Are your water bills are alarmingly high?  Is there excessive water or mold under your carpet? Do you hear running water when all your water is turned off? Your may have a leak under your home's foundation. A leak occurs under a slab when a pipeline under your house's foundation or along the walls develops a steady leak.

The water that is running out of the broken pipe under your house's "slab" may cause severe damage to your home. A home with a slab leak is a structure that has the possibility of collapsing. Slab leaks are a plumbing nightmare because they can be expensive and time consuming to fix.  

Here are some causes of a slab leak under your home:
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• Bad Pipes at the time of Construction: ​Sometimes when homes are built the pipes under the home are fitted inadequately from the beginning.  If the initial construction crew used cheap pipe fitters or inexpensive plumbing materials, then the possibility of the piping system breaking is higher with the ebb and flow of the water pressure through the years.

 

• Older Pipes: If your residence was built more than ten years ago, then there is a high chance that soil, sand, or gravel can rust the pipes and rusty pipes can burst easily.

 

• Strong or Abnormal Water Pressure: Piping is often made of copper. Small pipes that are made of copper can raise the water pressure and the pipe will just burst open. 

The experienced technicians at King's remediation, a water damage restoration company in the Palm Springs area, will locate the source of the leak under your foundation quickly and carefully. If you have a slab leak in your home, we can help! Call us today at (760) 844-2326 to receive a free estimate. You can Trust in the King!
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In just two minutes, a fire at your home can become life-threatening. In five minutes, a residence can be engulfed in flames. Here are some tips:

Create and Practice a Fire Escape Plan

In the event of a fire, remember that every second counts, so you and your family must always be prepared. Escape plans help you get out of your home quickly. Twice each year, practice your home fire escape plan.  Some tips to consider when preparing this plan include:

• Find two ways to get out of each room in the event the primary way is blocked by fire or smoke.
• A secondary route might be a window onto a neighboring roof or a collapsible ladder for escape from upper story windows.
• Make sure that windows are not stuck, screens can be taken out quickly, and that security bars can be properly opened.
• Practice feeling your way out of the house in the dark or with your eyes closed.
• Teach children not to hide from firefighters.

Smoke Alarms
A working smoke alarm significantly increases your chances of surviving a deadly home fire.
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• Install both ionization AND photoelectric smoke alarms, OR dual sensor smoke alarms, which contain both ionization and photoelectric smoke sensors.
• Test batteries monthly.
• Replace batteries in battery-powered and hard-wired smoke alarms at least once a year (except non-replaceable 10-year lithium batteries).
• Install smoke alarms on every level of your home, including the basement, both inside and outside of sleeping areas.
• Replace the entire smoke alarm unit every 8-10 years or according to manufacturer’s instructions.
• Never disable a smoke alarm while cooking – it can be a deadly mistake.

Smoke Alarm Safety for People with Access or Functional Needs
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• Audible alarms for visually impaired people should pause with a small window of silence between each successive cycle so that they can listen to instructions or voices of others.
• Smoke alarms with a vibrating pad or flashing light are available for the hearing impaired. Contact your local fire department for information about obtaining a flashing or vibrating smoke alarm.
• Smoke alarms with a strobe light outside the home to catch the attention of neighbors, and emergency call systems for summoning help, are also available.

More Fire Safety Tips
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• Make digital copies of valuable documents and records like birth certificates.
• Sleep with your door closed.
• Contact your local fire department for information on training on the proper use and maintenance of fire extinguishers.
• Consider installing an automatic fire sprinkler system in your residence.

If you have a fire in your home, we can help! Call us today at (760) 844-2326 to receive a free estimate. You can Trust in the King!
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As homeowners in the Palm Springs area, most of us use our air conditioning units during most hours from May - September.  AC units are a God-send during our hot months, but they can also be a breeding ground for mold. Mold can easily grow in an environments that are rich in moisture and organic material, and with temperatures between 32 and 120 degrees. Your heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system can provide such conditions unless you take steps to prevent moisture and mold  from accumulating in the system. Here are some tips to help prevent mold in your HVAC system:

• Replace air filters regularly - Wet and dirty air filters are inefficient at trapping mold spores and other contaminants. These particles will contaminate your HVAC system if you don’t change the filters on a regular basis, usually once a month.

    

• Keep ducts dry -  Some ducts in the HVAC system may harbor larger amounts of moisture and mold. Have your HVAC system checked to find which ducts are the most affected. Clean and fix ducts and replace water-damaged components.

 

• Maintain the drain pans - If the drain pans are not sloped and cleaned regularly, standing water won’t be able to drain through the deep seal trap and will accumulate in the drain pans. The water and microbes in the drain pans will result in mold growth.

 

• Apply an HVAC mold inhibitor - Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-registered, HVAC-approved mold inhibitors can prevent mold and mildew growth in your HVAC system. The inhibitor should be applied to all the components of your heating and cooling unit following the manufacturer’s instructions.

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• Use a disinfectant - Before applying the mold inhibitor to your HVAC system, you need to treat it with a disinfectant first. Look for an EPA-approved disinfectant that is labeled for use in HVAC systems.

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Evaluating, protecting and restoring your home after mold damage is our specialty. Our restoration pros can help protect your family from mold damage. If you have (or suspect you may have) mold in your home, call us today at (760) 844-2326 to receive a free estimate. You can Trust in the King!
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