So, if your home has recently been affected by heavy rain or other water issues that have flooded your floor vents, then remember to include vent cleaning services in your residential water damage restoration plans. 

Causes of Water Damage 

Once any water issues have hit you, your first instinct may be to cut down your home's electricity line. While your belongings are all soaked in water, you definitely want to know the source that caused all the damage. Here is a list of possible reasons for the water damage. 

• Leaky or broken pipes and water lines from the refrigerator. 
• Overflowing water from sink, toilet, or dishwasher. 
• Damaged roof with cracks and missing shingles that cause water seepage during heavy rain. 
• Natural disasters like floods and storms. 

What Is Residential Water Damage Restoration All About? 

Simply,  residential water damage restoration involves multiple repair and restoration activities with the aim of bringing back your water-damaged home to its previous condition. The residential water damage restoration package involves overall procedures as mentioned below to ensure that your home is completely dry. 

• Cleaning and sanitizing the water mess at your home
• Repairing the damaged walls, floors, and other structures
• Removing mold or mildew and controlling moisture
• Fixing or replacing damaged roof
• Vent cleaning services 
• Sealing cracks and holes
• Repairing broken drainage system
• Cleaning carpets, furniture, or rugs

Residential water damage restoration activities go beyond just removing water from the damaged surface of your home. It's all about regaining your once-lost property back by unwanted water intrusion to where it was before. 

After you experience water damage at your home, you can effectively restore your damaged property by considering the following steps to complement the professional water damage restoration procedures.

• Before anything else, start by turning down the electric lines and gas supplies to prevent any shocks or accidents while draining the water away. 
• Next, identify the possible source of water intrusion and take necessary actions to seal them. 
•  After that, minimize the damage to your belongings like vital documents, furniture and electronic items and shift them away from the water-damaged area.
• Ensure proper ventilation and allow air to pass through the doors and windows to allow the space to dry faster. 
• As you need to provide strong evidence about your property damage to your insurance company, do not forget to capture pictures as proof of water damage at your home before you start the cleaning process. 
• If there is a minor water intrusion, you can perform D-I-Y activities according to the damage. But, if the problem is worse, you must hire professionals to conduct water damage restoration activities. 
• After you have restored your property, monitor each area regularly and do not undermine signs like black damp spots, moldy odor, or paint peeling off the walls and ceilings. 
• To avoid water leakage in the future, hire plumbers or roof experts to carry out necessary repair work if you witness any problems in the roof or your drainage system. 

When To Conduct Vent Cleaning Services? 

Your HVAC system traps fine dust particles, moisture, pet hair, or dead skin cells, which can damage the surfaces, motor, coils, and vents. While the filters in HVAC are made to remove airborne particles along with hazardous materials out of the system, they may not function when they are damaged by water. So, if you do not check them periodically, you are creating a good breeding environment for bacteria, mold, and allergens to grow. 

Have a look at some of the ways that allow you to detect dirty vents:

• You can start by opening one of the vent covers to see if it is clogged with dust, debris, mold, or mildew. 
• Then, look out for thick layers of dust or mold buildup in return air registers, as these openings are responsible for adjusting airflow. 
• Also, take the air filters out to scan them for clogs. You can then open the furnace compartment to check the status of the blower fan and motor. If you find heaps of dust or mildew accumulating in any of the components, then your vent needs a good cleaning session. 
• You can also observe the air conditioning coil by removing a panel and watch out for mold growth. 

While these steps can be a good way to inspect the vent after water damage visually, there are other subtle signs mentioned below that demand vent cleaning services. 

• If your vents are damaged by water, mold can easily breed, so you have musty-smelling air from the vents in your living space.
• You or your family may have unexplained allergies and skin irritation, so you constantly sneeze whenever you are indoors. Such health problems arise as mold spores in the vent easily spread around, which degrade your indoor air quality as you use a heating and cooling system. 
• If you notice blood or other fluid dripping from the vent, then it is definitely due to pest ingestion. When the moisture content is high in the vent, it becomes a good breeding area for the pests. Thus, you need to look out for vent cleaning after water damage. 
• You notice that you have an inflated energy bill to cover. When your HVAC stresses too much to maintain a comfortable temperature post-water damage, you must opt for vent cleaning services.
• You may feel an inconsistent airflow within your home. If you notice that some rooms have your preferred temperature while some don't, your vent may be clogged by dirt, mold, or pests. 
• Even though you clean your home regularly, if you notice dust and pests all around, you must check your HVAC system.

What Should You Do If You Find Water In Vent?

Observing water inside the vent is not strange, but water buildup inside the vent makes things worse as you may be compromising your family's health and safety with mold buildup inside the vents. You can actually schedule professional vent cleaning services instead of doing DIY.

Once you thoroughly check your HVAC system, consider the following factors for ensuring a properly functioning vent. 

• First, detect the water source that caused the vents' damage and ensure that the source is controlled properly. 
• Next, drain water away from the vent and make sure that all the components are dry.
• Suppose you find that your vent is damaged by water containing hazardous materials like mold, mercury, lead, chemicals, or radiological substances. In that case, you must hire qualified professionals to conduct water damage restoration plans, as you may not be able to follow the correct vent cleaning and sanitizing procedures.