Traveller’s Tips & More
This download accompanies episode 111, Prep and Pack Travel Meals: How to Vacation Like a Peasant. Andrea’s dad, Bob Jordan, owns a Puroclean franchise which does mold, fire and water damage restoration projects in both private and commercial locations; as he very often visits homes which suffered severe damage while the homeowner was away, he created a list of seven tips to mitigate your risk while traveling!
Download the Traveller’s Tips to print and review here!
Travelers Tips, and More… by Bob Jordan
As an owner of a property damage restoration company, let me share some tips:
- Turn off your water supply if you’re gone overnight or longer
- Get a water key at a hardware store. Learn how to turn off your water supply near the street if you don’t have a shut-off in the garage.
- A broken toilet supply line can pump 2-3 gallons per minute. A bath tub holds 50 gallons. In one day a broken toilet supply line can dump over 3,000 gallons of water, or 60 bath tubs of water spilled in your home.
- Replace your toilet supply line with a metal-nut type. Take your present line to the hardware store and ask for one that is all metal. Plastic ones fail catastrophically, and is entirely preventable.
- Flip off the hot water heater circuit. When you’re back home, turn the water back on and after 10 minutes turn the circuit back on.
- Keep your heat set to 60 degrees
- When the heat drops, the relative humidity in the home increases.
- High relative humidity, more than 60%, can lead to mold growth in the home.
- Vinyl framed double-paned windows are preferred
- Single-paned wood or aluminum framed windows sweat, and produce water, which can contribute to mold growth.
- In basements, have LVP (luxury vinyl plank) flooring
- Carpets pick up dirty and organics from kids and pets running in and out
- LVP wears like iron and is easily cleaned
- Carpet in the basement can be a source of poor air quality
- Do not stack or store cardboard boxes
- Cardboard burns fast and hot and is a hazard
- Store items in plastic tubs
- Check the warranty date on your hot water heater
- They will fail, and leak all over.
- Check warranty date, replace it before the warranty date.
Bonus Tip
- Check your insurance policy, and talk to your agent about coverage
- Two out of three catastrophic fire jobs we work the homeowner is underinsured, that is, they don’t have enough coverage to rebuild.
- Make SURE you have GUARANTEED coverage. Make sure that word GUARANTEED is in your policy. Policy limits, Actual Cost Value, Replacement Cost Value, are not sufficient for catastrophic fire losses, you need GUARANTEED replacement language.
Do you have a desire to own a business, but don’t know where to start? Consider property restoration. Check out Bob’s book The Mitigation Handbook. Look at his website, www.TheMitigationHandbook.com. Contact Bob for more information, you’ll be glad you did!
Robert F. “Bob” Jordan, PE
Owner/President | PuroClean Northwest
WRT, ASD, AMRT, FSRT, CDS, TSC, RRP
Certified Forensic Operator, Subrogation
High Risk / High Level Decon. Specialist
Tier-1 Commercial Large Loss Company
Two Locations Serving the Puget Sound