Prevent Carbon Monoxide Exposure This Upcoming Winter

6/12/2017 (Permalink)

You Can Prevent Carbon Monoxide Exposure

• Do have your heating system, water heater and any other gas, oil, or coal burning appliances serviced by a qualified technician every year.
• Do install a battery-operated or battery back-up CO detector in your home and check or replace the battery when you change the time on your clocks each spring and fall. If the detector sounds leave your home immediately and call 911.
• Do seek prompt medical attention if you suspect CO poisoning and are feeling dizzy, light-headed, or nauseous.
• Don't use a generator, charcoal grill, camp stove, or other gasoline or charcoal-burning device inside your home, basement, or garage or near a window.
• Don't run a car or truck inside a garage attached to your house, even if you leave the door open.
• Don't burn anything in a stove or fireplace that isn't vented.
• Don't heat your house with a gas oven.

ERP

5/26/2017 (Permalink)

Advantages of the SERVPRO Emergency READY Profile:

• A no-cost assessment of your facility.
• A concise Profile document that contains only the critical information needed in the event of an emergency.
• A guide to help get back into your building following a disaster.
• Establishes your local SERVPRO Franchise Professional as your disaster mitigation and restoration provider.
• Identification of the line command for authorizing work to begin.
• Provides facility details such as shut-off valve locations, priority areas and priority contact information.

Call SERVPRO of Chesterfield today to inquire about an Emergency Ready Profile for your facility! This free assessment of your building will help save you time in an event of a disaster and established SERVPRO of Chesterfield as your fire and water mitigation and reconstruction provider!

Prepare your Home for Fall

11/1/2016 (Permalink)

Prepare Your Home for Fall

It is important to pay close attention the interior and exterior parts of your home to prepare for fall weather. This includes, colder temperatures and falling leaves. Take at look at this checklist to ensure your home is ready for whatever the fall weather brings.

Interior:

1. Check for drafts
2. Have your furnace inspected
3. Winterize AC
4. Programmable thermostat
5. Test home safety devices
6. Clean dehumidifiers

Exterior:

1. Do a roof check
2. Check the chimney and fireplace
3. Stock up on firewood
4. Inspect siding
5. Clean the gutters
6. Check water drainage
7. Reinforce windows and doors
8. Turn off faucets and store hoses
9. Service sprinklers and irrigation system
10. Inspect nearby trees
11. Trim landscaping
12. Bring in flowerpots
13. Plant bulbs
14. Leaf removal
15. Put away seasonal furniture
16. Close the pool
17. Organize the shed

Pre-maintenance to your home can help you save money and conserve energy in your home. It also prevents disasters from occurring like roof leaks from clogged gutters and drafts entering your home. Please contact SERVPRO of Chesterfield if you experience and water or fire emergency in your home.

RVA Deep Freeze Hints

2/10/2016 (Permalink)

RVA: Look Out We Are Tracking Another Arctic Blast              

Another arctic blast is forecasted to blow into Central Virginia this weekend.

We hope these tips will help RVA homeowners and businesses weather the frigid tempatures instore for the area and reduce the chances of property damage during this latest cold snap.   

Inside the House

Keep your home or commercial building heated to a minimum of 65 degrees. The inside of walls (where the pipes are located) become much colder than the wall itself. Reducing the temperature to below 65 degrees may not protect the pipes located inside of walls from freezing.   

Identify the location for the main water shutoff. Know how it works in case you have shut water off to your home of business. 

Open hot and cold faucets enough to let them drip slowly. Keeping water moving within the pipes will help prevent freezing.

In your home watch fireplaces, wood stoves and electric heaters. Be sure they are working.  Close the flue when your are not using your fireplace.

While away from your home ask a neighbor to check the house regularly. Discovering potential issues, frozen pipes, or water damage quickly will reduce damages significantly. 

If your property will be vacant for an extended period of time, have the water system, including pool plumbing, drained by a professional to keep pipes from freezing or bursting.

Outside the House

Keep sidewalks and entrances to your home free from snow and ice.

Watch for ice dams near gutter downspouts. Ice dams can cause water to build up and seep into your house. Clear gutters of leaves and debris to allow runoff from melting snow and ice to flow freely.

If you own a swimming pool and temperatures are expected to dip below freezing, run the pool pump at night to keep the water flowing through the pipes.

Make sure all hoses are disconnected from outside spigots.

If your garage is attached to your house, keep the garage doors closed. The door leading to the house is probably not as well-insulated as an exterior door.

If ice forms on tree limbs, watch for dead, damaged or dangerous branches that could break loose when stressed by ice, snow or wind and damage your house or car, or injure someone on or near your property.

If you discover that pipes are frozen, don’t wait for them to burst. Take measures to thaw them immediately, or call a plumber for assistance.

If your pipes burst, first turn off the water and then mop up spills to avoid further damage.

If your home or business suffers any type of water damage, the potential for secondary damages to your property is reduced when properly dried and repaired by a professional. Call SERVPRO of Chesterfield at 804.378.2323 as quickly as possible.