Fire by the staircase

Impact of Different Elements of Smoke Damage on Your Property

Property is generally the biggest investment in most people’s lives. You will take several steps to mitigate any forms of damage to it and even pay the highest insurance premiums to guarantee you can redeem the property in case anything happens to it.

While these measures are commendable, they do not make your property exempt to various elements which might damage. Fire damage is among the most devastating which might affect your property. Water damage restoration experts based in West Palm Beach, FL, are among the essential ones after a fire destroys your property irrespective of its magnitude.

They will get rid of the considerable water quantity used to put out fires and the one from burst pipes during the fire. Other than water damage, smoke is also one of the elements which will affect various areas of your property in a fire.

The following are some of the aspects of smoke damage, which will contribute to the damage of your property.

Temperature

Hot air rises. The area above the space that has been set ablaze will thus be affected by smoke if no strong air currents are blowing through your property. This, in most cases, is the ceiling of your building.

As cold air will sink below the air warmed by the fire, it opens a path for the smoke in your indoors to be pushed toward the walls and windows. As such, it is common to find smoke residue along your exterior walls and window frames secondary to these temperature variations.

Particle Ionization

The particles found in smoke are generally ionized meaning they have an electrical charge which causes their attraction to various surfaces. As such, smoke will often damage the areas around different fasteners like nails and screws and create a halo which might gradually disappear.

At this time, however, the integrity of you fasteners has been compromised. In remediation, the fasteners on your building and furniture pieces are checked and might be replaced if need be to guarantee your property’s integrity and restore your furniture.

Flow Patterns

The air currents in your interiors will carry soot from your fire and deposit the residue in your ductwork or door openings. This means you will find smoke damage on areas which are far from the point of a fire that would ordinarily have suffered no effects from the fire. These include wall studs, air ducts, and framing.

Toxic Gases

Fireman putting out fire

Smoke generally comprises vapors and poisonous gases which have a significant effect on human and pet health once inhaled. Carbon monoxide makes the highest portion of toxic gases in smoke.

Hydrogen cyanide is also found in smoke and comes for the combustion of synthetics, carpets, and plastics. Phosgene is a by-product of the combustion of household products containing chlorine.

Few people understand the full impact of fire damage. They assume that property restoration after a fire is as easy as getting rid of items damaged by fire and cleaning the soot and dirt left behind.

Without professional restoration, the effects of the above elements of smoke damage will continue long after your property is cleaned. Over time, they will cause the breakdown of your property and adverse health effects.

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