5 Preventive Tips for Eliminating Water Supply Line Damage

Many people in the Triangle have been busy over the past summer with graduations, vacations, road trips, outings to the North Carolina beaches and mountains, and enjoying the hot weather. This can mean time away from the home or business; and water-related mishaps can occur in absence. One of the leading causes of water mishaps is the water supply lines that connect various appliances to the main lines in the building. Washing machines, dishwashers, and refrigerator ice makers all use flexible plastic or rubber hoses and those hoses are constantly under water pressure. Problems can result because materials and connectors that wear out or fail. If left undetected, water can leak out for days or even longer, flooding the immediate area and beyond.

AdvantaClean of Cary/Apex offers these five tips for preventing appliance related water damage:

• Take a look at the hoses behind washers, dishwashers, and refrigerators: Don’t just look at them for leaks or cracking, but make sure the connections are tight too. Look nearby for signs of water or mold, as mold may be a sign of a slow leak. Replace the hose if it looks worn or leaky.

• Replace the supply hoses and lines to appliances based on age: Try to determine the age of various supply hoses and periodically replace them. If the age is unknown, consider replacing them. If the age is known, the general rule of thumb is to replace every five years. If the supply line is replaced, record the date on a piece of masking tape and stick it on the piping.

• Check the water shutoff valves: The shutoff valves are usually located where the flexible hose connects to the main plumbing, often behind the appliance. The dishwasher shutoff is usually under the kitchen sink. These valves don’t last forever, and are prone to problems, especially where hard water is commonplace. A plumber can easily replace these, perhaps even as a preventive measure. It is much less expensive than water damage.

• Ensure hoses and supply lines are not bent or kinked: Improper installation is a big issue. Moving the refrigerator or washer against the wall can cause supply hoses to become twisted, wedged into small spaces, or kinked at sharp angles. That can cause water supply hoses to fail before they are old enough to warrant replacement.

• Appliances can leak from the inside: Any appliance that uses water has internal valves and mechanisms that turn the water on and off and some also have internal rubber and plastic hoses with water under pressure. Ultimately, the best prevention for water-related mishaps during an absence from home or business is to turn off the main water supply.

 

 

AdvantaClean of Cary/Apex offers a number or services to help clean up from water damage and the mold that often follows it. We are certified by the IICRC to restore water damage, and are available anytime, any day to respond. AdvantaClean would prefer that water damage be prevented, but if it happens, we know how to take care of the problem correctly and quickly with the right people, equipment, and expertise.

AdvantaClean of Cary/Apex is the number one team of professionals in the Triangle to perform IICRC certified flood damage restoration.  Contact us today in the unfortunate event you experience flood or water damage.

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AdvantaClean of Cary and Apex is your environmental specialist in Wake and Johnston Counties. Our team of certified professionals is ready to address all your service needs. 

Your air quality and restoration specialists 

Call 919 434 7249 

AdvantaClean

Photo: music4life, pixabay.com

5 Advantages for Professional Dryer Vent Cleaning in the Triangle

Summer vacations, weddings, graduations, kids in school, and road trips to see friends and family have kept Triangle residents in a busy pattern over the past few months. Chances are the rest of 2016 won’t get any less busy. One important maintenance issue is one of the most forgotten. Dryer vent cleaning is something we might think about now and then; yet we soon push it down our priority list. Most North Carolina home and business owners would consider fire prevention and prolonging the life of expensive appliances to be top priorities, and getting the dryer vent cleaned is a big step in the right direction. However, dryer vent cleaning isn’t as simple as it sounds, so understanding the issues involved and getting expert help makes for both common sense and safety.

AdvantaClean of Cary/Apex offers five important advantages for professional dryer vent cleaning:

• The do-it-yourself approach isn’t usually a good idea: Dryer vents and various components have sharp edges like sheet metal and screws, can get very long, and could have twists and bends. Getting the venting cleaned properly without risk of injury involves using special equipment and training.  Put the urge to DIY away for just a day, and call AdvantaClean to professionally clean both residential and commercial dryer vents.
• Improper installation during new construction can cause long-term problems: Too often, dryer vents are quickly or improperly installed by subcontractors who do 100 or so a week, every week.  It can create sharp angles, bends, lengthy pipe, the wrong material, a bad connection; this will create any number of problems as months go by. The experts at AdvantaClean know how to identify critical design or construction issues and recommend the appropriate fix.
• Dryer lint and airflow detection devices indicate cleaning: If the dryer vent or the dryer appliance lint detection or airflow alarm/indicator sounds or lights up, don’t ignore it. This means immediate action that could cause a fire or appliance failure if not remedied.
• What cannot be seen could be a serious: Lint and microscopic debris can get past the dryer lint screen and into the vent, and accumulates significantly over a period of time to become a fire hazard. If the dryer vent is improperly or quickly designed and constructed, and many are; a problem area could become much larger. This is one more reason to have the dryer vent cleaned by AdvantaClean of Cary/ Apex.
• Put it on the calendar: Other important meetings, events, and maintenance items make it onto the calendar so they will be remembered. Extending the life of an expensive appliance and keeping a building free of fire hazards is just as critical as birthday parties and evening meetings.

AdvantaClean of Cary/Apex offers dryer vent cleaning as one of our specialty services. We know where to look for problems and remedy them, and always have the right equipment on hand to clean dryer vents completely. We are experts at both residential and commercial dryer vents. Contact us today to keep your home or business safe and clean.

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AdvantaClean of Cary and Apex is your environmental specialist in Wake and Johnston Counties. Our team of certified professionals is ready to address all your service needs.

Your air quality and restoration specialists

Call 919 434 7249

AdvantaClean

Photo: photostock, freedigitalphotos.net

 

Five Ways to Identify and Eliminate Home and Business Odors

It’s the annual summer vacation season in North Carolina, and it has featured a very warm, humid, tropical, and rainy weather pattern across the Triangle in 2016. Some Triangle residents who headed out of town for a week or two came back to unpleasant issues when they returned from a great vacation. Walking in the door and noticing a musty or stinky smell. With all the moisture present in the air and falling from the sky in the form of heavy rains, unfortunate situations can arise for mold, sewage, and other moisture-enabled problems. When emergencies happen, something must be done quickly to find the source of the problem and eliminate it. Moisture is usually the main factor in the Triangle summer.

AdvantaClean of Cary/Apex offers five very important ways to effectively identify and eliminate indoor odors:

• The first step to eliminating odors is to find the source: The key factor isn’t just finding where the odor source is located, but what is enabling it to flourish and grow.  Sewage odors can enter a building when plumbing traps, or the deep bends underneath sink drains, become empty with lack of normal use. Most other odors are activated by moisture from a variety of causes.
• Mold is a common source or odors in North Carolina buildings: The essential ingredients for mold growth are present in nearly all buildings, in the building materials and furnishings. The missing ingredient is almost always moisture. Add enough moisture from the air, roof leaks, and plumbing leaks; and mold can multiply and spread, bringing a musty smell that lingers.
• Check the HVAC system for unusual smells or moisture intrusion: The HVAC system itself may be the source of odors due to moisture intrusion, malfunction of the drainage system for air conditioning, or just lack of cleaning and maintenance. Also, the air ducts may have accumulated mold, dust, chemical residues, or other matter over a period of time and could be spreading an odor.
• Don’t put off taking care of the problem: Mold growth and odors tend to get worse with time if not effectively eliminated, and tend to spread to other parts of a structure. Some common causes are humidity, plumbing leaks, roofing, siding, window leaks, and lack of ventilation with fresh air from outdoors. Fix these issues without delay or the problem will get worse.
• Seek the services of AdvantaClean of Cary/ Apex if the odor and moisture are not dissipating: We are always available to help home and business owners with odor and mold remediation. AdvantaClean is qualified to do the job.

AdvantaClean of Cary/Apex is the best qualified professionals when it comes to helping home and business owners with odors and anything involving mold. Our certified mold specialists utilize laboratories to properly identify mold problems and recommend the right remediation plan. AdvantaClean of Cary/ Apex is IICRC certified for mold remediation and we use HEPA vacuums to prevent mold spores from spreading. We are also certified by the National Air Duct Cleaners Association (NADCA) to perform qualified, expert inspection and cleaning of air ducts should the HVAC system be a source of water and odors.

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AdvantaClean of Cary and Apex is your environmental specialist in Wake and Johnston Counties. Our team of certified professionals is ready to address all your service needs. 

Your air quality and restoration specialists 

Call 919 434 7249 

AdvantaClean

Photo: patpitchaya, freedigitalphotos.net

 

5 Ways to Minimize Smoke and Ash from a Fire

Fires happen.  Sometimes a Triangle home or business will experience a quickly contained fire that affects a small portion of the building. However, what remains after a fire can be much worse than the actual fire event, depending upon how much smoke and ash was generated. Smoke can easily travel into every nook and cranny of a structure, including inside walls, furniture, and storage areas. If the residue, which includes ash, is allowed to settle and linger, it causes permanent damage to everything it comes into contact with over a period of time. Getting smoke and ash cleaned up quickly will make a difference in terms of minimizing the damage.  Professional help will be necessary to make this happen.

AdvantaClean of Cay/ Apex offers five important ways to minimize the damage from smoke and ash after a fire:

• Time multiplies the destructive potential of smoke and ash: Acidic areas that contain strong odors can also lead to corrosion, etching, and discoloration of most materials, especially metals and plastics. The damage begins to multiply within hours. Permanent damage is common within a day or two, so cleanup time is critical.
• Smoke and ash must be properly cleaned up: Smoke and ash contain toxic and hazardous materials, including formaldehyde, benzene, acetic acid, formic acid, toluene, oxides of nitrogen, sulfur dioxide, and heavy metals. Many of these substances become highly reactive in the presence of water and common cleaning agents. AdvantaClean can help.
• Electrical wiring may become a dangerous hazard: The insulation on wires can easily burn off in the area affected by the fire, and could place areas at risk. The entire electrical system should be checked out before power is restored. Creating another fire mishap by taking shortcuts could create additional problems.
• Get the HVAC system checked out: Smoke, soot, and ash most likely are in the air ducts, and from there can get into the whole system. It then can get circulate everywhere.  Avoid operating the HVAC system until it’s verified as safe.
• Ventilate the building and dry wet items as soon as possible: Ventilate by opening windows and running fans will be an effective start to the odor elimination process. Keeping moisture to a minimum will also slow down the chemical activity of smoke and ash residue, and will reduce the possibility of mold problems. These are steps going in the right direction before AdvantaClean arrives.

AdvantaClean of Cary/Apex is the principal North Carolina contractor to choose for cleaning up fire and smoke damage. We are also certified and qualified to clean HVAC air ducts. The after effects of a fire must be cleaned up properly and quickly to minimize damage; and we’re available at all times, any day. AdvantaClean Environmental of Cary/Apex is IICRC Certified and provides the right professionals, equipment, expertise, and customer service to get the job done right. Call us right away for fire and smoke damage cleanup.

AdvantaClean of Cary/Apex is the number one team of professionals in the Triangle to perform IICRC certified fire and smoke damage restoration.  Contact us today in the unfortunate event a fire affects a home or business.

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AdvantaClean of Cary and Apex is your environmental specialist in Wake and Johnston Counties. Our team of certified professionals is ready to address all your service needs.

Your air quality and restoration specialists

Call 919 434 7249

AdvantaClean

Photo: digidreamgrafix, freedigitalphotos.net