The speed of water

5/24/2019 (Permalink)

The carpet needs to be extracted quickly, and standing water removed, so the walls can be dried properly.

How fast is fast?

• Speed of light: 670,616,629 mph
• Speed of sound: 767 mph
• Indy car: 237 mph
• Skydiver: 122 mph
• Bobby Hull slapshot: 118.3 mph
• Aroldis Chapman fastball: 105.1 mph

But how fast is water?

If we’re talking about how fast water falls, most raindrops fall at a rate of 20 mph.  Drizzle, with its smaller drops, falls at a rate of 4.5 mph. 

Now, how fast does water go UP?

Water, whether it’s clean water from a pipe break, or raw sewage water, will wick up (be absorbed into) drywall at a rate of about 1-2” per hour.  So, if you discover water in your finished basement, or in your bathroom, and let it sit overnight, it may have wicked up 8-12” or so.  This moisture must be removed as soon as possible otherwise mold becomes a distinct possibility.

Call SERVPRO of Bedford Park/Burbank.  Uniformed crews will go to your house, extract any standing water, and begin setting up air movement equipment.  Besides the proper equipment, we have the protocols in place to quickly remove moisture from drywall, carpet, wood framing, etc., so it greatly reduces the chance that mold can colonize and grow.

Don’t delay – call today!  708-430-3600.