Frequently Asked Questions

The first step in filing a claim is to contact your insurance provider.

Mold growth takes 24-48 hours to start creating other air born spores, and 72 hours to create visible mold. This is why it is very important to have water damage taken care of right a way, and by a professional. Mold is not something to take lightly, it has been linked to many health hazards.

This is what you need to ask your insurance provider when you call to file a claim. Your insurance provider will help understand your policy, and let you what kind of coverage you have for the type of damage you are claiming.

In case of a water leak you may need to know where your main shut off is located. In most cases you will not have to shut off the water to your entire house; most of your water lines have their own shut off valves. If those individual valves fail, then you will have to find your main shut off. Your main shut off valve is located at your water meter, which is most likely located in your mechanical room. Every house is different so be sure to locate your water meter in case of an emergency.

There are several steps to protecting your home.

• Be sure to clean your rain gutters and downspouts out before the snow flies. Cleaning your gutters will allow water to drain properly. This will help prevent ice back-ups from occurring.
• Water lines on the exterior of your home are at high risk of freezing. All water lines on the exterior of your home should be wrapped in some sort of insulation to prevent the pipes from freezing.
• Any cracks or holes in your home’s foundation should be filled and covered. If water penetrates these cracks or holes it could freeze and thaw,which will cause these cracks or holes to worsen and may cause a water leak.

Ice back-ups occur when there is inadequate insulation and/or ventilation in your attic space. The best way to prevent ice back-ups is to look for these three things: 1) The amount of insulation in your attic. By code, the minimum amount of insulation in your attic is a be a R38 (12 inches of insulation). 2) Adequate ventilation for your attic space. The attic space should be around the same temperature as the temperature outside. If your attic is warmer than the outside temperature then you don’t have adequate ventilation. You can solve this problem by either adding a ridge vent, vented soffit, or more pop vents. 3) Sometimes your ventilation is blocked, in this case you might have to rake out some insulation away from your soffit. If you have a good amount of snow on your roof you may have to shovel around your vents to allow the air to escape your attic.