Water Damage from the Eyes of the Technician

4/14/2016 (Permalink)

Mike gives us insight on what it's like responding to a water damage.

Ever wonder what a water damage is like in the eyes of the technician?  Well know you can know!  Here is what Mike Dodson, one of our lead water technicians here as SERVPRO of Lynchburg / Bedford & Campbell Counties, has to say about it.

"There are a million things that run through my mind as a technician when I receive the call for a water damage. Where did the water come from? What kind of floorings are we working with? How many levels of the property are affected? Although these questions are typically answered by the customer on the initial call, we still wonder about the unknown things to prepare for.

These questions are turned to assumptions of the worst as we prepare the trucks to respond, and then we arrive only to ask more questions. What is wet, how wet, how far has the damage spread, and what are the best methods to dry it quickly to prevent further damage? While most technicians can diagnose with a simple tool, we have to diagnose using tools and by looking in places that property owners never even imagine water could have went.

During the course of drying a structure we still ask constant questions like; is it drying, how dry is it, when might it be completely dry. We answer these by frequently checking the amount of moisture content in the air and structure. Water is so good at hiding and most times a property owner is thinking; why are they looking there? Some will say it, while others will just look at you with the eyes of disbelief, but just as we gauge our equipment’s readings, we read the customer and give the response to their possibly unasked concern.

Above all else in the mitigation of a property, I have some other questions that I ask myself. These are the questions that, I feel, distinguish SERVPRO in our industry. How can I make this customer's nightmare turn into a mere uncomfortable dream, and what can my team do to keep our customer confident in us throughout this process? These answers are only available by communication and assurance that the home or business they've worked so hard for are being cared for as if it were ours."

- Mike Dodson-Lead Technician at SERVPRO of Lynchburg / Bedford & Campbell Counties