1300 783 262 | FIRE | SMOKE | WATER & MOULD | FLOOD
When disaster strikes, there’s no need to panic.
Just call Steamatic 24/7 on 1300 783 262 and well be there to help you get your life back in order, fast. With branches across Australia, we’re ready to help. Here’s your guide on how we can help when the unexpected happens.
Most important steps to consider when your property is safe to access:
- Flood waters contain bacteria and viruses that can make you very ill. Take every available precaution to avoid walking/wading through flood waters. Do not ingest any food that has been affected by flood waters
- It is possible during the event that there will be a wide spread loss of electricity. Do not attempt to run a generator until flood waters have receded and the structure has been dried out to an industry standard of 18%. Often times, flood waters will have compromised the electrical system which could potentially pose a life threatening situation if you try to plug into a system that has not been dried out correctly.
- Take an inventory and photos of all contents that have been affected and need to be disposed of.
- Make every effort to sweep out remaining water and remember to wear protective gear such as a mouth covering and safety glasses.
- After these types of weather events, it is possible that mould will begin to grow if the environment is not controlled with drying equipment. While you wait for Steamatic to attend your site, attempt to remove as much wet building materials and contents that you can. Make sure you document contents you will be disposing of by making an inventory and taking pictures. Take several pictures of damaged structure.
IN ORDER TO AVOID MOULD CONTAMINATION, YOU MUST ACT QUICKLY. YOU WILL HAVE BETWEEN 24-72 HOURS BEFORE MICROBIAL GROWTH CAN BEGIN. IF YOU ARE IN A HIGH HUMIDITY REGION, YOU WILL HAVE EVEN LESS TIME.
What to do if you have Water Damage or Flooding from an Event
- Turn off the water main
- Survey the damages and make sure that none of your electrical outlets are submerged. If the outlets are affected DO NOT use your electricity, turn the power off at your main switch
- Identify the cause of the damage
- Call a plumber or builder to repair the damage
- Don’t panic! Call Steamatic 24/7/365 for help
- Call your insurance provider to lodge a claim
- Coverage will be dependent on the type of policy you have. A contents policy will not cover structure and vice versa
- Mop up as much of the water as possible until help arrives
- Open doors and windows to allow for air flow
- Steamatic arrives on site to begin restoration and remediation services
- Once Steamatic arrives:
- Technicians will assess the damaged areas
- Begin water extraction
- If carpet underlay is present and affected, the underlay will be removed as underlay cannot be restored. The underlay will act like a sponge
- If building materials have been affected, such as plasterboard, the technicians assess the best course of action in order to dry the internal cavity. This could include removing base moulding to drill holes to use an Injectidry system or if this isn’t possible, the plasterboard will be removed to a level that has not been affected by the water. Plasterboard will also act like a sponge and the water will wick-up. The reason why wet building materials are removed is to avoid the potential of mould contamination.
- Drying equipment will be installed to control the environment and return it to a pre-loss condition.
- Air movers are installed to do exactly that, move the air around. This makes the moisture airborne which can be captured by a dehumidifier
- Dehumidifiers are used to capture the moisture and are either self contained units that have a well or are set up to drain in a nearby sink
- Depending on the type of loss, your loss may require an air scrubber. Air scrubbers are used to purify the air via a HEPA filtration system
- Any unrestorable items will be inventoried and disposed of
- Restorable items will be inventoried, packed out and brought back to the Steamatic warehouse for processing
- Technicians will revisit site to take moisture readings and make sure the drying process is progressing. It is very important that you DO NOT turn the equipment off. We realise that they can be noisy and affect your sleep, BUT turning equipment off leaves the property at risk of not drying within insurance company standards, delaying the claim and potentially putting the property at risk for mould exposure.
- Once the structure has been deemed dry:
- Equipment will be removed
- If carpet and underlay were affected and the carpet was restorable, new underlay will be installed and the carpet will be relaid
- Reinstatement of building materials will be carried out by one of the insurance companies approved builders
If you have been affected by a weather event and your property or business has been flooded, don’t panic – call Steamatic.
Steamatic has a vast network of resources throughout Australia to respond to Catastrophic weather events. With over 38 locations, we can mobilise our resources in order to manage a large volume of claims.
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