Recent Posts

How Fires Can Happen

3/8/2024 (Permalink)

Mistakes can happen while cooking, and that’s why being prepared is key. You can protect your home from a kitchen fire, especially young children living in the home, by teaching about kitchen fire safety. Putting safety plans into place is always a great idea. If you can extinguish the fire before it gets out-of-hand, that would be best to limit the amount of damage in your home. Be prepared to think quickly and determine if the fire can be put out without risk of injury or endangering any of your family members. Always put safety first. Smoke inhalation is the number one cause of death in home fires. Not to mention, smoke causes just as much damage to the home as the fire itself. There is a five second rule of thumb that firefighters use. They say that if you cannot extinguish a fire within five seconds then dial 9-1-1 and get out of the house. Make it a priority to review at least once a year what to do in case there is a fire in your home so your family members know exactly what to do. After the fire is put out and everyone is accounted for and safe, you can always count on your friendly neighborhood experts at SERVPRO of Fayette County to help you put your home back together.  Here is a list of things to have established in a place of home when it comes to fire safety. These items are ultimately for your safety, and the safety of your family members and family. 

Kitchen Appliances Cooking is the leading cause of home fires in the United States. A fire can start from:  

  • food left unsupervised on a stove or in an oven or microwave  
  • grease spills 
  • a dish towel too close to a burner 
  • a toaster or toaster oven flare-up 
  • a coffee pot accidentally left on 

Tips for using the stove:  Always supervise kids while cooking.  Turn all pot handles in so they can't be knocked over. Don't wear loose-fitting clothing that could catch fire around the stove. 

Cigarettes According to the National Fire Prevention Association (NFPA), cigarettes are the No. 1 cause of fire deaths in the United States and Canada, killing about 1,000 people per year. Most fires start when ashes or butts fall into couches and chairs.  If you smoke: 

  • Be especially careful around upholstered furniture. 
  • Never smoke in bed. 
  • Make sure cigarettes are completely out before you toss them into the trash. 

Matches and Lighters Playing with matches is still the leading cause of fire-related deaths and injuries for kids younger than 5 years.  

  • Always keep matches and lighters out of children's reach. 
  • Store flammable materials such as gasoline, kerosene, and cleaning supplies outside of your home and away from kids.

It's good to practice fire safety with your family. There are also steps you can take to protect your home and prevent fires in your home.

If you’ve experienced fire damage or water damage, SERVPRO of Fayette County is here to help. Our technicians are fully trained in fire remediation, and our 24⁄7 Emergency Line means we’ll be there for you when you call.

Tracie "Dusty" Nichols

724-628-3022

Do You Have a Leaky Ceiling?

2/23/2024 (Permalink)

Leaky Ceilings can be disastrous to your home or business. They can also be detrimental to your time, and money because it is often hard to determine the cause of the leak. All you know is the ceiling is dripping, but you don’t yet know why.

Therefore, finding the cause of the leak can delay the repair process, but it can also add to the expense of the repairs because the longer it takes to find the leak the more damage it will cause. So the first thing you should do is either call the experts at SERVPRO, or, if you are going to tackle the problem yourself, at least eliminate all the obvious non-causes so that you can start to pin-point the problem. When trying to determine the cause of a leaky ceiling, consider whether the leak occurs only in inclement weather, or if it occurs non-stop.

If the leak only occurs when it is raining or snowing outside it’s a safe bet that the roof could be the source of the leak.

On the other hand, if the leak occurs regardless of the weather conditions outside then the leak is most likely caused by a plumbing line inside the house or structure. 

Another thing that can help you pin-point the source of the problem is to consider the water itself. Does it appear to be clear and fresh? If so, that could indicate to you that the water is coming from the water supply line. On the other hand, if water is coming from the roof you could see that dirt and other substances from the roof are being dragged along with it, and it would stain the ceiling.  

If you have determined that the leak is possibly from the roof, and you want to fix it yourself you should start at the top and work your way down. Be sure to take all the necessary precautions, and have all required safety gear needed for a roof inspection. 

If you have eliminated the roof as the source of the leak then it is going to take an inspection of the pipes in your home or building to solve the problem. Of course, not all people are prepared for home improvements and repairs, especially when it comes to major repairs.  

If you have a leaky ceiling, or any kind of water damage to your home or business. For more information visit our water damage services page. We’re faster to any size disaster.

Tracie "Dusty" Nichols

724-628-3022

Can I Turn off Water Damage Drying Equipment at Night?

1/26/2024 (Permalink)

Can I Turn off Water Damage Drying Equipment at Night? 

Any water restoration professional will tell you the same thing: The most important element of mitigating damages is the initial and ongoing drying process. As moisture seeps into every crevice, it becomes a menace. Not only does it promote the growth of bacteria and mold, but it can quickly destroy surfaces and materials. Consequently, the faster the water specialist can bring down the humidity, the more rapidly the water leaves the premises. To promote proper drying, water restoration experts use high-powered equipment. Each piece of equipment is a specific tool designed to make your home or office healthier, safer, more sanitary and ready for full recovery. However, many people wonder if it's okay to turn off noisy or humming equipment at night. The short answer is "no," and the reasons are below.

1. Turning off the Water Damage Drying Equipment Allows Humidity to Rise Water damage drying fans and other equipment provide a constant air flow throughout an air-tight space. If you open a window, you negate the machines' ability to work. You also allow moisture from the outside to enter the building. At the same time, even if you keep windows shut and merely turn off the equipment for a few hours, you enable the moisture to seep into new spaces. In other words, you make the potential for damage worse.

2. Feeling the Walls Isn't a Good Indicator of Moisture Did you touch the walls to see if they were wet? You might think they're dry far before they really are. Fingers and hands aren't good indicators of moisture levels, especially if water is trapped behind surfaces, which it usually is. Even if you think that your walls or floors are bone-dry, you are likely mistaken. Water damage drying equipment is used to completely remove water from all areas, including those you can't see or feel.

3. It Will Cost You More in the Long Run to Turn off the Machines Worried that the cost to run the water damage equipment is sending your utility bills sky high? Actually, it could be much costlier to keep turning them off. After all, the longer they are off at night, the longer they have to be in your residence or commercial building. Besides, if your water restoration process is being covered by insurance, you may be able to negotiate for a percentage of your electricity bills to be covered. Talk to your water restoration specialist and/or your insurance carrier about this possibility.

4. You Can't Get a Good Result From a Poor Product Your goal is to restore your house or office to like-new condition, but that's not going to happen if you haven't allowed the fans to do their work. The only way to ensure a great outcome is to leave the equipment alone. 

Yes, it can be hard to be patient, but the experts know best. Trust their decision, and be sure to contact SERVPRO of Fayette County for water damage projects.

Tracie "Dusty" Nichols

724-628-3022

Four Ways To Reduce Christmas Tree Mold

12/8/2023 (Permalink)

4 Ways To Reduce Christmas Tree Mold Levels

Live Christmas trees may bring more than the fresh pine scent of the holiday season into homes. With most trees cut in advance of the holidays and stored in a moist environment for fresh keeping, this makes them a likely mold source. Here are a few tips to help you cut the Christmas mold level in your home, without giving up the fresh tree:

Limit The Time You Leave Your Tree Up: The longer the tree is inside of your home, the higher the mold level may be. If those in your household are prone to mold allergies, but don’t want to give up the fresh Christmas tree, consider putting the tree up on Christmas Eve and taking it down on New Year’s Day. Try to keep a live tree in your home between 4-7 days at maximum.

Wash Your Tree: Before bringing the freshly cut tree inside of your home, wash it first using the garden hose. Set the nozzle to a hard-spray level to get into all of those little nooks and crannies of the trunk. Then, wipe the trunk thoroughly with a solution of warm water and bleach (1 part bleach to 20 parts water). Let it dry in the sun before bringing it inside of your home.

Use an Air Purifier: Run an air purifier in the same room as the fresh tree. Cleaner air is key during the holidays, and helps to reduce your mold exposure and lessen the effects of your tree allergies.

Go Fake: The best way to avoid the mold infestation is to buy an artificial tree. Unless you store your artificial tree inside of a sealed plastic bag, it will still need a good shaking outside when it’s brought out of storage each year to relieve it of dust. Also, store all of your Christmas ornaments and decorations in plastic containers (instead of cardboard ones) to keep the dust off of them.

Tracie "Dusty" Nichols

724-628-3022 

Unpleasant Smells After A Fire

11/10/2023 (Permalink)

Do you know that nasty sting you feel in your nose when walking by a building that has recently burned down? It's unpleasant & hazardous. The odor is sulfur mixed with smoke. It's called Acrid.

What’s the best way to get rid of it?

Smoke contains the residue of all the burned materials and it can be Caustic. Special equipment is used to completely clean the air. 

Ozone Machines & Air Scrubbers 

Ozone Machines destroy the Molecules, Bacteria, and Spores that cause unpleasant smells.

Air Scrubbers clean the air by repeatedly moving it through HEPA filters which help reduce the smell.

What else is involved?

Other necessary steps involve:

(1) Clean all the hard surfaces

(2) Wash or treat clothes, drapes, carpets, and upholstery. A fire doesn’t always destroy a building, smoke, however, can ruin everything it contacts.

Make sure you do all that’s needed to “clear the air.” SERVPRO® of Fayette County is here to help with all your fire damage needs. We are open 24/7, 365 days a year to help you get back to normal.

Call us at 724-628-3022.

Tracie "Dusty" Nichols

Fire Prevention

9/1/2023 (Permalink)

Your home is your sanctuary. A place where your family spends time together and makes memories. That’s why it is so scary imagining your home getting damaged by an unfortunate fire. Although you can’t control everything that happens in your home, there are some necessary tips you can follow to prevent a possible house fire. Follow these tips below.

  1. Regularly test your smoke alarms. Test your smoke alarms by pressing the button located on the smoke alarm, if it produces a weak beeping noise, it is time to replace the batteries.
  2. Check your heating sources. Heating sources that aren’t working properly could potentially trigger a fire. Have them checked annually.
  3. Maintain a clean oven and stove. Food particles left behind can get too hot on the burner or in the oven causing a potential fire. Make sure nothing is left too close to the stove that could catch fire.
  4. Never leave your kitchen. Don’t leave your kitchen while cooking. It only takes a few seconds for a fire to break out. If you have to step out of the room, turn the burners off.
  5. Check your dryer. Make sure to clean out your lint trap after every load of laundry. The build up of lint can cause a fire. Have your dryer inspected by a professional yearly.
  6. Inspect your cords. Before plugging something in, inspect the cord to make sure it is not frayed or being chewed. Replace the cords as soon as possible if you notice that the wires have been damaged. Avoid running cords under a rug or between the wall and your furniture, it can get too hot causing a fire.
  7. Store flammable products properly. Store common household cleaners and cosmetic items in a cool area. If they are exposed to high heat, they can combust.
  8. Use caution with candles. Put candles out before you leave the room or go to sleep and make sure to keep them far away from blankets or any other objects that could catch fire. Place candles on an even surface to prevent them from being knocked over. Also keep them away from pets.
  9. Use caution with your fireplace. Make sure there is a door between the flames and your flooring, you don’t want any sparks to escape. Allow enough time for the ashes to cool down before throwing them away.
  10. Always have a fire extinguisher handy. When a fire breaks out, your best line of defense is a fire extinguisher. Make sure every family member knows how to use it properly in case of a fire

Tracie "Dusty" Nichols

724-628-3022

Categories/ Classes of Water Damage

8/4/2023 (Permalink)

Categories of Water Damage

Assessing the severity of the damage is important for determining what is needed to start the water loss repair and mitigation.

Category 1

- clean water, or water that does not pose a threat to humans. Possible causes of this type of damage include broken appliances or sink overflows.

Category 2

- gray water, this means that the water is contaminated and may cause sickness if ingested. This type of water contains microorganisms. Broken toilets, broken sump pumps and seepage may cause category 2 water damage.

Category 3

- black water, this type of water is unsanitary, as it contains bacteria and other organisms that cause sickness. The possible sources of black water damage include sewage problems and contamination of standing water.

Classes of Water Damage: The class of damage is important when assessing water damage repair options.

Class 1 is the least harmful form of damage. Materials absorb very little of the water from this type of damage. Water damage repair is the easiest in this type of situation.

Class 2 has a fast rate of evaporation, which means that carpets and cushions may be damaged. Water damage repair is more difficult when it involves class 2 damage.

Class 3 has the fastest rate of evaporation. In this case, the water may come from broken sprinklers or other overhead sources, soaking the walls and furniture.

Class 4 requires special water restoration and water removal procedures. This type of damage may affect hardwood floors, plaster and concrete.

If your home or business experience a water loss or water damage, call us here at SERVPRO of Fayette County, the leading water removal and restoration company, dedicated to protecting your biggest investment, Not everyone knows that water damage has different categories and classes, and just because it is a low category doesn't mean that it is a low class.

Tracie "Dusty" Nichols

724-628-3022

No Storms Can Cause Issues For Your Property.

7/7/2023 (Permalink)

We normally associate storm damage to flooding, high winds, and hail. What we forget, is that no storms can create issues for you and your property, too! On the other end of the scale if you don’t have rain or water for days, weeks, or months, then your community can go into a drought.

The main effects of drought are actually something you would never think of - flooding.

  • When a drought occurs all of the moisture dries up causing clay heavy soil to shrink. This means the foundation that your home is built on begins to shift and crack from the changing movement. In turn, your foundation is not able to withstand the force of the movement and may start to crack under pressure. These cracks are silent and won’t affect you during the drought. Only until the drought is over and your area begins to bring rain will you discover the cracks to your foundation. From there water can enter your home causing the cracks to erode and make bigger openings. From there you can have moisture entering your home causing mold and even worse full blown flood!

Tracie "Dusty" Nichols

724-628-3022 

Electrical Fire Safety

6/9/2023 (Permalink)

Protecting your business or workplace by teaching about electrical fire safety and putting safety plans into place is always a great idea. Accidents happen, and that’s why being prepared is key.

If you can extinguish the fire with a fire extinguisher or blanket before it gets out-of-hand, that would be best to limit the amount of damage. Be prepared to think quickly and determine if the fire can be put out without risk of injury or endangering any of your coworkers. Always put employee safety first. It’s important to know smoke inhalation can be fatal.

Fire can spread quickly, and it can produce dangerous amounts of smoke. Smoke inhalation is the cause of death in home fires more than the actual fire. Not to mention, smoke causes just as much damage to the business as the fire itself.

There is a five second rule of thumb that firefighters use. They say that if you cannot extinguish a fire within five seconds then dial 9-1-1 and evacuate. Be sure to have an updated employee evacuation plan in place, and make sure to have routine fire drills so your employees know exactly what to do.

After the fire is put out and everyone is accounted for and safe, you can always count on your friendly neighborhood experts at SERVPRO of Fayette County to help you put your business back together.

Here is a list of things to have established in a place of business when it comes to fire safety. Fire Marshals look for these items. These items are ultimately for your safety, and the safety of your employees and coworkers. Make Sure You Have Clear Paths Make sure all exits are not obstructed in any way. Multiple, clear exits in the event of a fire will increase the likelihood that everyone is able to get out safely.

Emergency Exit Lights

  • In the event of a fire, your workplace may lose power or have very little visibility due to heavy smoke. For these reasons, clearly marked paths of egress are required.

Fire Extinguishers are a MUST.

  • Fire extinguishers are crucial in stopping a small fire before it grows larger, avoiding widespread damage to your business and injuries to your staff or customers. That's why fire marshals pay special attention to verify that they are in compliance.

Fire Sprinkler System

  • Water Supply For this system to function correctly, not only must the sprinkler deflectors have the proper clearance, the water must flow as it should when called upon to extinguish a fire. The fire marshal will examine the critical components of the sprinkler system water supply, to determine that they are in good working order.

Electrical Panels

  • Since electrical panels have live current running through them, any potentially flammable items (like cardboard boxes stored too close to the panel) make sure you can get to the panels without having to move anything. 

Proper Storage of Combustible Liquids

  • Combustible materials and liquids represent a special fire hazard and must be treated accordingly. These will provide fuel to any fire and they pose a significant risk to your facility, including explosion potential, so proper measures must be taken at all times.

Maximum Occupancy Limits

  • Your building has a maximum occupancy limit which has been put in place for a reason. If a fire were to occur, this is the number of people who could safely evacuate the premises in a timely fashion.

If you’ve been affected by a fire, know that SERVPRO® of Fayette County hits all the above qualifications and more.

Contact us today to learn how we’re able to make it “Like it never even happened.”

Tracie "Dusty" Nichols

724-628-3022

Roof Damage

5/26/2023 (Permalink)

In any type of weather there are lots of different issues that could cause damage to your home; Roof damage is one of those. Damage due to storms is the most typical, but there are several things that COULD cause the damage to your roof some being more visible than others.  

It is always good practice to have your roof inspected every 10-12 years, unless there has been a specific issue that may have caused a reason to check it sooner such as a severe storm, hail, or some other sort of natural disaster. Unfortunately, when your roof becomes damaged it can lead to bigger issues that may ultimately cause water damage to the interior of your home.   

Here we mention a few things to look for when you are inspecting your roof:    

  • Loose or missing shingles: this could be caused by high winds, improper installation, or simply wearing out over exposure to the elements through the years. Loose nails can also leave a hole in the shingle that water can find its way through as well.  
  • Poor installation of the flashing. "Flashing" is the metal that is placed in the sections where the roof meets the walls, or in the valleys. This must be installed properly to divert water from the roof.    
  • Gutters that are not placed with the right pitch, or that have seams that are not sealed properly can also cause water to back up and then overflow into the house causing water damage to ceilings and/or walls. Not having gutter guards to keep leaves and debris from collecting in the gutters can cause overflow of water that can result in damage to your roof and other areas of your home as well.    

Rotted fascia or soffit can also be an area that allows water to intrude.   

If you suspect that you may have roof damage causing water damage to your home please feel free to contact us at  and we will be happy to assist you. SERVPRO® of Fayette County can also supply emergency tarping and board up if the need may arise. SERVPRO® of Fayette County will be there for all of your home repairs or accidents.

Tracie "Dusty" Nichols

724-628-3022