New Life Restorations Blog

Water Damage Structural Drying in Lismore NSW

noreply@blogger.com (Lex Moir) — Tue, 08 May 2012 06:16:00 +0000

Use of Workplace Health and Safety Equipment

Type Of Service: Water Damage Carpet drying and Structural Drying
Date of Loss: 04/05/2012
Location: Lismore, NSW

Details of Damage

Damage Caused by high pressure fire hydrant burst
1000m2 of carpet in offices affected

Structural Drying Equipment Used

Extracting Large Quantities of Water

Affected Items

Wall bases
Carpet
Underlay
Concrete slab
Contents

How we fixed it

Movement of Furniture to Unaffected areas
Extraction of Water with 2 Prochem Legend Truckmount Machines

Removal of Skirting Boards

Drilling of Holes to ventilate wall bases

RCD (Residual Current Device) Boxes

Installation of over 70 air movers and 12 dehumidifiers to reduce humidity in drying environment
Removal of skirting boards & Drilling of holes behind skirting board to ventilate wall bases. This will help ensure there is no mould problem in future.
Installation of Residual Current Devices (RCD). Our drying equipment will plug into these boxes to provide a high level of protection against electrical shock

Lifting of Carpet and drying underneath

Some carpet was lifted to provide ventilation between carpet and underlay. This was necessary in some rooms to ensure property was dried down within 3 day limit.

We removed cabinets from the walls and provided ventilation behind them to prevent mould growth

Some rooms were top down dried. Meaning we did not have to lift the carpet to dry the underlay and concrete

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Moisture levels were monitored throughout the 3 day drying period
Carpet were Removed in some units to increase dry down time
Carpets were relayed by New Life technicians at completion of dry down
Moisture tests completed to ensure the building has been dried down


Moisture Monitoring Equipment used by us

Commercial Business Interruption

Business interruption was kept to a minimum as dry down was completed over the weekend
We were able to dry down the carpet, concrete and walls within the 3 day limit. We were able to achieve this through our use of restorative drying techniques and understanding of psychrometry and how it affects the drying process

Why use New Life for Structural Drying

Large stock of commercial drying equipment available including 150 air movers, 25 LGR dehumidifiers, injectidry system etc.
Established business of more than 10 years
Training in restorative structural drying
One hour response time on average.
Family owned and operated

Our Equipment and teams can be transported anywhere in QLD, NSW and VIC.

Service Area for Structural and Carpet Drying

Brisbane, Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast,
Structural Drying Mobile service available for NSW, QLD & VIC.
2 Large response vehicles

Marble & Granite Cleaning Sealing & Polishing Brisbane

noreply@blogger.com (Lex Moir) — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 01:53:00 +0000

How we clean marble tiles

Date of Job: 14/04/2012
Location: Brisbane CBD

Before Cleaning

After Cleaning

Low Speed Rotary Scrubber

In this job we cleaned marble and granite tiles. The client was concerned the appearance of the dirty tiles were giving a unprofessional look to the business. The grey tiles are granite and the cream tiles are marble.

Cleaning

Scrub with rotary scrubber
Hot Water Pressure Cleaning & Extraction
Polishing (with Slow speed scrubbing machine)
Slurry produced in the polishing process is extracted with a truck mount extraction machine

Prochem Legend Truck Mount Tile Cleaning

Sealing

Brand of sealer used Aqua-Seal Gold+™
Application of 2 coats to give professional finish
2 hours after final coat we conduct a test

End Result

Client was extremely happy with an office that look like a million bucks.

New Life Restorations do regular quotes for granite and marble cleaning, polishing and sealing all over Brisbane an north Gold Coast. Please call us if you would like a quote.

Ph. 1300 356 633
enquiries@newlife.net.au

Commercial Water Damage Restoration Case Study

noreply@blogger.com (Lex Moir) — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 07:08:00 +0000

Commercial Water Damage Restoration Case Study

Date of Loss: 12/02/2012
Location: Sunshine Coast Australia

Details of Damage

700m2 of wet carpet caused by burst pipe
Affected items include, carpet, wall bases, concrete subfloor, electrical items etc.

How we fixed it

Movement of furniture
Extraction of water with a petrol powered truck mount.
Installation of 38 Air Movers (dryers) to dry carpet and 6 dehumidifiers
We removed skirting panels and drilled holes to wall bases and placed air movers to dry trapped moisture in wall cavities.
Moisture level monitored with a moisture meter for 5 days with a moisture metre to ensure dry down is on track.

Business Interruption

It took about 5 days to completely dry down all wall bases, electrical items and furniture. However, our client was still able to operate their business while the dry down was taking place.

Result

Happy client as they were able to operate business during the recovery and the carpet was like new when we finished.

R200 Phoenix Dehumidifier

Ace Fans

Drying under stage. We had to remove side wall panels.

How To Clean Severe Fire & Smoke Damage

noreply@blogger.com (Lex Moir) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 04:11:00 +0000

Do you have a fire damaged house and have no idea how and where to start cleaning?

We will show you how we do it, but first you must understand....

It is important to call a professional restorer to do the job otherwise you may be wasting your time and causing more damage to your property. Also It may be unsafe for you to do it yourself, especially if it is severe fire damage like the property below. Visit the clean trust website to find your local professional restorer.

Ok thats out of the way, this is how we do it:

Let me use an example. We completed this job this week, and the owner was extemely happy with the job.

These are before and after pictures of a fire damage property we cleaned out.

The first step was to remove all the damaged contents and clean the walls as well as remove the non-recoverable plasterboard (dry wall) on the ceiling.

Here is the cleaning of the ceiling in progress. We generally use a dry chem sponge (pictured right) to clean the soot from the ceilings. Ceilings are more porous than walls, so it can stain if cleaned with water. We purchase our chem sponges from Prochem Australia.

Walls (see picture below) are generally cleaned with a high alkaline cleaner such as Prochem Renovate also purchased from Prochem Australia. Recoverable plaster walls will be bleed sealed and repainted after they have been cleaned.

Here is the cleaning of the bathroom in progess:

Cleaning of the soot from the tiles is usually completed using a high pressure hot water extraction machine. These days, more restoration companies use a process called dry ice blasting to clean bathrooms. In this case we applied the chemical, scrubbed the tiles and used a a Prochem Legend machine high pressure water and extraction to finish the cleaning.

It some cases it can be impossible to remove the smoke odour from ceiling insulation. So we removed all insulation from the property.

This is a before and after picture of a garage which was the source of the fire. Notice how we have completely stripped out non-recoverable building components.

The work remaining involves work carried out by trades including builders, plasterers, and painters. Which is work best left to the professionals.

In future we will explore the different technologies used in removing odour from properties as well as how to packout and clean the affected contents from the property.

Further Reading:
Removing Odour from Clothing - http://extension.missouri.edu/p/GH145
Handling Smoke Damage after a Fire - http://disaster.ifas.ufl.edu/PDFS/CHAP13/D13-17.PDF

More Before and After Pictures

How to Dry Wet Carpet (Water Damage Brisbane)

noreply@blogger.com (Lex Moir) — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 22:34:00 +0000

You may have had traumatic experience with water, flood or sewage damage entering your home of business. Here is a video showing exactly how we dry water damage from carpets and walls. The steps of drying wet carpet are listed below the video.

Extraction of water with a commercial extractor. This will take around 85% of the water out
Use of water claw to help remove extract more water
Movement of furniture
Careful placement of air movers, dehumidifiers and hepa filters to dry down final 15%.
Plug all electrical equipment into an RCD (pictured right) so it is electrically safe
Dry down takes about 48 hours on average but varies from job to job
Moisture tests such as dew point, humidity and WME should be taken to see if carpet, subfloor and walls are dry
If there is an odour in the environment (e.g. sewage spill). We run a Odorox Hydroxyl machine to deodorise and purify the air.

The most important step to call a water damage clean trust certified professional such as New Life Restorations to dry down your property. If the dry down is managed incorrectly, you may risk having mould growth to your property.

Book Smoke Damage Removal

noreply@blogger.com (Lex Moir) — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 07:19:00 +0000

This video shows our contents division team cleaning soot damaged books onsite. There was a mild soot coverage over everything.

Equipment Used in this Video

Soot Hepa Vacuum Bench
Hepa Rated Vacuum Cleaner
Hepa Air scrubber with carbon filter
Chem sponge
Vacuum with horses hair head

Steps to Soot Removal

Hold Book closed
Hepa Vaccum the books with horses hair head on top of the hepa vacuum bench
After book have been hepa vacuumed the books can be wiped with a dry chem sponge.
Run an air scrubber in the background with a carbon filter. This will help capture the the smoke smell by filtering the air through carbon granules.
Remember not to wet the books when cleaning

Removing Smoke Odour from Books

We also us an Odorox XL3 machine which uses hydroxyl to remove the smoke odour out of the books. This can run in the background while we are working unlike the alternative technology called ozone which is poisonous if inhaled. Another reason we don’t use ozone is that it can in some cases damage the integrity of the media.

We have a fire damage contents restoration and cleaning facility for cleaning soot damaged books and other smoke damaged contents. Please give us a call if you require a quote to clean your soot damaged books or other treasured belongings after a fire.

Make sure you check out our fire smoke damage restoration brisbane service for cleaning of structures, walls, ceilings etc after fires.

Library Mold Removal: How to Remove Mould from Library Books

noreply@blogger.com (Lex Moir) — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 10:28:00 +0000

This video shows how to prevent a mould outbreak in a library as well as how we remove mould from library books:

Visit our Library Mould Removal page for more info.

Prevention tips include:

Keep humidity under 50%
Check books when they are returned for mould. Hepa Vacuum books before they go into storage.
Have a maintenance program including monthly inspections with air conditioner inspections
Always look out for water leaks
Have a disaster recovery plan for water damage or mould outbreak

PPE Gear Used

Level 1 - P2 mask
Level 3 and 4 -Must have Proper gloves and Full face mask. Full suit up and taped at the joins

The description of the levels can be found in the Australian Mould Guidelines

Removing Mould from books

We use a HEPA vacuum work bench. When we vacuum and clean books on the bench. the mould spores will fall into the filter. This prevents cross contamination with the rest of the library.

This unit is used in an environment such as a library where we can wheel the bench in between the isles. We can then catalogue them and move them onto the next stage of the remediation.

To find out more give us a call. 1300 356 633

Electrical Safety In Water Damage Restoration

noreply@blogger.com (Lex Moir) — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 22:55:00 +0000

In this video Warren explains why we need to be electrically safe and the role an RCD box plays in this.

Mould Remediation Daily Vlog Update

noreply@blogger.com (Lex Moir) — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 03:37:00 +0000

A Daily Vlog of what we have been up to. Today we have been on a commercial premises doing a mould remediation job. We will keep you up to date on what is happening

You will see us working behind the scenes cleaning a decontaminating a commercial premises that was flooded by the Brisbane 2011 floods. This is a PPE level 2 classification, according to the Australian Mould Guidlines 2010.

How to use a fan (air mover) to dry wet carpet

noreply@blogger.com (Lex Moir) — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 02:09:00 +0000

Here is a video where Warren shows us how to use an air mover to dry wet carpet:

Water Damage Brisbane - How To minimise water damage (Wet Carpet Brisbane)

noreply@blogger.com (Lex Moir) — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 11:04:00 +0000

The next video in the series, This time I get Warren to explain what can be done to minimise the water damage while you are waiting for us to arrive.....

Water Damage Restoration Case Study

noreply@blogger.com (Lex Moir) — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 10:56:00 +0000

Finally Got Around to posting the next video. Been so busy with Accounts Lately. In this video I share a Case study where we restored a water damaged property caused by a burst pipe. We had the place fixed un in under 3 days. Here its is:

Cloud Computing

noreply@blogger.com (Lex Moir) — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 01:33:00 +0000

On another Note.

We stopped using MYOB a long time ago as we found the features to be limiting to our business plans.

So if you are a growing small business and thinking about switching have a look at this blog post by my mate LB.

http://www.cloudcomputingbrisbane.com

How Bateria Relates to Mould

noreply@blogger.com (Lex Moir) — Mon, 23 May 2011 00:41:00 +0000

This is a log indication on the growth rate of bacteria:

5 million trillion bacteria in one day.

“In a warm environment”

A growth rate of 8 fold every hour.

Remember that bacteria is a food source and a carrier for mould growth. Therefore, if you have experienced a flood, it is important to clean bacteria before it starts.

Phill McGurk from New Life Restorations on NOVA 106.9

noreply@blogger.com (Lex Moir) — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 03:12:00 +0000

Recently our operations manager Phill did some atp tests (bacteria test) on some of the personal items from the hosts at NOVA 106.9 for abit of fun. Check out the links to see the results

http://www.novafm.com.au/nova1069/video_results-meshel-tim-and-marty-s-atp-germ-test_110583

Is your house infected with mould after the Floods?

noreply@blogger.com (Lex Moir) — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 03:56:00 +0000

One of the most common questions I get is: "Can I prevent my house from growing mould?" The answer is of course YES.

One of the root causes of mould growth is moisture. Remove the moisture and this can help suppress the mould problem. The only way to find out if the property is dry is with the aid of a moisture meter. Wooden frames should be no more than 16% WME (Wood moisture equivalent). In most cases the closer to 8% WME the better. The concrete should read at least 75% RH. (Relative Humidity). This is done by drilling holes in the concrete floor and inserting plugs that will entrap the moisture inside, and after 24 hrs you are able to gain a reading.

A good way to remove surface mould is with a vinegar/water solution with a microfiber cloth. This will help prevent the spread of the spores to other areas. Porous items that have been affected by mould will have be disposed in most cases.

Getting back in your house after the January Floods.

noreply@blogger.com (Lex Moir) — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 03:03:00 +0000

My name is Phill McGurk. I have been in and around the “Flood Restoration” industry since 1997. I have been involved with many situations involving flooded houses/buildings due to burst pipes, sewage back ups, excessive down pours resulting in mudslides, broken roofs, rising water into houses/business. Many of these problems are caused by storm water drains, raised creek levels, overflowing bath tubs and other reasons.

All these situations result in a different clean up to occur. People ask me a lot, “How long before my house is dry?”

The simple answer is that an inspection with a device called a “Moisture Reading Instrument” is required and then an evaluation can be made. For the most instances, you can stay in your house whilst the drying is being performed normally lasting anywhere from 1 to 4 days. On the odd occasion due to different materials used in the making of the property this could extend to a week or more. In the case of the recent flooding which occurred in January, you have to start thinking “If I was to pour a slab for my house today and it was to be given nothing but the best sunlight without any rainy days, how long would it be before I can start building?”

Now ask yourself this question, that same slab under a roof inside the cladding of all the walls in the house and given that we have not had perfect weather, how long now is it going to take? This is not to say that some slabs will not be dry, this is just saying how do you know?

Unfortunately, just because it has been 8 weeks since the storm hit doesn’t mean that the house is now dry. A moisture level less than 75% relative humidity within the slab is considered to be at a safe moisture level specification. Timber (depending on the type) should be less than 16%.

New Life Restorations have Moisture Testing service which can give you assessments on whether your house is dry. The basic service starts at $363. If structural drying and remediation is required we can also provide a quote for this service.

Carpet Repairs Brisbane

noreply@blogger.com (Lex Moir) — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 00:14:00 +0000

New Life Restorations Introduces a New Service:

Jacob has joined our field team assisting in water damage, carpet cleaning, fire damage restoration, tile cleaning etc.

He has a particular interest and expertise in Carpet Repairs. Have a look at the before and after pictures (which speak from themselves):

Give us a call if you need small or large carpet repairs done. We specialise in

Iron burns, Carpet patching, bleach repairs, pets, rental properties etc.

1300 356 633

or visit

carpet repairs brisbane

How to Clean your house after Brisbane floods

noreply@blogger.com (Lex Moir) — Sun, 16 Jan 2011 04:10:00 +0000

Here is the link to our site which has handy tipsthat can be referred to when cleaning up after this devastating disaster. How to clean a flooded house after Brisbane Queensland floods

Why Test Tag Electrical equipment

noreply@blogger.com (Lex Moir) — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 04:55:00 +0000

When we dry down a flooded house or building, it usually requires the use of electrical equipment such as carpet drying fans and dehumidifiers. We therefore need to ensure our electrical equipment is safe to use. The last thing we want is for the air mover to give an electric shock.

For more information on requirements for test tagging in Australia, refer to the AS/NZS 3760.

How to Control Mould In your Bathroom

noreply@blogger.com (Lex Moir) — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 00:23:00 +0000

Mould Tip for the week:

It can be very difficult sometimes to prevent mould growing in damp spaces (bathrooms, laundry and the like).

A simple way that can be used to help control this is by installing a ventillation fan or by opening the window in the bathroom.

Another tip is to clean the bathroom on a regular basis.

Dont forget to add us to your facebook! here -> water damage restoration facebook

Is it worth getting a mould sample?

noreply@blogger.com (Lex Moir) — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 21:58:00 +0000

I have many calls from people asking me for a mould sample. My standard response is why specifically would you like a mould sample?

Mould Samples can range between $33 per sample up to $220 per individual sample. If you plan on getting more than one sample, it is easy to see how high the costs can get.

THEREFORE, it is important you understand what mould testing can achieve. In most cases samples are recommended if you would like to:

Know the species of the mould growing in your home or building
Know if the source of the mould contamination is indoor or outdoors
Know the level of contamination
Know whether it is actually mould

Some of the reasons why you may want to know this include:

Because you may want to research the health affects of a certain type of mould
Understand the behaviour of the mould so you know how to remediate it properly
Need it for an insurance or liability report

Please give us a call if you are thinking of getting a mould sample first. Usually we will talk with you on the phone and ask you some questions and find out whether it is worth you getting a mould inspection. Then we can book you in for a standard mould inspection. When we are at your property, we can determine whether it is worth it for you to have a mould sample taken.

Mould Sample Information

Mould samples are sent to a laboratory in Sydney
Depending on the type of sample, quantity and the time of year - It can take 1-2 weeks to receive the results.
We can conduct an ATP test which can give instant results (call to find out more).

Wet carpet cleaning in Brisbane

noreply@blogger.com (Lex Moir) — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 08:13:00 +0000

Wet carpet cleaning is a regular service offered by new life restoration.

The process involves extraction the water out of the carpet the installation of dying equipment to dry down your carpet, underlay and subfloor.

There is usually a final carpet clean to take out any staining left by water.

We conduct wet carpet cleaning services though out Brisbane with a 1 hour response time.

For quick service call us on 1300 356 633

This service is 24 hours and starts at $330.

For more information visit water damage Brisbane

Brisbane Flood Warnings

noreply@blogger.com (Lex Moir) — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 23:32:00 +0000

The Brisbane City council appears to have an initiative where they can inform people via text message of possible floods in high risk areas.

Have a look at the article here. Courier Mail

Have a look at the story here. Apparently the BCC will have sandbags on stand by for people at high Risk....Hopefully they can deliver them at the properties on time.

Please give us a call if you would like Water Damage Restoration Gold Coast or Water Damage Gold Coast services.

Why Brisbane is the best city in Australia to live!

noreply@blogger.com (Lex Moir) — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 01:26:00 +0000

On another topic. Lets talk about why Brisbane is the best place to live.

Coffee - When you have cafés like Piaf at southbank
Casual dining - Go to the Valley, Brisbane CBD, Southbank, West End
Weather - i can tell you we have the best weather in Australia. Not to cold and not too hot......Ok, so sometimes it gets abit hot, but who cares. Go to the beach, or install conditioning.
Traffic is good. With the new upgrades to the M1 and Pacific motorway. Traffic has greatly improved over the last 5 years.
Gold coast and sunshine coast - just 1 hour away. JUST AN HOUR. how good is that
Great scenery inland from Brisbane including Sunshine coast hinterland and gold coast hinterland.

These are just some points. I suppose I have been living in Brisbane my whole life so i am a little biased but I love it.

Take it easy,
Lex

From New Life Restoration you Carpet Flood Damage Repair Specialists Brisbane Wide!