ICC Restoration & Cleaning Services

Hire our experts for the water damage restoration services today! With the right equipment and cleaning method we help you to restore your property effectively.

When you moved into your St. Paul home you imagined all the fun and excitement that could happen there: playing with the dog in the grass, Thanksgiving dinner with family, taking prom photos on the stairs. The last think you envisioned was gallons of dirty, disgusting, foul liquid pouring into your sanctuary.

Backed up sewers can cause thousands of dollars in damage to floors, electrical systems, walls, furniture and other belongings. And your dream home can become a nightmare. We at ICC want to offer some tips on what to do if your sewer backs up.

Why Do Sewers Backup?

The American Society of Civil Engineers report that the nation’s sewer lines are on average over thirty years old. The increase in the number of homes connected to already aging sewage systems has also contributed to rapid increases in sanitary sewer backups, flooded basements and overflows.

When storm water and raw sewage combine into the same pipeline, the infrastructure can not handle the increased stress. During many rain storms, the systems are exposed to more volume than they can handle, and sewage can spew out into basements and other low lying drains.

However, many problems are not due to age or “acts of God.” Often, it is poor decisions or home maintenance. Most homeowners may not realize that they are responsible for the pipeline between their home and the city sanitary sewer main. This “sewer lateral” is owned and maintained by the property owner.  A cracked or deteriorated lateral or one filled with tree roots can allow groundwater to seep into the system, contributing to the problem.

Protect Your Sewer Lateral and the City Main

Take responsibility for your water output. Properly dispose of grease. Cooking oil should be poured into a heat-resistant container and disposed of properly after it cools off; it will solidify 1) in the drain, 2) in your line, or 3) in the main sewer. Properly dispose of paper products: paper towels, disposable diapers, hygienic wipes and feminine products.

Maintain tree roots. Problems with tree roots in your lateral may require the roots be cut by a professional. Correct illegal plumbing connections; don’t connect French drains or sump pumps to your sanitary sewer. It is illegal to do so, and debris and silt will clog your line. Consult a plumber to correct any pre-existing illegal connections.

Finally, Install a backwater prevention valve that allows sewage to go out, but not to come back in. Use a qualified plumber.

If you experience a Sewer Backup

Get professional help immediately. ICC has a team ready at this moment! There is absolutely no way you can handle it. A sewer backup leads to disease, destruction of your furnishings, damage to your home’s structure, and electrical malfunctions. Get the technicians and equipment in the home to:

• Remove spillage
• Mop floors and wipe walls with soap and disinfectant
• Flush out and disinfect plumbing fixtures
• Salvage or remove carpets
• Repair or remove damaged wallboard
• Sterilize ductwork

Experts in St. Paul

Safety is the first concern in black water damage and ICC has the certifications, training and experience to properly restore structures and their contents while protecting the health of those who live or work there.

With ICC, you are assured of the latest in high tech inspection tools to determine the extent of damage and to minimize potential health hazards. Contact us if you experience sewage problems. For sewage damage cleanup in St Paul, visit ICC restoration and cleaning services! Our team of experts is trained and experienced with using the proper equipment to safely handle sewage water removal.

To get quick response for water damage restoration in St Paul, contact ICC restoration and cleaning services. We utilize specialized equipment to dry wet buildings two to three times faster!

Installing smoke detectors makes you feel safe from a possible fire. But don’t rely on the original units that came with your house. Fire research has demonstrated that with today’s modern furnishings, fires can spread much more rapidly than in the past when more natural materials were used. Because of this, having a sufficient number of properly located smoke alarms is essential to maximize available escape time.

The old rule of thumb was one on each level. Homes built to earlier standards often don’t meet that minimum requirement. St. Paul homeowners should recognize that detection needs have changed over the years and take proactive steps to make sure that every home has a sufficient complement of smoke alarms. We at ICC Restoration would like to offer some tips on fire detector safety.

Where to Place the Smoke Detector

Most fatal fires occur late at night or early morning, while you’re asleep. For this reason, the National Fire Protection Association recommends placing smoke detectors in every occupied bedroom, as well as on every floor. But think about how you use your home and where risks lie. Add one to the laundry room. If you have refinished the basement, install interconnected detectors downstairs, as well.

In the kitchen, place the smoke detector away from the stove to prevent false alarms. Install smoke detectors on the ceiling. If you must mount the smoke detector on the wall, it should be placed less than 12 inches away from the ceiling to accurately detect smoke or fire.

Don’t rely on detectors in dusty places, like attics, or in garages that are not temperature-regulated.

Current Technology

Consider three kinds of smoke detectors: photoelectric, ionization, or a combination of the two: a dual sensor. Photoelectric ones are better at picking up slow-building, smoldering fires, like one resulting from a lit cigarette. Ionization detectors quickly note sudden combustible fires with high flames, like a grease fire.

For the best protection and safety, go with the dual sensor. Since you don’t know what sort of fire may spark, having either type of detector still allows you the early warning time to react and take action.

Heed Those Chirps

The best detectors in the best locations only protect you if they are properly maintained; this could mean life or death! In fires in which the smoke alarms were present but did not operate, more than two of every five (43%) of the smoke alarms had missing or disconnected batteries. Dead batteries caused one-quarter (25%) of the smoke alarm failures.

Because a smoke detector constantly filters the air in your home, maintenance is crucial. Most smoke detectors come equipped with a “chirping” alert to let you know their battery is low, but stick to a rule of changing out the batteries annually, even if it’s quiet all year. Don’t be a cheapskate — reuse the “not quite dead” batteries in the TV remote before you recycle it.

NFPA recommends that you test your smoke alarms at least once a month, and replace old detectors every ten years.

Fire Damage Cleanup St. Paul

Whenever your home suffers fire damage, call ICC Restoration for advice and assistance; every effort will be made to save your valuables. ICC has the certifications, training and experience to properly restore both your structures and their contents while protecting the health of the family. 

ICC Restoration is focused on fire damage cleanup in St. Paul with as little reconstruction as possible, so property is returned to normal faster. But if reconstruction or other services are required, they can be your single source of contact to take the project from start to finish with procedures to reduce the restoration by one-third to one-half the time. In St. Paul, you can be confident in ICC’s ability to restore the structure to pre-loss condition with as little disruption as possible.

Contact ICC Restoration & Cleaning Services, if your property is affected by the storm! Whether the damage is from high winds, hail, rain or lightning, just call our experts for the storm damage cleanup in Rochester.