • Smoking
  • Vehicles

Structural Components - A building made of combustible materials such as wood may pose a greater fire risk then a structure that is built out of fire-resistant materials. Owner should consider the risk of fire in the primary structure in addition to any additions or modifications. The degree to which building materials may succumb to fire and the distance of a business from the nearest fire station may drive up the cost of commercial insurance policy.

Fire Safety Equipment- It is also crucial that a business be equipped with fire safety equipment. This may include

  • Alarms and detectors
  • Fire extinguishers
  • Sprinklers

Some regional building codes require hardwired fire alarms. These systems should also have a battery backup in case of power failure. Battery-powered smoke detectors would also be regularly tested and the batteries should be changed. Have fire suppression systems and equipment such as extinguishers periodically inspected to ensure that critical components will function in the even of a fire. All of these factors may impact the costs of commercial insurance coverage for a business located in Southampton, NY. A business owner may want to compare commercial policies to fin the right level of coverage for fire damage.

How To Address Riverhead Mold Damage Promptly

1/2/2023 (Permalink)

Found or smelled mold damage? Our SERVPRO team in Riverhead is ready to investigate the situation and remediate any damage.

Professional Remediation Is Best for Mold Damage

There is an abundance of misinformation and falsehoods on the internet regarding mold and microbial threats your home might experience. Mold is destructive enough to warrant a fast and focused response from experienced remediators to combat: 

  • Structural damage
  • Difficult living conditions
  • The rapid spread of colonies

Our SERVPRO professionals are ready to help with Riverhead mold damage. We have effective removal tactics and cleaning products to make it "Like it never even happened." 

Do Riverhead Homes Experience Mold Damage?

With a population nearing 34,000 in the city alone, many properties have experienced mold growth and could be contending with colonies at this time. Basements and attics are the most favorable locations for development, but these threats can appear anywhere in the house with poor ventilation, moist conditions, and the ideal temperature range. 

Acting Fast Against Mold Damage

Working quickly is critical to ensure that the mold growth conditions in the house do not worsen. From the time our professionals first arrive, we implement specific strategies to protect the property, slow the progression of mold, and allow our technicians the best opportunities to remediate efficiently. Three focal areas for the mitigative stage include:

  • Moisture Management - Moisture and water damage are the heart of favorable mold growth conditions. Our professionals must recognize these damp areas and begin work fast to dry them and make them uninhabitable for colonies. 
  • Content Relocation - Clothing, furniture, and other contents can be targets for spreading mold organisms. Early efforts have our technicians move at-risk items to other house areas to prevent hosting mold organisms from moving in the immediate area.
  • Repairs or Demolition - Structural damage can be a safety hazard for our remediators, so these conditions must be addressed promptly. Our contractors can also remove affected materials to allow our team easier access to heavily damaged structural cavities when appropriate.

What is Remediation? 

There is an important distinction between the remediation services we offer and broader claims of total mold removal you might see from other services throughout Suffolk County. Remediation focuses on eliminating active colonies exclusively, including the damage they cause to homes, but will not entirely remove all mold spores. Total removal is an impossible, expensive, and altogether unnecessary service if conditions to facilitate mold growth have been addressed. Our process can include various approaches like:

  • Surface Treatment
  • Abrasive Cleaning
  • Controlled Demolition

Neutralizing Offensive Odors 

Harsh odors are often indicative of active colonization, so it stands to reason that these smells can continue to be a concern until they get directly addressed during a phase of remediation. Our SERVPRO IICRC-Certified professionals have several approaches to neutralize musty smells, though ULV and thermal fogging are most common. This process dispels a vapor of concentrated deodorant to neutralize odor compounds on contact.

Preventative Measures 

Following mold damage, homeowners want to ensure this issue does not happen again. Several preventative measures can alleviate the concern of mold recurrences, beginning with direct repairs to vulnerabilities in the property's exterior like the roof. Additional defense against developing mold colonies occurs with steps like crawlspace encapsulation, using polyethylene sheeting on exposed surfaces with antimicrobial inhibitors to ward off moisture and subsequent mold development.

Remediation can be one of the more necessary efforts following Riverhead mold damage events in residences and businesses. This process involves several mitigative solutions to protect the structure and its contents from more significant harm. Our SERVPRO of The North Fork team is qualified to help with restoration and reconstruction following a mold discovery in your home. Call now at (631) 591-3771.

Drying Objectives and Tools for Riverhead Water Damage

1/2/2023 (Permalink)

Do you have water damage in your Riverhead home? Call SERVPRO for water clean-up.

Rapid Restoration and Drying After Water Damage

Damaging emergencies happen every day to homes throughout Suffolk County, and those involving water are the most frequent and diverse. Rapidly restoring and cleaning up after these adverse conditions means finding the appropriate balance of drying principles to evaporate moisture effectively and preserve building materials. These principles of efficient drying include: 

  • Temperature – The warmth of the drying area impacts the restoration procedures in several ways. Warmer temperatures allow for a greater humidity capacity for the environment. Increasing the temperature also promotes a faster chemical reaction rate for cleaning and evaporation.
  • Airflow – Using tools like air movers and similar items, we can promote an even and consistent airflow into the affected spaces and across moist materials. Air movers encourage evaporation. 
  • Humidity – Regulating environmental humidity is critical in preventing the atmosphere from becoming oversaturated from increasing moisture content after evaporation. 

Addressing Pressing Damage 

Before much of the necessary drying can start for Riverhead water damage events, our professionals must begin with needed mitigation and emergency services. Part of our commitment that We're Faster To Any Size Disaster is the arrival of our experienced professionals to mitigate losses and protect the exposed structure as much as possible from continued harm. Some of the focus of these emergency services include:

  • Extraction
  • Controlled demolition
  • Damaged contents

Regulating Airflow to Start Drying

We have several types of tools ideal for promoting consistent airflow in the designated areas of the property. Air movers come in several varieties, allowing a blast of dry air directed at materials affected by water damage. Units can be connected to run off minimal available electrical outlets, allowing us to increase the number of machines working on the evaporation of impacted structural elements and contents. 

Temperature Changes Increase Productivity

Another principle restoration professionals must manipulate to promote efficient production of drying tools and processes is the temperature. The easiest way to rapidly impact the temperature in a drying zone is with portable heating tools. Raising the temperature helps to complete the drying and restoration processes, such as faster evaporation, shorter needed contact times for cleaning, and increased humidity capacities in the environment. 

Humidity Management 

Managing the humidity in the household is another fundamental principle of effective water damage drying. With productive airflow output that promotes evaporation, SERVPRO professionals must place appropriate tools to complement the increase in humidity. Dehumidifiers grab moisture grains from the environment and reconvert them into water to be more conveniently removed. Our team typically uses one of two approaches:

  • Desiccant Dehumidification – This process utilizes a chemical to absorb moisture in the air and exhaust it outside of the structure. This process is ideal for lower temperatures, as refrigerant units tend to be more productive in warmer conditions.  
  • Low-Grain Refrigerant Dehumidification – Refrigerant dehumidifiers pull moisture across cold coils in the machine to produce condensation collected in the unit and disposed of when the collection trays are filled. 

Can SERVPRO Complete Repairs?

Because our roster also boasts a general contractor license, we can perform a range of build-back services and repairs that would otherwise require a subcontractor to complete. These can begin at the end of the water damage restoration phase, providing a smooth transition to the final steps of recovery after water emergencies. This can include repairing plumbing, reinstalling building materials, or post-damage remodeling.

Riverhead water damage is the most common callout of our restoration team, so we stay prepared at all times to manage these threats. We have a growing roster of experienced professionals, many with the WRT certification. No customer waits for mitigation and restoration with our SERVPRO of The North Fork team. Call now at (631) 591-3771.

Overcoming the Obstacles of Riverhead Fire Damage

1/2/2023 (Permalink)

Each vehicle in our Green Fleet is stocked with equipment to handle your fire damage restoration needs in your Riverhead home or business.

SERVPRO Restorers Rapidly Address Fire Damage

With dozens of causes, house fires and commercial structure fires have become a common callout for our SERVPRO professionals throughout Riverhead and Suffolk County. We have experience on our team to help:

  • FSRT – Fire & Smoke Restoration
  • OCT – Odor Control
  • CCT – Carpet Cleaning
  • UFT – Upholstery & Fabric Cleaning
  • ASD – Applied Structural Drying

There is no time to waste when managing Riverhead fire damage events, especially considering that the situation worsens even after extinguishment. Our professionals approach the problem urgently, mobilizing our SERVPRO Green Fleet and its inventory of tools for mitigation. 

Licensed Contractors to Respond

One of the primary obstacles to restoration after fire damage is the structure's condition. Vulnerabilities make it unsafe for the family to re-enter the building, and contractors of our team must work quickly to shore up potential hazards, remove damaged materials, and determine where further controlled demolition might be necessary to help. 

Estimations and Damage Assessment

We work with the insurance company to meet their initial demands to approve damage claims for the property. We are a preferred vendor for Suffolk County for fire reconstruction and restoration, so we have standing relationships with many insurance providers to expedite the claims process and get restoration and cleanup started fast. Our estimates and early inspections catalog:

  • Damaged contents
  • Ruined structure
  • Safety concerns
  • Salvageable items

Early Mitigation Solutions

Determining the greatest threats to the structure gets these cleanup and restoration measures underway even before the complete inspection of the property, and more detailed claims approval documentation is gathered. Some of these focal points include:

  • Water Removal - Fire extinguishment often introduces high volumes of water into the residence, leaving an additional threatening layer of damage restoration professionals must address when cleaning up the property. 
  • Air Quality Improvement - Circulating contaminants and particles pose safety risks for those without personal protective equipment. Our team uses air scrubbers and filtration devices to help clear out airborne threats. 
  • Content Relocation - Protecting personal belongings is another mitigative step and can often be as direct as moving items from the damage path to a safer location on-site. 

Smoke and Soot Cleanup

A definite obstacle to fire restoration is the presence of soot deposits and residues on surfaces. These soils are challenging to remove without a combination of products, mechanical action, and even abrasive cleaning approaches. We pre-test cleaning strategies to ensure they do not damage the underlying material before being more widely applied. 

Odor Removal and Management

An anticipated byproduct of fire damage in homes is smoke malodors. The combustion of multiple materials and contents creates a volatile mixture of smells that is formidable and overwhelming to affected areas. The responding SERVPRO professionals prioritize neutralizing these malodors, including odors trapped in porous materials like drywall and carpeting. Some of the common approaches for this include:

  • Fogging
  • Hydroxyl generators
  • Ozone machines

Large Loss Restoration Providers

An advantage of SERVPRO restoration for fire damage is our ability to overcome the destruction to larger venues and businesses. From the East End Commons to the Long Island Science Center, larger commercial structures can be heavily damaged by fires and require direct measures of mitigation and restoration that match their size. Our trailered equipment and an extensive roster of FSRT-certified technicians can help with these unique emergencies. 

When it comes to restoring and cleaning Riverhead fire damage events from homes and businesses, several obstacles make this a challenge. The experience and knowledge of our SERVPRO of The North Fork team help in this regard, allowing us to rapidly navigate loss conditions to protect the structure and contents. Give us a call today at (631) 591-3771.

Why Riverhead Homeowners Rely on SERVPRO to Perform Mold Removal

1/1/2023 (Permalink)

Found mold damage in your home? Contact team SERVPRO to investigate the extent and start the remediation process. Our team is standing by.

Proper Mold Removal Requires Teamwork and Planning

With freezing temperatures across Riverhead throughout the winter, mold might seem unlikely to grow. However, microbes are extremely hardy and can survive low temperatures. If water and cellulose are present in the same area, you might need mold removal services to protect your home and belongings.

Eliminating this threat to your property in Riverhead involves mold removal techniques. These methods work best when our technicians work as a team. They develop a plan to implement the services your house requires so we can regain control over the situation.

These services often include:

  • Detection and repair of the water's source,
  • Desiccation of the area, and
  • Deodorization of the area exposed to mold.

Microbes require moisture, and mold is no exception to this rule. If there is mold, then we know there is water. We use different types of equipment (moisture readers, infrared cameras, etc.) to help us track the water down to its source. We often find loosened joints on pipes, cracks in basement walls, torn or loose shingles or siding, and leaking drains on sinks, tubs, and shower stalls. Occasionally, we find a window's warped frame allowing rain to run down the wall, either visibly or on the wall's interior, hidden from view.

Stopping any additional water from entering your home might require plumbing assistance or a dehumidifier. If condensation is causing the problem to develop, continuous dehumidification is often sufficient. While we work, we often use a larger, more powerful desiccant machine that strips the air of any excess water molecules.

Mold often leaves behind a musty odor. These musty odors can continue even after we remove mold colonies and bring the microbial population down to acceptable, healthy numbers. Topical applications and timed-release gel packs are efficient for this type of odor-causing particulate.

Call SERVPRO of The North Fork for professional mold removal services that can make your house "Like it never even happened." You can reach our experienced technicians at (631) 591-3771.

Overcoming Wood Floor Water Damage in Riverhead Homes

11/22/2022 (Permalink)

Looking for a restoration company? Look no further, SERVPRO is just a call away.

The Phases of Water Damage to Wood Floors

Wood flooring is an elegant and attractive addition to the area's modern homes and older properties. Keeping this material safe from damage often means fast action when water emergencies occur. The prompt response of SERVPRO professionals can help protect flooring from requiring removal and replacement.  

Standing Water Removal from Wood Plank

When water damage in Riverhead homes occurs, the pooling on the surface is the first obstacle in the way of restoration. Many homes featuring wood plank and vinyl plank flooring are susceptible to the migration and absorption of water after a brief contact time. Eliminating standing water can reduce this absorption and protect installed flooring. 

The Phases of Saturation 

When water begins to migrate into the material, the timeline for restoration and recovery becomes more urgent if preventing wood plank removal is a priority. Given the expense of replacing an entire floor of a room, it is important to note the timeline where these installed elements are still salvageable:

  • Surface – At this stage, the water has yet to breach the outermost layers of the wood plank flooring and become trapped inside. Surface water is removed during extraction with tools like squeegee wands and wet vacuums. 
  • Free – There is a short stage where water has started to absorb into the materials but has not yet bonded with the cellulose of the planks to cause physical damage. At this phase, drying mats can help preserve flooring. 
  • Bound – At the final stage of water infiltration to the wood planks, water molecules have bonded with the plank, allowing these units to swell, distort, and warp. At this point, drying is ineffective.

Water damage in Riverhead homes can very easily include hardwood flooring. Having experienced professionals that can preserve these materials when possible saves you money. Call our SERVPRO of The North Fork team to help at (631) 591-3771.

How SERVPRO Cleans Soot and Smoke Damage in Riverhead

10/2/2022 (Permalink)

When smoke and soot are everywhere the situation can seem dire. Call SERVPRO to start the fire damage remediation process. We are standing by 24/7.

Cleaning Smoke-Damaged Surfaces in Riverhead Homes

Understanding the behavior of smoke during a fire loss incident can help professionals like our SERVPRO team prepare the right tools and products to recover Riverhead homes. Convection currents generated during a structure fire perpetually force soot and smoke upwards, which can lead to some of the thickest residues in inaccessible areas of your property. Without physical compromise, it is often possible to clean and restore wallboard and ceiling materials coated with soot and smoke residues if started quickly. 

Homeowners need to recognize the hazard of circulating soot particles in their house, and the risks of exposure for even resting fire damage in their Riverhead house. Our professionals have extensive training for making the best choice in cleaning approach and products to remove residues and oily soiling entirely. This approach often involves more than a direct scrubbing of these exposed surfaces, however. 

Cleaning up soot deposits throughout a fire-damaged structure involves air quality control. Not only is clearing up a surface likely to aerosolize soot and soil, but the presence of these microscopic particles in the environment can continue to threaten surfaces getting cleaned without effective filtration. Air scrubbers and hydroxyl generators can both pull high volumes of dirty air across an onboard HEPA filter to expel a cleaner product for the house. 

Ceilings and upper portions of walls can require scaffolding or ladders to access. Getting close to the damaged surfaces can ensure that we can witness the effectiveness of specific cleaning strategies and determine whether more aggressive techniques like soda blasting or controlled demolition might be necessary. In some situations, it is more cost-effective to replace damaged ceiling panels rather than taking the time necessary to thoroughly clean and deodorize them. 

Your home can feel disheveled and overwhelmingly damaged after a structure fire, but our SERVPRO of The North Fork team can help. From clearing soot and smoke damage from the property to addressing air quality concerns, you can trust that our team of professionals can make fire loss incidents “Like it never even happened.” Give us a call today at (631) 591-3771.

We Get You Back In Business After A Water Loss In Riverhead

8/22/2022 (Permalink)

We have the state of the art equipment and expertise to handle any size water damage cleanup you are facing. Call us day or night, we are available.

What Problems Develop During Commercial Water Cleanup in Riverhead?

Professional Restorers Like SERVPRO Help Address Unexpected Issues that Crop Up

Water intrusions in your grocery store, such as when pipes burst, interfere with regular operations. Apart from extracting the water, there is a need to clean up the shop to remove soil and damaged materials from the shop. Ideally, it should be a straightforward process that starts with stopping the water source where necessary, extraction of standing water, and drying excess moisture, among other simple steps. However, other issues can develop, leading to problems.

What Unexpected Issues Can Develop During Cleanup?

Commercial water cleanup exercises in Riverhead can accomplish different goals, including minimizing the downtime caused by the incident, preventing secondary damages, and removing wastes or hazardous materials, among others. The stated goal influences the actions taken during cleaning, which can lead to overlooking or missing some issues. Many unexpected issues develop because of oversight, including:

  • High relative humidity levels
  • Unaddressed moisture pockets
  • Compromised structural materials
  • Odor

How Does SERVPRO Achieve Cleaning Goals While Addressing All Hidden Problems?

The water damage at your store may be unique in many ways but still have some characteristics common in other loss sites. Therefore, our SERVPRO technicians create response plans that address issues likely to cause problems later. Simple steps such as setting up dehumidifiers immediately after arriving at the loss site help keep relative humidity levels standard, thus protecting items that can be damaged by high humidity levels. 

We also check areas such as the floor to establish whether the floor material is likely to lead to moisture concealment. Even with hard floor materials such as tiles, water can intrude through joints to reach the subfloor causing severe problems such as warping and odor later.

The use of advanced equipment helps expedite the process. We bring a wide variety of equipment to every loss site, including:

  • Portable and truck-mounted water extractors
  • LGR or Desiccant dehumidifiers
  • Pressure washers and rotating brushes

Mistakes or oversights can complicate cleanup after a water loss. Call SERVPRO of The North Fork at (631) 591-3771 to help. We're Faster To Any Size Disaster.

Some Steps to Storm Damage Remediation Success in Riverhead

8/22/2022 (Permalink)

Flooding can happen very quickly. Respond just as fast with a call to SERVPRO. We make it "Like it never even happened."

Flood Damage Predicament in Riverhead  

Bordered by Flanders Bay and Long Island Sound, Riverhead is a community with water sports in its blood. Kayaking and water skiing can be enjoyed almost every month of the year, but when storm season hits us, the water isn’t quite so friendly to our homes. 

To rectify the effects of flood damage in Riverhead, a restoration service has to perform three immediate tasks: Remove any water and debris still in the home, disinfect affected surfaces, and begin drying the structure and personal property. SERVPRO response teams perform these and other tasks as quickly as possible so that owners and residents can promptly return to a clean and safe home.

Technicians use pumps and extractors to draw out water and remove any trapped in carpets and flooring. Since flood water contains contaminants, they pump it directly into the nearest sewer access point, if available.

As team members remove the water, others start removing debris by hand and using shovels on dirt and sand that may have flowed into the home or is too damaged even to attempt restoration. This includes carpets, carpet pads, warped and split flooring, paper, and any wall trim that absorbed too much water. 

Next, SERVPRO teams use an anti-bacterial spray on all surfaces touched by the floodwater. This action reduces the risk of mold growth throughout the home. 

After the spray dries in each area, technicians install box fans to increase air circulation across the floors and direct the cool, moist inside air to outside the home. This helps lower the humidity, which speeds up the natural drying process for structural material and personal property like furniture. 

To further increase the rate of drying, team members place the furnishings on blocks and pallets to allow water to drain. They also install air movers to direct warm air around the affected items and across the surfaces of walls and floors to carefully force out moisture where it is caught up in the circulated air and directed out of the home. 

Here at SERVPRO of The North Fork, we proudly support our neighbors here and in Cutchogue, Jamesport, and Mattituck. If you have flood water in your residence, call us today at (631) 591-3771. We are here for you. 

What Secrets Do Mold Removal Companies Use To Restore Riverhead Properties?

8/22/2022 (Permalink)

Has the presence of mold affected your home? Contact our knowledgeable SERVPRO technicians to root out the cause and remediate the mold damage.

SERVPRO Seeks Ways to Minimize the Workload of Mold Removal in Riverhead Premises

Mold development in a business facility can have devastating consequences. Many people are 

wary of patronizing mold-infested properties even when it does not damage the structure significantly. 

With the assistance mold removal companies offer Riverhead business operators, it is possible to avoid adverse outcomes after a case of mold. SERVPRO involves IICRC-certified Applied Microbial Remediation Technicians (AMRT) to help you confirm whether there is an infestation without involving mold specialists. We review mild signs such as indoor air quality and the condition of surface finishes.

Tearing down walls, ceilings, and other assemblies to remove moldy materials or dry wet areas is time-consuming. Before embarking on such processes, our SERVPRO technicians seek alternative ways to identify the problem areas. We use thermal cameras to check for wet pockets behind walls or ceiling panels. We can also drill holes in strategic places to confirm the presence of mold. Focusing our efforts on such areas helps limit the workload involved in:

  • Mold Inspection
  • Mold Removal
  • Mold Remediation

SERVPRO of The North Fork is one of the reliable mold removal companies in Riverhead. Call us at (631) 591-3771.