WHERE TO FIND HIDDEN DAMAGE AFTER A FIRE

A fire in the house is a terrible situation to go through. Even a small fire that doesn’t cause much structural damage can ruin a home with smoke, and if not properly cleaned up, remnants and reminders of the damage will continue to turn up in the strangest of places for years to come. Boxes of books or clothes in storage may not be something the homeowner would think to check, but years later find the items were in fact damaged by smoke. There are a few well-known places where smoke damage causes hidden damage which must be cleaned and repaired immediately.

Attic Space

Smoke rises and will cause damage in the attic. Even if you don’t have steps or easy access to use the attic for storage the soot needs to be cleaned out. Otherwise, it can affect the quality of air in the home for years, just a little bit at a time, so the people who live there won’t notice until they have breathing problems after years of exposure. Guests may not recognize a distinct smell of smoke, but will likely find the house to have an unpleasant odor when they visit.

Ventilation

The heating and air conditioning duct work and ventilation systems are even more important to be properly cleaned after a fire. Again, the odor of the fire will never leave if soot is blowing through your vents every time you run the unit. Although the health effects may be tolerable for a healthy young adult, they will accumulate over the years and lead to problems in the future. Soot left in the ventilation system can be especially dangerous for elderly people, infants, or anybody who already has a condition such as allergies or asthma.

Electric and Plumbing

It goes without saying that electric and plumbing systems need to be inspected for damage after a fire. If smoke gets in the walls, they provide a place for soot to accumulate and need to either be replaced or cleaned. If the fire was caused by an old electric line, it’s probably a good time to consider replacing them all before another failure occurs since they’re either old or simply weren’t installed properly.

After a fire, it’s important to hire a professional such as A&A Property Restoration, LLC to evaluate and repair the damage. As a specialist contractor, they know what to look for and how to fix the problem efficiently.