What Happens When an Air Conditioner Pan Leaks in my Slidell home?

8/23/2020 (Permalink)

Water damage can wreck parts of your home if it isn’t taken care of properly. Contact SERVPRO for professional remediation services.

SERVPRO techs can handle any size water removal needed in your Slidell home

Air conditioning is great to beat the summer heat, but when the unit malfunctions and situations like the drip pan overflowing can cause a host of issues in your Slidell home that need professional cleanup to minimize the amount of post-mitigation repairs required. If the efforts do not begin quickly enough, problems such as:   

• Mold infestation
• Wider area of removal and repairs needed for walls and ceilings
• Foul odors from the continual elevated moisture

What Types of Water Removal Actions May Be Needed Post-Air Conditioner Malfunction?  

This home in Slidell needed large scale water removal from SERVPRO due to an air conditioning drip pan overflowing. The resulting water damage affected several areas within the home.

Water Damage Cleanup in Slidell the Bedroom Needed  

The techs used their detection equipment and found the effects of the overflow within the walls and ceiling. The techs removed the ruined portions of the sheetrock, including the insulation, to dry the interior parts. The techs located the exact areas within the sheetrock using infrared and other equipment to highlight the areas of cooler temps meaning moisture. This enables them to only perform controlled demo on the areas with damage.

Cleaning Water Damage On Tile Flooring  

The tile flooring in the laundry room and hallway had seepage that occurred from the water that ran down the walls and wicked into the sheetrock. The same types of equipment get used to pinpoint the areas under the tile, behind the baseboards, and within the walls. The techs performed two-foot belt cuts in the hallway, bedroom, and laundry room to remove the ruined wall portions and insulation to open it up for drying. The tile needed to get removed to dry the subfloor, or the situation can morph into a bigger problem such as:   

• Warping of the subfloor
• Foul odors 
• Larger area of tile delamination

Cleaning Room Contents After Water Damage  

When the air conditioning unit dripped down through the ceiling and down the walls, it also affected furnishings and articles within the bedroom. SERVPRO techs moved out the furniture from the bedroom for cleaning, including a dresser, television stand, and bed frame. The wet mattress required disposal, but the technicians were able to wash the bedding set using the Esporta Washing System to clean and sanitize the fabrics.

Wood furniture is susceptible to water spotting, but through the use of cleaning agents, oil soaps, and waxes, the techs can help the furnishings recover from exposure to the water. The most critical element when it comes to the restoration of wood furniture is if the absorption of moisture cracked the joints or caused swelling that permanently damaged it.

The central area where the damage began in the home occurred in the bedroom. SERVPRO techs determined the presence of mold on the ceiling and the surfaces of some items in the room. The techs set up containment and ran an air scrubber to capture airborne particulate, venting it outside, creating negative air. This action stops the potential for spreading mold spores during the remediation.

The sheetrock harboring the mold around the drip pan required removal and disposal as did a portion of the walls due to the mold. Once the area got stripped down to the framework, the techs dried the existing colonies and then abated the dry matter left afterward. It is crucial not to disturb the mold once dried as it gets lifted off surfaces, and the techs use manual methods with hand tools and HEPA hand vacs frequently for this part of the restoration services. For large size abatement tasks, the techs have access to soda and ice blasters that use a light abrasive to power off any remaining dried matter without harming surfaces.

After the completion of the water cleanup and mold remediation, the SERVPRO crew chief goes over the actions taken to ensure that the homeowner understands everything done and is happy with the outcome. If there are repairs or replacements needed to return the home to its preloss condition, those aspects of the restoration services get explained. Hence, everyone is on the same page for actions taken and anything additional needed, and the written report that accompanies the mitigation can assist in expediting insurance claims for homeowners.

SERVPRO of Slidell at (985) 649-1516 brings their years of experience and access to a broad array of professional extraction and drying equipment for any size water removal. Their advanced restoration services make the water damage in your home, "Like it never even happened."