Los Angeles
Damage Restoration, Remediation, Recovery and Repair Services

Some causes of water damage include:

• Burst or leaking pipes
• Sewage backing up into a structure
• Sinks, toilets, bathtubs, and washing machines that overflow
• Heaters and other appliances that leak
• Flooding caused by heavy rain
• Roofs leaking
• Foundations cracking and allowing water into the structure
• Sump pumps that malfunction; water enters a basement

Los Angeles Contaminated Water Cleanup

Water is categorized as white, gray, or black in accordance with its contamination level.

White, or clean, water is called Category 1 water. Clean water is potable and is the water that flows into a home from a city supply or a treated well. It goes from supply lines into appliances and faucets. Category 1 water is what comes out of an overflowing bathtub or sink, a leaking faucet, or a water pipe to a dishwasher or washing machine. Clean or white water is safe for people.

Gray water is called Category 2 water. This isn’t clean or potable water and it comes from the drains that empty washing machines, dishwashers, showers, sinks, and bathtubs.

Black water is Category 3 water. Sewage generates black water, and flood waters containing debris, oils, fertilizer chemicals, animal feces, etc. Black water is contaminated and highly unsanitary and as such is dangerous for humans to be in contact with.

Of importance to note is that white water can change to gray water simply by sitting for 48 hours, and gray water can change to black water if left untreated for 48 or more hours. It is generally the best if professionals are called in to do contaminated water cleanup.

Water Removal in Los Angeles

When a homeowner or property owner discovers their building is full of standing water, he or she should first attempt to find the source of the water and then turn off the main supply to the home or building. If the source of the flooding cannot be found, a plumber or representative of the local water company should be summoned.

After the water source is identified and the water flow stopped, the next action step is to call a water damage restoration company such as BMS CAT. We assess the situation and then begin water removal as soon as possible.

Assessing the water damage requires gathering some information, such as establishing how long the standing water has been there, which rooms are affected, and where the water has come from. We use specialized instruments for measuring moisture content in walls, substrates, floors, decking, baseboards, cabinets, and ceilings. Data gathering results determine how much drying equipment is necessary to employ after water has been removed.

Water Removal Methods

After we have established the extent of the damage, our BMS CAT Los Angeles expert water damage repair crews begin the task of water removal. Essentially, super-strength industrial grade shop vacs are used to suck up all water present in a home or building and discharging it outside. This is done room by room, for however many hours it takes to remove all the water.

Once the water has been removed, the work focus shifts to drying. We employ large air movers to circulate water throughout the home or building. We also utilize dehumidifiers. Finding hidden pockets or wells of water also occurs at this point by drilling holes into cavities (i.e. walls) and removing baseboards.

Los Angeles Water Damage Repair

Water damage repair in Los Angeles is declared completed when all the flooded rooms of a house or building are water-free and dried. Moisture-content readings confirm that spaces are dry.

At this point, BMS CAT’s job as a Los Angeles water damage repair company is finished. However, one advantage of partnering with us, is that after we cleanup and restore your property, our dedicated construction teams can come in next to rebuild any parts of the interior or exterior that were removed in the mitigation process.