Effective Ways to Get Rid of Ice Dams

9/18/2024 (Permalink)

Winter in Montclair, NJ, can be beautiful, but it also brings some headaches for homeowners. One common issue is ice dams. These ice buildups can cause significant damage to your home if not dealt with properly. Here’s a guide on how to get rid of ice dams and prevent them from forming in the first place.

What Are Ice Dams?

Ice dams form when the snow on your roof melts, flows to the edge, and then refreezes. This happens because the warmer sections of your roof cause the snow to melt, while the colder edges refreeze the water. Over time, this cycle creates a thick ridge of ice at the roof's edge, stopping melted snow from draining properly. The trapped water can then seep under shingles, causing leaks and damage inside your home.

Identifying Ice Dams

Here are a few signs that you might have an ice dam problem:

• Icicles: Large icicles hanging from the edge of your roof can be a sign of an ice dam.
• Water Stains: Look for water stains on your ceilings and walls, which can indicate a leak caused by an ice dam.
• Ice Buildup: Ice forming along the roof edge, especially after a heavy snowfall, is a clear indicator.

Removing Ice Dams

Use a Roof Rake

A roof rake is a long-handled tool that helps you pull snow off your roof while standing safely on the ground. Removing the snow reduces the amount of water that can refreeze at the roof's edge, helping to prevent and reduce ice dams. Use the rake after every significant snowfall to keep your roof clear.

Apply Calcium Chloride

Calcium chloride is a safe and effective way to melt ice. Place calcium chloride pellet across the ice dam so that it extends over the roof and gutter. This will help create channels for the water to flow off the roof, breaking up the ice dam. Avoid using rock salt, as it can damage your roof and plants.

Hire Professionals

If you have severe ice dams or don’t feel comfortable handling them yourself, it’s best to call in professionals. Professionals have the experience and equipment to safely remove ice dams without damaging your roof.

Preventing Ice Dams

Proper insulation in your attic keeps warm air from escaping through the roof, which helps prevent the melting and refreezing cycle that causes ice dams. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, improving attic insulation can significantly reduce the risk of ice dams and lower your heating bills.

Good ventilation in your attic is crucial. It keeps the roof at a more uniform temperature, which reduces the chances of snow melting unevenly. Make sure your attic has adequate soffit and ridge vents to promote airflow.

Air leaks from your living space into the attic can warm the roof and contribute to ice dam formation. Seal any gaps around light fixtures, vent pipes, and chimneys to prevent warm air from escaping.

Stay Safe This Winter

Ice dams can cause significant damage to your home, but with the right techniques, you can manage and prevent them. Regularly remove snow from your roof, use calcium chloride to break up ice dams, and consider improving your attic’s insulation and ventilation. If an ice dam causes water damage inside your home, don’t hesitate to contact professionals like SERVPRO of Montclair/West Orange. Our team is ready to assist you with all your winter weather challenges, ensuring your home stays safe and dry all season long!

The Role of Snow Removal Services in Northeast Storm Cleanup

5/23/2024 (Permalink)

As winter blankets the Northeast with its picturesque snowy landscapes, it also brings the inevitable challenge of storm cleanup. At SERVPRO®, we understand the importance of a swift and comprehensive response to minimize the impact of winter storms on homes and businesses. In this blog post, we'll shed light on the critical role of snow removal services in the aftermath of Northeast storms, providing you with valuable insights and tips for a seamless cleanup process.

Why Snow Removal Matters

When winter storms hit, heavy snowfall can wreak havoc on both residential and commercial properties. Accumulated snow can lead to structural damage, ice dams, and blocked access points, making it essential to prioritize snow removal in the cleanup process. Quick and efficient removal not only safeguards your property but also prevents potential water damage caused by melting snow infiltrating vulnerable areas.

Preventing Ice Dams

One of the primary concerns during winter storms is the formation of ice dams on roofs. These ice barriers can obstruct proper drainage, leading to water seepage and potential interior damage. Professional snow removal services excel in preventing and addressing ice dams, utilizing specialized equipment to clear snow and ice from critical areas. This proactive approach is crucial in maintaining the structural integrity of your property.

Accessibility and Safety

Snow-covered driveways, walkways, and entrances pose significant challenges for property owners and emergency responders alike. Snow removal services play a pivotal role in restoring accessibility and ensuring a safe environment for residents and businesses. By promptly clearing paths and entrances, these services contribute to the overall recovery process and minimize the risk of accidents or injuries.

Choosing the Right Snow Removal Service

When selecting a snow removal service, it's essential to prioritize reliability, efficiency, and experience. Look for professionals who use advanced equipment and follow industry best practices. By partnering with a reputable snow removal service, you can be confident that your property will be restored promptly and with the utmost care.

Navigating Northeast storm cleanup requires a comprehensive strategy that includes efficient snow removal services. At SERVPRO, we emphasize the importance of addressing snow-related challenges to safeguard your property and facilitate a smooth recovery process. By understanding the crucial role of snow removal in storm cleanup, you can make informed decisions to protect your home or business during the winter months. Trust the experts at SERVPRO to provide the assistance you need when facing the aftermath of a Northeast winter storm.

Winter-Ready Success: Preparing Your Business for Winter Storms

1/3/2024 (Permalink)

As winter approaches, with its chilly embrace, businesses face unique challenges posed by winter storms. From snow accumulation to freezing temperatures, proper preparation is paramount to ensure the safety of employees, maintain operational continuity, and protect assets. In this blog, we'll explore essential steps for preparing your business for the winter storms that the Northeast often experiences.

Develop a Comprehensive Winter Emergency Plan

Start by creating a winter-specific emergency plan that addresses potential challenges such as power outages, transportation disruptions, and extreme weather conditions. Clearly communicate roles and responsibilities, including emergency contacts, evacuation procedures, and communication protocols.

Conduct a Winter Facility Check

Assess your business facility for vulnerabilities to winter weather. Check for proper insulation, inspect roofs for potential leaks or ice dam formation, and ensure that heating systems are in optimal condition. Address any issues that could pose risks during winter storms.

Winterize Your Business Vehicles

If your business relies on a fleet of vehicles, make sure they are winter-ready. Equip each vehicle with winter tires, inspect brakes and fluids regularly, and provide employees with winter driving safety training. Keep a supply of ice scrapers, snow brushes, and emergency kits in each vehicle.

Maintain Heating Systems

Regularly service and maintain heating systems to ensure they function efficiently during the winter months. Schedule professional inspections to identify and address any issues that could lead to heating failures when they are needed most.

Stock Emergency Supplies

Prepare for potential power outages by stocking emergency supplies such as flashlights, batteries, blankets, and non-perishable food items. Ensure that employees know the location of emergency supplies and conduct drills to familiarize them with emergency protocols.

Monitor Weather Forecasts:

Stay vigilant by monitoring weather forecasts regularly. This allows you to anticipate potential disruptions and make informed decisions about business operations, employee safety, and possible closures or delays. With the rise of remote work, establish and test remote work options for your employees. This flexibility allows your business to continue operations even if winter storms make commuting challenging or if the physical workplace is inaccessible.

Communicate Proactively

Establish clear communication channels to keep employees informed about weather-related updates, closures, or changes to business operations. Utilize email, text messaging, and social media to ensure that critical information reaches everyone promptly. Develop a snow removal and de-icing plan for your business property. Ensure that walkways, parking lots, and entryways are promptly cleared of snow and ice to maintain a safe environment for employees and clients.

Review and Update Insurance Coverage

Regularly review your business insurance coverage to ensure it adequately protects against winter-related damages. Understand the terms of your policy, including coverage for snow-related incidents, and make adjustments as needed.

Train Employees on Winter Safety Protocols

Conduct winter safety training sessions for employees, covering topics such as safe driving in winter conditions, preventing slips and falls, and recognizing signs of cold-related illnesses. Empower employees to prioritize their safety during winter storms. Stay connected with local emergency management authorities and stay informed about community storm preparedness efforts. This collaboration can provide valuable resources and support during challenging times.

Winter storms may be inevitable, but with careful planning and proactive measures, your business can navigate the challenges they present. By prioritizing employee safety, maintaining operational resilience, and preparing for potential disruptions, you position your business for winter-ready success, ensuring that it withstands the chill and continues to thrive despite the challenges of the season.

Severe Weather Outages: Ensuring Safety and Comfort During Storms

9/18/2023 (Permalink)

As a homeowner or property owner, preparing for severe weather outages is crucial to safeguarding your family's safety and ensuring maximum comfort during storms. Severe weather events, such as hurricanes, blizzards, or thunderstorms, can lead to power outages, making it essential to have a well-thought-out plan in place. In this article, we'll explore practical steps you can take to ensure safety and comfort during these challenging times.

Develop an Emergency Plan

Creating a comprehensive emergency plan is the first step in preparing for severe weather outages. Involve all members of your household in the planning process and discuss roles and responsibilities during emergencies. Your plan should include:

Identifying safe areas: Designate shelter spaces within your home that offer protection from severe weather, such as basements or interior rooms away from windows.

Emergency contact list: Prepare a list of emergency contacts, including local authorities, utility companies, and family members. Keep this list accessible to everyone.

Evacuation routes: Familiarize yourself with evacuation routes in your area and establish a meeting point outside your home where everyone can gather in case of evacuation.

Essential supplies: Stock up on emergency supplies like non-perishable food, water, first-aid kits, flashlights, batteries, and necessary medications.

Backup Power Solutions

Investing in a backup power solution is a smart decision to maintain some level of comfort during power outages. Consider the following options:

Generators: Portable or standby generators can provide electricity during extended outages. However, make sure to follow safety guidelines and use them outdoors to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning.

Solar-powered chargers: Utilize solar-powered chargers to keep essential devices like smartphones and flashlights powered up during prolonged power cuts.

Secure Your Property

Protecting your home or property from severe weather damage can minimize the impact of storms. Here are some measures to consider:

Roof and gutter maintenance: Regularly inspect and maintain your roof and gutters to ensure they are in good condition. Properly installed and maintained gutters can prevent water damage during heavy rain.

Trim trees and branches: Prune trees near your property to minimize the risk of falling branches during storms. Overhanging limbs can cause significant damage to your home and power lines.

Reinforce windows and doors: Install storm shutters or board up windows and doors to protect against flying debris and high winds.

Stay Informed

Keep yourself updated about weather forecasts and storm alerts. Use weather apps or tune into local news channels for real-time information. Staying informed will give you ample time to activate your emergency plan if severe weather is approaching.

Collaborate with Neighbors

Creating a sense of community and collaboration with your neighbors can be immensely helpful during severe weather outages. Look out for each other and offer assistance when needed. Sharing resources and information can make the recovery process smoother for everyone.

Severe weather outages can be challenging, but with proper preparation and planning, you can ensure the safety and comfort of your family and property during storms. Develop a detailed emergency plan, invest in backup power solutions, secure your property, stay informed, and collaborate with neighbors. By taking these proactive measures, you can confidently weather any storm that comes your way. Stay safe and be prepared!

Exploring Flood Damage Coverage: Does Homeowners Insurance Protect You?

7/10/2023 (Permalink)

As a homeowner, protecting your property from unexpected disasters is a top priority. Among the potential threats, flooding can cause significant damage and financial strain. Many homeowners wonder whether their standard homeowners insurance policy covers flood damage. In this blog post, we will delve into the topic of flood damage coverage, helping you understand the extent of protection offered by homeowners insurance and the importance of additional flood insurance to safeguard your home and belongings.

Standard Homeowners Insurance and Flood Damage

It's crucial to note that standard homeowners insurance policies typically do not cover damage caused by floods. These policies are designed to protect against specific risks, such as fire, windstorms, or theft. Flood damage is considered a separate peril that requires specialized coverage due to its unique nature and potential for widespread devastation. Understanding the limitations of your standard policy will help you make informed decisions regarding flood protection.

Defining Flood Damage

To better understand flood insurance, it is important to define what constitutes a flood. In insurance terms, a flood is defined as an excess of water that covers normally dry land. This can result from heavy rainstorms, overflowing rivers or lakes, tidal surges, or rapid snowmelt. Even a few inches of water can cause significant damage to your home's structure, foundation, electrical systems, and personal belongings.

The Benefits of Flood Insurance

Securing flood insurance offers several key benefits for homeowners. First and foremost, it provides financial protection in the event of a flood, covering the costs associated with repairing or rebuilding your home and replacing damaged belongings. Flood insurance can help you recover more quickly and minimize the financial burden often associated with flood-related losses.

Assessing Your Flood Risk

Evaluating your flood risk is a crucial step in determining the necessity of flood insurance. FEMA provides Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) that identify areas at different levels of flood risk. These maps can help you understand the likelihood of flooding in your area and assess the need for adequate coverage. Keep in mind that even properties outside high-risk zones can still experience flooding, making flood insurance a valuable investment for most homeowners.

While standard homeowners insurance policies typically do not cover flood damage, it's essential to recognize the importance of obtaining flood insurance to protect your home and belongings. Floods can happen anywhere, and the costs associated with repairs and recovery can be significant. By understanding the limitations of your existing policy and assessing your flood risk, you can make informed decisions about securing appropriate flood insurance coverage.

How Hail Can compromise Your Roof

7/28/2022 (Permalink)

A healthy roof can protect your commercial property from storm damage in Llewellyn Park, NJ. Roof damage from a severe storm requires you to act quickly to avoid costly consequences.

How Can Hail Affect Your Roof?

Hail storms are typically not long-lasting, but they can severely compromise your roof depending upon various factors, including:

• Stone size
• Stone weight
• Stone shape
• Speed at Impact
• Roof material
  
  

Hailstones can have diameters up to three inches and weigh as much as a pound. They can form with jagged edges and travel over 100 miles per hour from thousands of feet above the ground. Damage occurs if these large stones land on your roof and puncture a hole through it.

How Can You Identify Hail Damage?
Roof damage following a hail storm is not always easy to recognize if it doesn't leave a gaping hole. Following a hail storm, it is necessary to conduct a roof inspection and look for the more subtle damage signs. Your roof may have damage if your gutters are out of place or dented or if they are not draining properly due to clogging from trapped hail particles. Dents in your building's siding following a hail storm are another good indication that your roof also has damage.

What Are the Consequences of Ignoring Roof Repairs?

Delaying roof inspections or hail damage repairs can lead to other issues affecting your building's interior. For example, a small hole in your roof can grow bigger if it remains unrepaired. As a result, water from the next rain or snowstorm could make its way inside. The result could be an obvious flood, water-soaked insulation or an accumulation of water within your building's interior walls. These scenarios can lead to secondary mold damage that would require immediate attention from a mold remediation service to decontaminate your premises.

If roof damage causes flooding at your building in Llewellyn Park, NJ, a disaster recovery service can undertake proper cleanup and sanitization.

Special Techniques That Aid Recovery After a Storm

5/1/2022 (Permalink)

Special Techniques For Post-Storm Recovery

While your commercial building in Montclair NJ, might seem indestructible, in reality, it is at risk of powerful storms. Thunderstorms unleash lightning and high winds, while tornadoes produce winds of more than 100 miles per hour. As recent events have shown, hail storms can be truly destructive. Hurricanes often generate torrential rains that lead to flooding. All of these weather events put your facility at risk of damage. Fortunately, an experienced storm remediation company has the equipment and the knowledge to bring your company back from disaster. They often use specialized techniques during the restoration phase.

The Execution of a Tear Out

When water inundates your building, many materials become saturated with moisture. In some cases, normal drying is not sufficient, and a technique known as a flood cut is employed for repairing drywall and wall insulation. In the aftermath of flooding, technicians will perform the following actions:

• Remove all standing water
• Cut the drywall 12 inches above the flood line
• Remove all damaged wall insulation
• Completely dry out the area with fans
• Replace new insulation and drywall

This must be done to remove any contamination caused by floodwaters. It ensures the drywall and insulation will not later produce unpleasant odors or result in mold growth.

The Utilization of Professional Cleaning Methods

A professional restoration company will also use many different methods of cleaning and sanitizing areas of a building as well as the contents of a building. While some items such as clothes might need dry cleaning techniques, other items such as non-porous items can benefit from abrasive cleaning or foam cleaning. The technicians will determine the best method of cleaning for each item, and they will use a restore versus replace mentality when possible.

The recovery of your facility from flooding is a complicated process. Trained professionals can restore your building quickly and efficiently with industry-leading techniques and advanced equipment.

How to Remove Lingering Odors Caused by Water Damage

3/17/2022 (Permalink)

Materials like insulation and drywall can quickly absorb flood water. This is what causes scents to linger and structural damage.

How To Get Rid Of Lingering Water Damage Odors

Water of all kinds can cause damage to your Montclair NJ, building. While contaminated water may be more likely to cause lingering odors, clean water can also contribute by facilitating mold growth. If you are noticing bad smells after water damage, the following steps can help remove it.

1. Clean Surfaces

Both flooding and sewage loss can bring contaminated water into your building. This can contain bacteria, mud, waste and other debris. As a result, it can carry with it unpleasant odors. Everything that this water has come into contact with should be thoroughly cleaned, both to reduce these odors as well as to prevent bacteria from spreading within the building.

2. Perform Mold Remediation

Mold spores that have been brought into the building by contaminated water, as well as those already present, will grow quickly in a wet environment. Infestations of this fungus can then create a musty odor. Both the mold growth and the smell can be effectively removed by a mold remediation company.

3. Replace Damaged Materials

Materials like insulation and drywall can easily absorb large amounts of flood water. These are not easily cleaned, resulting in bad smells that stick around as well as damage to the building. Removing and replacing these materials should reduce lingering odors.

4. Remove Odors From the Air

If you have tried the previous steps but still haven’t quite removed all of the bad smells, then you may need to clean the air inside the building. Using an air purifier, you can remove bacteria and other contaminants to create a clean and fresh-smelling environment.

After you have experienced water damage, it can take some time to return your building to its previous condition. Everything should be cleaned thoroughly and any mold growth should be removed. In most cases, it is best to have this done by a professional who has the necessary training and equipment to get the job done properly.

Helpful Sump Pump Maintenance Tips for Homeowners

1/18/2022 (Permalink)

Helpful Sump Pump Maintenance Tips for Homeowners

As a homeowner in Glen Ridge, NJ, it might seem like the maintenance for your home never ends. Cleaning out the gutters and checking the roof for damage or leaks should already be part of your seasonal checklist, but have you thought to check your basement? More specifically, if heavy rains are in the forecast or spring is coming around the corner, it’s time to inspect your sump pump.

What Is It?

This device is used to remove any water that’s gathered in a sump basin, which is usually found in the basement. In the event of a basement flood, this pump is necessary to ensure that water is sent away from the house and into a place, such as a storm drain or dry well, where it will no longer be a concern.

How To Perform Pump Care

For your benefit and ease, you should be putting time aside every couple of months to confirm that your sump pump is working correctly. If you are unsure on how to go about conducting pump maintenance, look to the following tips:

• Occasionally flood the sump basin by pouring water into it to ensure the pump does what it’s supposed to do and drains the water quickly. Have it serviced if it doesn’t.

• Be sure that the pump is standing upright. Sometimes vibrations occur while the pump is running that can make it topple over or tilt to one side.

• Check the power cord to be sure it’s connected. It’s not uncommon for a breaker to trip in damp areas. If needed, reset the outlet.

The below can be limited to once a year:

• Clean out the sump.
  
• Check the manual (or online) to see if the pump bearings need grease or oil.
  
• Remove the pump from sump and clean and inspect it.
  
  

Learn Now, Protect Later

Though the preservation of your home is constant, the ease of knowing that you are capable of fixing your own sump pump is worthwhile. You can save time, money, and potential water damage to the rest of your home.