{"id":1659,"date":"2020-01-09T12:21:14","date_gmt":"2020-01-09T17:21:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.weilhammerplumbing.com\/blog\/?p=1659"},"modified":"2020-01-09T12:21:14","modified_gmt":"2020-01-09T17:21:14","slug":"the-dangers-of-in-home-flooding","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.weilhammerplumbing.com\/blog\/the-dangers-of-in-home-flooding\/","title":{"rendered":"The Dangers of In-Home Flooding"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">When a house floods indoors, the immediate and obvious\nthreat is structural damage. But what many homeowners do not realize is that\nfloodwater poses a much longer list of hazards; ones that threaten both your health\nand safety. Continue reading to learn why indoor floodwaters are dangerous and how\nto safely manage an indoor flood if it happens to you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"900\" height=\"524\" src=\"https:\/\/www.weilhammerplumbing.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Emergency-Plumbing-Company-Indianapolis-IN-e1578590379771.jpg\" alt=\"Indianapolis Emergency Plumbing Company 317-784-1870\" class=\"wp-image-1660\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.weilhammerplumbing.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Emergency-Plumbing-Company-Indianapolis-IN-e1578590379771.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.weilhammerplumbing.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Emergency-Plumbing-Company-Indianapolis-IN-e1578590379771-300x175.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.weilhammerplumbing.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Emergency-Plumbing-Company-Indianapolis-IN-e1578590379771-768x447.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><figcaption>Indianapolis Emergency Plumbing Company 317-784-1870<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Indoor Floodwater Hazards<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p>An indoor flood is a messy and dangerous situation. Not only\nis your house going to suffer a serious amount of damage, floodwaters will pose\nseveral other hazards, all of which can affect both people and pets. The top\nfour most threatening risks of floodwater include injury, electrocution, drowning,\nand contamination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Injury \u2013<\/strong> Floodwaters can pose several accidents, namely slips and falls, but also, several others. As a result, orthopedic injuries, muscle strains and tears, and even concussions can take place. For this reason, it is important to avoid flooded areas of your home until they are under the control of professionals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Electrocution \u2013<\/strong> If your home is not completely disconnected from the town\u2019s power grid, including generators, making even the slightest form of contact with floodwater that covers electrical outlets can cause serious electrocutions. Never under any circumstances enter a flooded basement until a licensed professional has confirmed your home is not connected to any electrical power suppliers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Drowning \u2013<\/strong> Drowning is an extreme and devastating threat posed by floodwaters. In most moderate cases, such as residential indoor flooding, pets are mostly at risk of drowning. However, infants, children, and elderly individuals are also highly susceptible to drowning accidents when an indoor flood occurs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Contamination \u2013<\/strong> Contamination is a commonly overlooked threat of indoor flooding. Mold, bacteria, and other organisms that develop as a result of standing water can pose serious health implications for both people and pets. Most often, mold outbreaks cause or worsen upper respiratory conditions, especially in those with weakened or suppressed immune systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Meaning of Floodwater Colors<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p>The color of floodwater can tell you the extent of threat\nthey pose. Clean floodwater is deemed safe and not an immediate threat to your\nhealth. Common examples of clean floodwater include appliances, toilet tanks,\nmelted snow, and rain. These are the types of floodwaters that are generally\nsafe to clean up yourself; however, clean floodwater can turn into grey waters\nin as little as 2 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Grey floodwaters, also known as <em>sullage<\/em>, are considered\nwastewater, and therefore, a much higher threat than clean floodwater. Although\ngrey floodwaters do not contain fecal waste, they do contain a long list of\nother hazardous, illness-causing contaminants. Furthermore, they can quickly develop\ninto the most dangerous and destructive floodwaters in just 48 hours. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Known as <em>blackwater<\/em>, this type of floodwater generally happens on a larger scale, such as the result of a hurricane. However, they often develop in residential homes if unaddressed for a period of time. Black floodwaters contain bacteria and pathogens that will cause illness. They also will destroy anything they come into contact with, including carpets, flooring, drywall, upholstery, and furniture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What to Do if Your House Floods<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p>The first thing you should do if you discover a burst pipe or flooding incident in your home is <strong>TURN OFF THE MAIN WATER SHUTOFF VALVE<\/strong>. This will disconnect your water supply and stop the floodwaters from increasing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Once you have cut off your water supply, your next step\nshould be to do your best to mitigate the water. Use towels, wet vacs, bowls,\nbuckets, and anything else you have on hand to get as much water out of your\nhouse as possible. IMPORTANT: Do not do this step if there is risk of\nelectrocution. Only try to clean up flooding if you discover it right away.\nHigher floodwaters can pose risk of electrocution. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Your last step is to contact a licensed Indianapolis plumber\nfor emergency plumbing service. They will drain your floodwater, and then\nrepair the plumbing issue that caused the flood to happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Emergency Plumbing Service You Can Trust<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Call Weilhammer Plumbing Co. Inc. at 317-784-1870<\/strong> when you need <a href=\"https:\/\/www.weilhammerplumbing.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"emergency plumbing services (opens in a new tab)\">emergency plumbing services<\/a> in Indianapolis at an affordable price. We offer a wide range of standard and master plumber services for both residential and commercial properties. We also offer free estimates, free plumbing advice, and even free haul-away for old plumbing appliances like water heaters, water softeners, sump pumps, and more. Request a free estimate, today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"145\" src=\"https:\/\/www.weilhammerplumbing.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/1-Plumber-Indianapolis-Indiana-1024x145.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1520\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.weilhammerplumbing.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/1-Plumber-Indianapolis-Indiana-1024x145.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.weilhammerplumbing.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/1-Plumber-Indianapolis-Indiana-300x42.png 300w, https:\/\/www.weilhammerplumbing.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/1-Plumber-Indianapolis-Indiana-768x108.png 768w, https:\/\/www.weilhammerplumbing.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/1-Plumber-Indianapolis-Indiana.png 1388w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When a house floods indoors, the immediate and obvious threat is structural damage. But what many homeowners do not realize is that floodwater poses a much longer list of hazards; ones that threaten both your health and safety. Continue reading &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.weilhammerplumbing.com\/blog\/the-dangers-of-in-home-flooding\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1660,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[85,51,88,3,2,73,56],"tags":[748,57,155,744,747,746,743],"class_list":["post-1659","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-master-plumbers","category-plumbers","category-plumbing-pipes","category-plumbing-repair","category-plumbing-service","category-slab-leaks-2","category-water-leaks","tag-dangers-of-floodwaters","tag-emergency-plumber-indianapolis","tag-emergency-plumbing-indianapolis","tag-flood-repair-indianapolis","tag-flooded-basement-indianapolis","tag-flooded-house-indianapolis","tag-floodwater-facts"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.weilhammerplumbing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1659","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.weilhammerplumbing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.weilhammerplumbing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weilhammerplumbing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weilhammerplumbing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1659"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.weilhammerplumbing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1659\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1661,"href":"https:\/\/www.weilhammerplumbing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1659\/revisions\/1661"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weilhammerplumbing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1660"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.weilhammerplumbing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1659"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weilhammerplumbing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1659"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weilhammerplumbing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1659"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}