How Can I Tell if I Have a Mold Infestation? | SERVPRO of Blount County

Name: SERVPRO of Blount County
Address: 3525 Castle Lane, Suite 1, Alcoa, TN, 37701
Telephone: (865) 982-2332

10/2/2023 (Permalink)

dark colored mold infestation on a white wall

Is there mold in your space? Call SERVPRO of Blount County to remedy that problem fast!

No one wants to think about the possibility of discovering a mold infestation at their home or business. Besides the fact that it is just downright unpleasant, it can actually be a health hazard to your family and a danger to your home’s structural integrity.

Mold can be tricky to track down at times because it usually doesn’t grow in high-traffic areas. If it starts to grow behind your walls or floods, it can silently spread to an entire room without much forewarning. By knowing more about what mold looks like and smells like, you can follow your senses to track down the problem before it gets worse.

Mold Characteristics

Mold spores are virtually everywhere, but it doesn’t just grow everywhere. The conditions have to be right for an infestation to take place. These infestations usually occur in damp, dark areas like basements, attics or behind walls. If it is not caught in time, it can spread rapidly in as little as 48 hours.

Mold can also be any color of the rainbow! Common colors for mold are black, brown, red and even blue. Mold also smells musty or earthly. If you catch a whiff of something similar to damp dirt, it’s time to do some investigating.

Preventing a Mold Infestation

The key to controlling mold in your home is to keep it as dry as possible. All homes need to maintain a certain level of humidity, but anything over 50% humidity in your home can cause lingering moisture, which could encourage mold growth. You should also keep a fan going or open a window in high-humidity spaces like bathrooms, kitchens and laundry rooms. Circulating air helps prevent moisture from building up over time.

It is also imperative that you tackle any sort of water damage in your home quickly. A single water leak from a broken pipe or roof damage can easily invite water to leak and seep throughout your home. Once it has spread under your floors and behind your walls, it is really hard to dry out and mold can start to grow at any point.

How We Can Help

If you come upon a mold problem in your home, the best thing to do is to leave it and call us right away. We can come out to your house to assess the mold, determine what type it is, and then formulate our restoration plan that will keep everyone safe while we work.

We will also help fix whatever leaked in order to prevent this from happening again! Once the leak has been controlled, we will clean and sanitize the entire area and employ our deodorizers to make sure that musty smell has been eliminated.

If the mold has been growing for a while, structural damages might need to be addressed as well. We can handle floor replacements, new walls or full reconstructions of parts of your home. When it comes to mold restoration, SERVPRO of Blount County is the team for you!

Are you dealing with a stubborn mold problem? Call SERVPRO of Blount County for assistance.

Steps to Take During a Flood | SERVPRO® of Blount County

5/19/2023 (Permalink)

img src =”water” alt = " a large puddle of water in the midde of a lobby reflecting the ceiling” >

Has water damage taken over in your home or business? Call SERVPRO of Blount County to get cleaned up and back to normal.

It’s no secret that it rains a lot here in eastern Tennessee. With all of the rain and the Little Tennessee River wrapping around our county, we are at a higher risk of experiencing flooding situations than other parts of the state.

If your home is affected by a flood, it is important to know what to do first to keep your family safe and minimize damages.

What to Do During a Flood

As soon as the flood warnings are issued for our area, make sure to locate your emergency kit and head to a safe location in your home. Flash flooding situations can appear without much warning so try to get to higher ground when possible.

If you have time, secure your home by moving essential items and fragile possessions to an upper floor and turn off your utilities if you are able to do so. Unplug electrical appliances, and tie down outside furniture.

What to Do After the Flood

Once the rain subsides or the floodwaters stop rushing in, initial shock can quickly turn into intense feelings of overwhelm. Remember that even if water isn’t actively coming into your home any more, it is still dangerous to walk through any type of floodwater. Stay on firm ground and turn off the electricity in your home if you are able, and then start taking pictures.

Photographing your situation will help make the claims process easier with your insurance company and will document the damage in its initial stages. Once that is done, call us at SERVPRO of Blount County!

How SERVPRO Can Help

We are very familiar with water damage situations, including flood damage. We will be there for you from that very first phone call. We will ask a lot of questions to help us create the most comprehensive project plan that we can. Once we arrive at your home, we do a few things simultaneously.

First, we remove your fragile possessions to prevent further damage and we start drying out things like your furniture and other removable items. Once our work space is clear, we can pump out the water and dry out your entire space.

From there, we turn our attention to any repairs that are needed. Our SERVPRO team will ensure your home is returned to its preloss state quickly and efficiently.

Don’t let water damage linger in your home. Contact us at SERVPRO of Blount County right away.

Spring Storms Can Bring Flooding

3/1/2023 (Permalink)

Unfortunately, we have seen our fair share of flooding in recent years here in Blount County. According to the National Weather Service Approximately, five percent of all Presidential disaster declarations are associated with flooding. Just because you haven’t experienced a flood doesn’t mean you won’t sometime in the future. About 20% of all claims paid by the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) were for policies in low-risk communities. On average, floods cost $3.5 billion in annual losses in the United States.

The National Weather Service lists the following most common flood hazards:

Flash Flooding
River Flooding
Dam Breaks/Levee Failure
Dry Wash (Heavy Rainfalls in Dry Areas)
Snowmelt
Ice Damming
Burn Scars/Debris Flows
Storm Surge and Coastal Flooding from Tropical Storms

When catastrophic water damage happens to you, SERVPRO® of Blount County professionals can help at 865-982-2332.

We can respond to any size disaster to begin cleanup and restoration to get you back in your home or business as soon as possible.

Portable Heater and Fireplace Safety Tips

3/1/2023 (Permalink)

Keep anything flammable at least three feet away from heating equipment, like the furnace, fireplace, wood stove or a portable space heater. Have a three foot “kid-free zone” around open fires and space heaters.

Make sure the fireplace has a sturdy screen to stop sparks from flying into the room. Ashes should be cold before putting them in a metal container. Keep the container a safe distance away from your home.

Remember to turn portable heaters off when leaving the room or going to bed.

It is recommended by the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) that you test both residential and commercial smoke alarms monthly.

Always use the right kind of fuel, specified by the manufacturer, for fuel burning space heaters.

Have heating equipment and chimneys cleaned and inspected every year by a qualified professional. This can mitigate any potential risk of damages due to heating of your home.

Most importantly remember that SERVPRO of Blount County, is your go-to fire restoration professional in the Maryville and Alcoa area! Give us a call today (865)982-2332

Winter Weather Hazards

9/27/2022 (Permalink)

Winter Storm Damage

Winter weather can bring about more issues than just slippery roads and a sidewalk to shovel. If you live where temperatures sink below freezing level, you are at risk for frozen pipes and ice dams, which can create a major disaster at your home or property.

FROZEN PIPES

Frozen pipes are often those pipes exposed to the cold weather, such as those on outer walls or outside your house, or in cold areas such as basements, attics, garages or even 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 obstruction. A burst pipe can cause considerable damage to your property if not addressed quickly.

To prevent pipes from freezing, here are a few steps you can take, according to The American Red Cross.

-Be sure to thoroughly drain water from swimming pool and sprinkler lines, as well as outside hoses.

-Open kitchen cabinets to let warm air circulate near the plumbing when temperatures are below freezing for an extended time.

-When the weather is frigid, 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

Ice dams can be a little-known, but significant problem during the snowy season. They form when heated air melts roof snow downward into water dammed behind still-frozen ice. When water cannot safely flow or run into the gutter system, it will cause backflow under the roof ’s shingles and into the structure’s interior areas.

Icicles can be an initial sign of an ice dam, according to Travelers.com. To spot ice dams inside; check for water stains or moisture in your attic or along with the ceiling of the exterior walls of your house. Water stains or moisture may be an indication that an ice dam has formed and water has penetrated the roof membrane.”

Removing an ice dam as soon as it is found is vital to help 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 your property, SERVPRO® of Blount County is only a call away, 24/7, ready to restore to preloss condition. (865) 982-2332

October Is Fire Prevention Month

9/27/2022 (Permalink)

October is Fire Prevention Month a perfect time to examine emergency preparedness plans for your home and business, including your fire escape plan. Do you have a fire escape plan? Have you changed your smoke alarm batteries within the last year?

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) designates a week each October to focus on fire prevention awareness. Plan and practice your escape which works to educate everyone about the small but important actions they can take to keep themselves and those around them safe with the planning and practicing of a fire escape plan. In a typical home fire, you may have as little as one to two minutes to escape safely from the time the smoke alarm sounds. Escape planning and practice can help you make the most of the time you have, giving everyone enough time to get out.

Severe Weather Safety In Blount County TN

4/7/2022 (Permalink)

Lightning strikes as a severe storm hits downtown area

Lighting strikes as a severe storm moves closer to downtown Maryville

Severe weather can happen any time, anywhere. Each year, Americans cope with an average of the following intense storms.

According to the National Storm Prediction Center NOAA SPC watch year their are.

-10,000 severe thunderstorms
-5,000 floods or flash floods
-1,300 tornadoes
-2 landfalling deadly hurricanes

Approximately 98 percent of all presidentially declared disasters are weather-related, leading to around 650 deaths per year and nearly $15 billion in damage. Knowing your risk severe weather, taking action, and being an example are just a few steps you can take to be better prepared to save your life and assist in saving the lives of others.

Know Your Risk. The first step to becoming weather-ready is to understand the type of hazardous weather that can affect where you live and work, and how the weather could impact you, your business, and your family. Check the weather forecast regularly, obtain an NOAA Weather Radio, and learn about Wireless Emergency Alerts. Severe weather comes in many forms and your shelter plan should include all types of local hazards.

Be an Example. Once you have taken action to prepare for severe weather, share your story with co-workers and family and friends on Facebook and Twitter. Your preparedness story will inspire others to do the same.

Water Drying Equipment For Walland TN

3/30/2022 (Permalink)

Did you know SERPVRO of Blount County has specialty equipment for water damages? Our technicians area also trained to use them to get your home or business dried as quickly and as thoroughly as possible.

Some of the specialized equipment we utilize:

Moisture Sensors and Probes which are used to detect moisture in carpets, baseboards, walls and other building materials.

Moisture Meters are used to determine the actual moisture content of building materials. The moisture meter provides accurate readings, allowing SERVPRO of Blount County to monitor the drying process accurately.

Thermohygrometers measure temperature and relative humidity. With this important information SERVPRO of Blount County water damage professionals can calculate and create an environment most conducive to drying.

Air Movers push air over the surface of the damp materials helping with evaporation.

Dehumidifiers actually turn the water from vapor to liquid, drawing it out of the air and the wet materials.

It’s not guess work to drying structures, it is actually science! Call SERPVRO of Blount County at 865-982-2332 for trained professionals with the proper equipment to get you dried out quickly!

The Importance of Cleaning Your Dryer Vents

3/30/2022 (Permalink)

It is important to clean and wipe off your dryer vents to mitigate the risk for any dryer related fires.

According to FEMA, failure to clean home dryers causes 34% of home dryer fires. Home dryer fires cause $35 million in property loss and can even cause injury or death. To reduce the risk of these fires happening in your home, SERVPRO® of Blount County can help clean dryer vents and ducts that may have lint buildup. Other tips for keeping your dryer vents clean from the National Fire Protection Agency NFPA include cleaning the lint filter before and after each load and making sure the outdoor vent flap will open and is not restricted by snow, a bird’s nest, or other potential obstacles.
Our certified professionals can give a free estimate. For more information on cleaning dryer vents, contact SERVPRO® of Blount County at 865-982-2332

Call SERVPRO of Blount County: We Are Faster To Any Size Disaster

3/7/2022 (Permalink)

Storms Bring Flooding Problems

Unfortunately, we have seen our fair share of flooding in recent years here in Blount County. According to the National Weather Service Approximately, five percent of all Presidential disaster declarations are associated with flooding. Just because you haven’t experienced a flood doesn’t mean you won’t sometime in the future. About 20% of all claims paid by the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) were for policies in low-risk communities. On average, floods cost $3.5 billion in annual losses in the United States.