How Water Damage Can Pose Unexpected Risks

People understand intuitively why water can be dangerous. Everyone knows you can't breathe in water. Similarly, it's easy to see how you might lose control of the situation if you're ever caught in floodwaters.

Unfortunately, the same understanding doesn't apply to the aftereffects of water sweeping through your home or business. Keep reading to learn about how water damage can pose unexpected risks, thus giving you cause to leave the clean up to those who know exactly what they're doing.

Water Can Be Contaminated

There's no guarantee that the water responsible for your water damage is harmless to humans. Instead, there's a real risk that it's either sewage or has come into contact with sewage, which is more or less the same thing from the perspective of someone looking out for their health. This is because it's easy to touch something contaminated before touching your face or some other place that lets dangerous microorganisms bypass your first line of defense.

If you're lucky, you'll experience gastrointestinal distress at most. However, there's a reason why people who work with sewage are expected to wear personal protective equipment after having been vaccinated for tetanus and other serious diseases.

Water Can Encourage Pests

Water makes life possible. This is true for humans and species that are problematic for human interests. Chances are good that you've heard mold and mildew will start growing quickly after a building has suffered water damage. Sadly, high moisture levels can encourage numerous pests to settle in.

Pest infestations can cause problems far into the future. Some species, such as mice and mosquitoes, can spread diseases. Meanwhile, others, such as termites, can wreak havoc on structures. The worst part is that removing pests will require a protracted effort because these species can bounce back with surprising speed unless you're thorough.

Water Can Cause Electrocutions

Electricity flows through water. Due to this, you should avoid water if you have the slightest reason to suspect that it's in contact with either an electrical outlet or some other source of electricity. You can get shocked even if the electrical grid is down because you can't know what's happening elsewhere. The only safe approach is to let trained professionals take care of things.

This is particularly true because electrocution is no joke. Electricity causes muscles to contract, thus making it hard for people to free themselves when shocked. Even worse, the human body conducts electricity, meaning a bystander can be electrocuted when they try to help without using something non-conductive.

Water Can Cause Electrical Fires

Generally, electronics aren't designed to survive being submerged. Ideally, you can move your electronics out of the way, but unfortunately, you can't guarantee being able to do so. Always assume electronics have been damaged if they've come into contact with water. Never use them until they've been given the go-ahead by a trained professional who can clean, dry, and test them.

Using water-damaged electronics can have dangerous consequences. They might not work or take further damage because of water or contaminants in the water. Even worse, they can start electrical fires, thus making a bad situation worse.

Water Can Collapse Buildings

It's well-known that water can wreak havoc on a broad range of building materials. This is why people often pay expensive repair and replacement costs after flooding. Be warned that this isn't necessarily the worst-case scenario. Prolonged exposure to water can damage a building's structure. This can result in everything from cracked foundations to sagging ceilings, thus making for unsafe environments. Have professionals check out the situation before proceeding further.

Are you concerned about the state of your building? Contact Restoration 1 to learn how we can help people in Littleton, CO, and the surrounding areas deal with fire and water damage.