Shutting off Water during Flooding in East Topeka, KS

8/5/2024 (Permalink)

  This article gives you instructions to:

• Shut off the main valve at the water source
• Shut off water supply valves in all parts of your home
• Check your water valves and pipes for leaks

      When pipes burst, plumbing leaks, or appliances cause a flood, cut off the water at its source IMMEDIATELY. Water damage from frozen pipes, ruptured washer hoses, leaking supply lines and dripping water heaters cost billions every year. Avoid major water damage problems in your East Topeka house by knowing how to shut off your water.

      Take a moment right now to locate all of the shutoff valves in your home so you’ll be prepared for an emergency.

     How to Locate the Whole-House Water Shutoff Valve-

      The most important point to know in a flooding emergency is your East Topeka home’s main water valve to shut off water at the source.

      This valve is located around waist level or lower, on the inside basement wall, closest to your street or well, where the water comes in from outside the home.

      Many water meter setups have two valves, one on the street side of the meter and one on the house side. You’ll typically find the main shutoff in the basement near the front of the house.

       If you pipe in water from the city, the water meter is always mounted next to the main, and the valve itself will be large, metal and have a very sturdy handle. In a home with metered water, look for the shutoff on either side of the water meter. Your meter could be located in the basement, mounted on an exterior wall, or even out near the street in a concrete “meter pit” where the household feed line meets the utility main.

      For a home served by a well, the shutoff will be on the house side of the pressure tank. You should also cut power to the tank so it doesn’t detect a phantom pressure loss and burn out trying to compensate.

      It could be outside your East Topeka home attached to an exterior wall or in an underground box with a removable lid.

There are two types of main shutoff valves: the gate valve and the ball valve.

      The gate valve is common in older homes and has a round handle that must be turned a number of times to open or close the valve. Gate valves are designed to be fully open or fully closed. Water flowing through a partially open gate valve can wear away the metal and cause the valve to fail over time.

      The ball valve is more common in newer construction and has a lever handle that needs to be turned 90 degrees to turn the water on or off. You can immediately tell if it’s open or not: in the closed position, the lever is perpendicular to the pipes; in the open position it’s parallel.

      If you’ve never shut off the main water valve before, test it to make sure it turned everything off. Turn on a faucet somewhere in the house and shut off the main water valve. All water flow should stop.

      An old gate valve can break, so be gentle when you’re handling it, if the valve is stuck, leave it alone. If it leaks or doesn’t shut off all the way, replace the valve. You’ll need to call your water department (and possibly pay a small fee) to have the water to your house turned off at the curb during repairs.

      If you have a well, shut off the electrical switch for the well when you leave for an extended period so it won’t pump any water while you’re gone.

Lightening in East Topeka, KS

6/3/2024 (Permalink)

Shocking Facts about Lightning

Lightning is one of the leading causes of weather-related fatalities. Though the odds of being struck by lightning in a given year are only around 1 in 500,000, some factors can put you at greater risk for being struck. Here are a few lighting safety tips.

Be aware. Check the forecast before participating in outdoor activities in East Topeka. If it calls for thunderstorms, postpone your trip or activity, or make sure adequate shelter is available.

Go indoors. Remember the phrase, "When the thunder roars, go indoors." Find a safe, enclosed shelter when you hear thunder. Safe East Topeka shelters include homes, offices, shopping centers, and hard-top vehicles with the windows rolled up.

Avoid windows, doors, porches, and concrete. Do not live on concrete floors and avoid leaning on concrete walls. Lightning can travel through any metal wires or bars in concrete walls or flooring.

Avoid water. Do not bathe, shower, wash dishes, or have any other contact with water during a thunderstorm because lightning can travel through a building's plumbing.

We are Cleaning Experts in East Topeka, KS

3/4/2024 (Permalink)

During this unprecedented time caused by the global pandemic of coronavirus, this is a reminder to our East Topeka customers that we are specialists in cleaning services, and we adhere to the highest cleaning and sanitation standards.

Specialized Training- We are prepared to clean and disinfect your East Topeka home or business, according to protocols set forth by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. We have years of experience in dealing with biological contaminants, and we will go beyond the scope of work that regular janitorial staff perform on a daily basis.

The CDC encourages cleaning of high-touch surfaces such as counters, tabletops, doorknobs, light switches, bathroom fixtures, toilets, phones, keyboards, tablets and tables. Other spaces mentioned in the CDC’s guidance for commercial spaces include:

• Kitchen/Food Areas
• Bathrooms
• Schools/Classrooms
• Offices
• Retail Spaces
• Water Fountains
• Shelving/Racks
• Sales Counters
• Carpets and Rugs
• Stair Handrails
• Elevator Cars
• Playground Equipment
• Fitness Equipment

Specialized Products

The CDC recommends usage of a labeled hospital-grade disinfectant with claims against similar pathogens to the coronavirus. Multiple products in the SERVPRO product line carry the EPA-approved emerging pathogens claims. While there is currently no product tested against this particular strain of the coronavirus, we are following all guidelines as provided by the CDC and local authorities.

Call Today for a Proactive Cleaning

If your home or business needs deep cleaning services, call the experts today – SERVPRO of East Topeka, 785-220-7147

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/guidance-prevent-spread.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fcoronavirus%2F2019-ncov%2Fguidance-prevent-spread.html

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/specific-groups/guidance-business-response.html

Kitchen Cautions

12/20/2023 (Permalink)

Each year, around the holidays, families gather together to celebrate by preparing a delicious feast. However, not everyone practices safe cooking habits.

According to the National Fire Protection Agency, cooking fires are the number one cause of home fires and injuries. The leading cause of fires in the kitchen is unattended cooking. It’s important to be alert to prevent holiday cooking fires.

• Be on alert! If you are sleepy or have consumed alcohol, do not use the stovetop or oven.
• Stay in the kitchen while you are frying, grilling, boiling, or broiling food.
• If you are simmering, baking, or roasting food, check it regularly, remain in the kitchen while the food is cooking, and use a timer to remind you that you are cooking.
• Keep anything that can catch fire, like oven mitts, wooden utensils, food packaging, or hand towels, away from the stovetop.

If you have a cooking fire, consider the following safety protocols to help keep you and your family safe.

• Just get out! When you leave, close the door behind you to help contain the flames.
• Call 9-1-1 or the local emergency number after you get out safely.
• For an oven fire, turn off the heat and keep the oven door closed.
• If you try to fight the fire, be sure others are getting out and you have a clear path out.
• Keep a lid nearby when you’re cooking to smother small grease fires. Smother the fire by sliding the lid over the pan and turn off the stovetop. Leave the pan covered until it is completely cool.

SERVPRO of East Topeka wishes you a safe and happy fall season!

Winter Weather Worries in East Topeka, KS

12/4/2023 (Permalink)

If you live where temperatures sink below freezing level, you are at risk for frozen pipes and ice dams, which can create major disasters at your home or property. Frozen pipes often occur when they are exposed to the cold weather, such as those outside your East Topeka house, or in cold areas such as basements, attics, garages, or kitchen cabinets. A frozen pipe can burst at the point where the ice blockage inside the pipe is located, but typically the rupture is caused by the backflow pressure between the water source and the blockage. Here are a few steps that you can take to prevent your pipes from freezing:

• Be sure to completely drain water from swimming pools and sprinkler lines, as well as outside hoses.
• Open kitchen cabinets to let warm air near the plumbing.
• When the weather is extremely cold, let water drip from faucets that may come from exposed pipes.
• Keep your heat set to the same temperature both day and night.

Ice dams can become a major problem during the snowy season. They form when heated air melts roof snow downward into water dammed behind still frozen ice. When the trapped water cannot safely flow or run into the gutter system, it can backflow under the roof’s shingles and into the structure’s interior areas, as well as causing gutters and shingles to move or fall. Icicles can be an indicator of an ice dam according to Travelers.com. To spot ice dams inside, “check for water stains or moisture in your attic or along the ceiling of exterior walls of your East Topeka house. Water stains or moisture may be an indication that an ice dam has formed and water has penetrated the roof membrane.” Removing the ice dam as soon as possible is vital to helping prevent damage to your property and can be done using heated cables, a roof shovel, or calcium chloride ice melter.

If winter weather causes water damage to you and your insured’s property, SERVPRO of East Topeka professionals are only a call away 24/7, ready to restore to pre loss condition.

SERVPRO Emergency Ready Profile in East Topeka, KS

11/6/2023 (Permalink)

The SERVPRO Emergency READY Profile (ERP) will help ensure you and your East Topeka business are “Ready for whatever happens”.

In the event of an emergency, the SERVPRO ERP, can help minimize business interruption by having an immediate plan of action in place for your East Topeka facility. The Emergency Ready Profile is a comprehensive document containing critical information about your East Topeka business, including: Emergency Contact Information, Shut-off Valve Locations, and Priority Areas. The ERP is also accessible online using your computer or tablet; download SERVPRO’s free Ready Plan app to access this information anytime using your smartphone or tablet.

The ERP establishes your local SERVPRO Franchise Professional as your disaster mitigation and restoration provider, giving you access to over 40 years’ experience and a System nearly 1,700 Franchises strong. Knowing what to do and who to call in advance is key to quick response and timely mitigation. Having a plan in place may help minimize the amount of time your East Topeka business is inactive and get you back in the building following a disaster.

50%: The percent of businesses that may never reopen after suffering a disaster.

Preparation is key to making it through any size disaster, whether it is a small water leak, a large fire or an area flood. The best time to plan for such events is not when the event happens, but well before it happens. No one ever plans on a disaster, but now, you can plan for it.

The ERP is a no cost assessment, all it requires is a little time, making a great value that could save a lot of time in the future. Call SERVPRO of East Topeka to establish your Emergency READY Profile.

The Science of Drying in Richland, KS

10/18/2023 (Permalink)

Did you know there is actually a science behind the process of drying? Having the knowledge of psychometrics is essential to restoring a water damaged structure to its pre loss condition. If your East Topeka business or home suffers a water damage, the team here at SERVPRO of East Topeka will:

• Inspect the building to detect every component that is wet to help prevent secondary damage from happening.

• Measure how much moisture is in wet materials and monitor whether the materials are drying properly.

• Speed up Mother Nature by using professional drying equipment.

What exactly does it mean to help “speed up Mother Nature”? A wet building can often dry naturally because the environment always seeks equilibrium. When materials are wet, moisture will naturally move to drier air at the surface of the material-but only if the air is drier. The only problem with nature is, nature often takes too long and secondary damages may occur while the building is drying out. SERVPRO of East Topeka has the professional training and equipment to help make water damage “Like it never even happened.”