Centereach, Selden Smoke and Soot Cleanup

4/6/2022 (Permalink)

Smoke and soot is very invasive and can penetrate various cavities within your home, causing hidden damage and odor. Our smoke damage expertise and experience allows us to inspect and accurately assess the extent of the damage to develop a comprehensive plan of action.  

Smoke and soot facts:

• Hot smoke migrates to cooler areas and upper levels of a structure.
• Smoke flows around plumbing systems, seeping through the holes used by pipes to go from floor to floor.
• The type of smoke may greatly affect the restoration process.

Different Types of Smoke

There are two different types of smoke–wet and dry. As a result, there are different types of soot residue after a fire. Before restoration begins, SERVPRO of Centereach, Selden will test the soot to determine which type of smoke damage occurred. The cleaning procedures will then be based on the information identified during pretesting. Here is some additional information:

Wet Smoke – Plastic and Rubber

• Low heat, smoldering, pungent odor, sticky, smeary. Smoke webs are more difficult to clean.

Dry Smoke – Paper and Wood

• Fast burning, high temperatures, heat rises therefore smoke rises.

Protein Fire Residue – Produced by evaporation of material rather than from a fire

• Virtually invisible, discolored paints and varnishes, extreme pungent odor. 

Our Fire Damage Restoration Services

Since each smoke and fire damage situation is a little different, each one requires a unique solution tailored for the specific conditions.  We have the equipment, expertise, and experience to restore your fire and smoke damage.  We will also treat your family with empathy and respect and your property with care.

Have Questions about Fire, Smoke, or Soot Damage?

Call Us Today – (631) 468-3003

Fire Damage In Centereach Selden

11/15/2021 (Permalink)

SERVPRO of Centereach Selden is here to serve our community at all hours of the day! We are available 24 hours a day 7 days a week. We specialize in water/fire damage as well as mold remediation and biohazard clean up, both residential and commercial.  In regards to a house fire, it is important to stay as safe as possible. By creating an escape plan in case of a house fire, it could save yours and your loved ones lives. Know your escape route and practice it because if the time comes you need to be ready to go at any hour of the day/night. Also, in the event of a fire, you want to make sure you have an updated list of all items in your home, also known as a Emergency Ready Profile (ERP). Please feel free to contact us to create an ERP so you are fully covered in the event you lose valuable items due to the loss. SERVPRO of Centereach/Selden highly trained and certified employees are always ready to help you make your loss look “Like it never even happened.”

Fire Tips

9/30/2021 (Permalink)

House fires are pretty uncommon, but they do happen. Here are some tips for you to stay as safe as possible.

• Install smoke alarms on every level of your home, inside bedrooms and outside sleeping areas
• Test smoke alarms every month 
• Talk with all family members about a fire escape plan and practice the plan twice a year
• If a fire occurs in your home, GET OUT, STAY OUT and CALL FOR HELP. 

After the fire has subsided, our SERVPRO franchise professionals, who are specifically trained on fire restoration, will come to the site and restore your home back to its original look.

New York Blood Center Blood Drive in Centereach

1/5/2021 (Permalink)

We hope to see you at the Middle County Public Library Blood Drive!

The Middle Country Public Library Is Hosting a Blood Drive- Come Out Centereach!

If you are looking to give back to your community, giving blood is a great option. It saves lives and may be needed for a loved one in your life at some point. Due to COVID-19, donations are down, and there are shortages of certain blood types. We are encouraging the Centereach community to come out for this event. 

Go Online to Register

You can register at the New York Blood Center. They have time slots available throughout the day. For more information on how to sign-up, you can call (800) 933-2566. 

The Middle Country Public Library is hosting the event on Thursday, January 14, 2021. The hours are 1:00 PM – 7:00 PM. There is plenty of time to stop on your way home from work. The library address is 101 Eastwood Blvd, Centereach.

SERVPRO Provides Fire Restoration Service to Centereach Homes

Giving blood is a way to help our friends and neighbors. At SERVPRO, we are committed to helping our community by providing professional and experienced fire restoration services to Centereach and the surrounding communities. If you have been impacted by fire and need smoke and soot cleanup, contact SERVPRO of Centereach/ Selden at (631) 469-3003.

Family Fun in Centereach in time to Celebrate the Holidays

11/16/2020 (Permalink)

Benner's Farm is a great place to visit with loved ones. Trust SERVPRO to handle your fire or water troubles while you relax and enjoy family time.

Entertain Young and Old with a Visit to Benner’s Farm

A short ride from Centereach, families find good old-fashioned fun at Benner’s Farm. A privately owned farm dating back to the 1700s provides the perfect backdrop for an afternoon of fun. Depending on the season, the education programming changes, so no visit is ever like the one before. Organically grown produce and farm animals are a treat to all who visit. The owners are educators and, as such, have focused on linking their historic setting with lessons of life on a small farm. As you plan your visit, remember the following-

• Check the calendar and make reservations. No walk-in visits are in place at this time.
• Several programs are offered, including Farmhouse Style Holiday Ornaments and Gingerbread Houses.
• Teachers are encouraged to reach out about their programming to find ways to incorporate it into the classroom and fulfill the Long Island social studies curriculum.
  
  

Much like the folks at Benner’s Farm, SERVPRO of Centereach, Selden also provides a service to our community. Whether you need fire restoration services or your home has sustained water damage, you need to call us at (631) 468-3003. With our help, your home can look, “Like it never even happened.”

What Is Soot and How Can It Damage Your Home?

9/29/2020 (Permalink)

Smoke and soot damage are difficult to remove. SERVPRO knows how to remove the residue and restore your home.

After a Disaster in Centereach Homes, There are Many Obstacles Like Soot That Professional Fire Restorers Face 

Understanding the severity of a fire disaster in Centereach homes is rarely tricky, as structure fires can spread quickly through the property and destroy materials in its path. As relieving as it might initially be to get the fire extinguished, there are still many ways that the house's lingering effects can damage exposed surfaces, contents, and the occupants. One of the most prevalent and hazardous of these effects is soot in the damaged areas. 

While there are multiple layers of fire damage in Centereach homes after a disaster, soot can often be one of the most destructive to manage. It is made of small carbon particles created when fuel types, like wood and other organic matter, did not fully combust during the fire. The results are acidic and often ionized particulates circulating in the environment that adhere to exposed surfaces and contents. They can even penetrate the HVAC system with its magnetism towards the sheet metal, vents, and registers. Whether stuck to surfaces or circulating in the environment, this threat must get addressed as soon as possible by competent professionals with the appropriate personal protective equipment like our SERVPRO team. 

Can You Lessen the Severity of Soot?  

It might be worth considering the potential avenues that could reduce the prolonged impacts of soot on the house over time. Fire restoration does not happen overnight, so prioritizing the steps that can reduce hazards for our SERVPRO technicians and any occupants of the house is vital. There are immediate steps that can get taken to lessen the presence of soot where it can get found in the property, including: 

• Debris Removal – Ashes, remnants of partially combusted materials, and other debris are on the floors in the house's affected rooms. Shoveling out piles of this charred matter can reduce concentrations of circulating threats like soot and noxious odors. 

• Dry Vacuuming – Residues can be thick on surfaces, especially when these elements are nearby to where the fire burned the longest and smoldered. Thick residues can sometimes benefit from dry vacuuming to remove the majority of surface particles before cleaning begins.

• Air Filtration – HEPA-filtration equipment like our air scrubbers can help capture circulating soot particles as small as 0.3 microns. By reducing the circulating soot, we can limit the damage to surfaces, restorers, and contents.  

Where Is Soot Located?  

While it is not uncommon to see residues and coatings on almost all exposed surfaces throughout the property after a Centereach fire, certain areas often get most of these damaging effects. Through convection and other scientific principles relative to the circulation of heated and cooler air, contaminated warm gases and smoke continually seek the highest points, which can often leave greater concentrations and thicker smoke residues on or in areas like: 

• Ceilings – The constant push for heated air and smoke to rise can leave places like the drywall or plaster ceiling of your home coated with black soot residues. 

• Walls – While residues could impact any portion of walls, upper halves towards the ceilings can often display a greater concentration of soot particles.

• HVAC System – With the ionization and magnetism of particles after the combustion of specific materials, the HVAC system can often draw in a considerable volume of soot particles and spread it throughout the house if the system is running. 

What Must Happen to Remove It?  

The presence of soot in your home does not necessarily mean the end of exposed structural elements, contents, and other areas. Knowing how to address these concerns with various cleaning practices and restorative actions requires some initial inspection. Our SERVPRO professionals can identify vital information about the damaged materials to determine what should happen next. This data includes: 

• Type of Residue – Every soot residue and smoke damage coating are not the same. Different combusted materials and substances create soot damage of varying compositions. Each of these requires specific products and practices to address.

• Affected Surfaces – The type of underlying material can also impact the appropriate cleaning response. Abrasive cleaning methods might be efficient against soot but could damage sensitive host materials.

• Marring/Staining – Because of its acidic nature and properties that allow for staining beyond the immediate finish on the fixture or surface, it is not improbable that soot can damage exposed elements and contents beyond restoration. 

Understanding the threat of soot and other lingering post-fire effects can show the need for professional restoration after disasters. Our SERVPRO of Centereach, Selden team is standing by 24/7 at (631) 468-3003.