If you need emergency water extraction, call Althouse Cleaning now at:

El Paso (915) 581-4347 or Las Cruces (575) 647-2273

Just like 911, we respond 24/7

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Emergency Water Extraction

When your water heater breaks and releases 60+ gallons of water in your home, hopefully your first response is to turn off the source of the flooding and remove from the floor objects that may be damaged. What's next?

Call Althouse Cleaning to extract the water from the carpet and dry your home to prevent mold. We are ready to help 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Water not only soaks into the carpet and pad. It also gets under your wood or laminated flooring. It wicks up sheetrock and plaster walls, and up furniture legs and any fabric touching the floor. With so much water newly available in a dry environment, it goes into the air as excess humidity. This extra moisture, if untreated, can be absorbed into upholstery leaving them musty smelling; and into wooden cabinets making them warp. Cabinet and furniture wood finishes may also be damaged.

Rampant Mold and Bacterial Growth

The worst by-product of excess moisture is mold and bacterial growth, because it  causes severe health risks. For this reason,after extracting the water from the floor, high volume air movers are strategically placed throughout your home to dry the structure quickly . These air movers constantly circulate air in a vortex pattern (circularly).

As the water evaporates and is lifted into the air, refrigerant dehumidifiers draw in moist air and return warm dry air back into the room. The water condensed from the refrigeration process is lead through a hose to drain into a sink, bathtub or to outside. Technicians return daily to monitor the humidity and moisture content until the structure is dry. This detailed information is forwarded to your insurance company for their records.

Your Home Owner, Business or Renter's Insurance Policy

Your home owner insurance policy requires that the policy holder respond as quickly as possible to limit the damage. Your insurance agent or insurance adjustor is the only one who can tell you the extent of your coverage. Ground water flooding from outside is usually only covered if you have a separate flood insurance policy (ask your agent). 

Carpet, wood floors, cabinets, furniure and other materials can be permanently ruined if not properly addressed. Even sheetrock and electrical systems can be damaged to the point that they require replacement.

Water leaking from upstairs while the owners were                                                  on vacation caused so much damage that the fire                                                 department shut off the electricity. The water- logged                                 sheetrock also required removal.

Water damage can occur from a variety of sources: a broken pipe, a faulty appliance(i.e. dishwasher, water heater, etc.), a leaky roof, or rising ground waters like El Paso and Las Cruces experienced in 2006.

Althouse Cleaning reponds to emergency water extraction calls 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Althouse Cleaning is on the direct repair programs of all major insurance companies and are know and respected by local adjustors. For your convenience, your insurance company is billed directly by Althouse Cleaning.

Secondary Damage

The initial damage is costly but far worse are the problems incurred if the house is not completely dried. Excessive moisture is absorbed in the walls, cabinets, furniture, carpet padding and even the air. The general dampness gives mold and bacteria the environment they need to thrive and multiply. As these organisms grow, your home becomes an increasingly dangerous health risk to you and your family.

Althouse Cleaning has powerful equipment to efficiently remove as much water as possible from your carpet and carpet pad. Often this can be done without removing the carpet! They will set up the needed air movers and dehumidifiers to completely dry your home or office. Althouse technicians will monitor the drying process with moisture meters to insure that you will have no mold problems from the water damage incident at a later date.

Technical Information

Two ways of classifying water damage events are 1) the cleanliness of the water    and 2) the difficulty in removing the moisture.

Water Damage Restoration Categories

Category 1. "Clean Water" is from a source that poses no substantial harm to people. Water that overflowed while running your bath water, leaking from a supply line for an ice maker, dishwasher or clothes washer are good examples. This assumes that the surfaces being flooded are reasonably clean. Flooding from clean water is usually treated by extracting standing water. Air movers are set up to create evaporation and dehumidifiers to remove the moisture from the air. A biocide may be applied to prevent mold and bacterial growth. After 48 hours, a Category 1 can become a Category 2.

Category 2. "Grey Water" poses health risks due to significant levels of contamination of bacteria, mold and/or chemicals. This includes dirty water from washing machines, dishwashers, as well as leaks from water beds, broken aquariums and urine. The water restoration technician should wear some personal protection equipment (PPE). The carpet padding is usually removed and replaced because its sponge-like structure offers the perfect environment for bacterial and mold growth. Due to rampant bacterial breeding and mold growth, Category 2 becomes a Category 3 situation if left untreated for 2 days or more.

Category 3. "Black Water" contains disease-causing organisms, toxins, and is grossly unsanitary. Typical black water conditions occur from a sewer back flow, a broken toilet bowl containing feces, and rising flood waters. (Rising flood water is considered Category three because of the possibility of chemicals and organisms found in lawn chemicals, fertilizers, animal feces, decaying ground debris, and over filled sewer and septic systems.)

Tetanus and other serious deseases are likely to be present in rising flood waters. The water restoration technician must wear personal protection equipment. Affected objects such as carpet, padding, and sheetrock must be removed. A biocide must be applied to kill micro-organisms on site.

Water Damage Restoration Classes

Water Classes are determined by how much water is present and the type of material that is absorbing the water. In simplified terms, water classes are arranged by the difficulty and time needed to dry out an area. For formal definitions, see IICRC S500 Standard and Reference Guide for Professional Water Damage Restoration.

Class 1. Limited water intrusion in a room with little sustained damage. Class 1 is applied to rooms that are only partially affected by water, or a room with little or no carpet or pad. Very little if any wicking up the wall is present.

Class 2. Water has spread throughout the room and has wicked up the walls less than 24 inches. Carpet and pad is wet in at least one whole room. Water is absorbed into construction materials such as sub-floor, framing members, etc.

Class 3. Water is invasive as walls, ceiling, structural members, floor coverings, sub-floor, etc. have incurred sustained damage and are virtually saturated with water. Often the cause of the flooding has come from overhead from damaged upstairs plumbing running inside of walls or ceiling, a damaged fire sprinkler line or evaporative cooler line. Wall wicking above 24". May require specialty equipment.

Class 4. Water is bound in the material or is inaccesible to conventional air movers. Advanced techniques and specialty equipment is required, as well as longer time periods. Examples of bound water includes water soaked hardwood floor planks, water wicked in sheerock walls covered with a vinyl wall covering, paneling, or an oil based paint. Inaccessible areas include the cavities beneath and behind cabinets, inside of walls and crawlspaces, etc.

Monitoring and Documentation

 Most insurance companies now require water damage restoration contractors to document daily moisture readings at their insureds’ homes. On the initial visit Althouse technicians extract water from floors, set up air movers (blowers) and dehumidifiers. They take digital photographs, draw flood maps, and record moisture levels. This information is then sent to the insurance claims department in a specified format (usually Xactimate software). Flood maps are marked with letters that coincide with line items on the moisture log.

On following days, technicians return to take new moisture readings and evaluate the drying process. Sometimes equipment is moved to other areas or removed; however sometimes additional equipment is added to insure proper drying. Each day new data is placed on the log sheet until the structure is completely dry. At that time equipment is removed and the client signs a certificate of satisfaction. All information is then sent through the internet to the insurance claims adjuster.

 More on equipment...     More on monitoring...     More on advanced training...