KARBON CLEANING Restoration/Cleaning and ... - MyHammer

2Mysterious damp patch keeps appearingA customer had suffered with aleaking flat roof earlier last yearwhere upon the restoration specialistattending site under took repairs andthe drying operations, however adamp patch kept coming through onthe ceiling, and the specialist wentback dried the area/stain blocked andpainted over. This went on for severalmonths with the specialist goingbackwards and forwards time andtime again, upon attending site wefound the a water tank (un-lagged)had a small split caused be the earliercold snap and was slowly drippingonto the flat roof area exiting throughthe ceiling below.Are you sure of what’s occurring at site?Under Cover CleanerRecently I decided to look at thecleaning sector in depth and went foran interview to become a High Networth Residential cleaner and wasaccepted and that I would be trainedby their high quality cleaningspecialist. Upon attending my firstdays training I was met by agentleman whom was self-employedby the company and had been withthem three months, he told me his lifestory that he had come to England 5months ago and was still waiting to bepaid by the company.To my horror the gentleman producedthe equipment for us to use, thisconsisted of a small Dyson cylindervacuum cleaner and a large bag of halfused cleaning materials (includingBleach) he then stated that any cleanermaterials found at site that we shouldacquire (pilfer) as he has to supply hisown materials. He then mentioned thatwe could reach the high areas byclimbing up the bookcases as he hadno steps. When I questioned him abouta risk assessment he stated “what’sthat” It was then I left site.Nottingham IncidentWe were contacted by a concerned customer regarding one of their properties (2bedroomed House) of which they let out privately. In December 2010 an escape ofmains water occurred in the bathroom area (plastic to copper push fit connector)this was not discovered for some time and led the property heavily affected by theescape. A Flood restoration specialist was activated upon they installed dryingequipment, however they left all the wet carpets/underlay in situ but moved tohousehold contents into the bedrooms upstairs (upon the of the wet carpets).The interior structure was of a timber frame construction with dry lined walls(insulated) this was painted in an eggshell finish. However this was not noted bythe restoration specialist at the time of his arrival. We were called in to undertakean inspection after the structure was found surface dry and the remedial workshad been undertaken to rebuild the property. As he was concerned with the newfitted kitchen as it was moving out of place. Upon of our inspections we found thatthere was trapped moisture within the timber structure and that mold had beganto take a hold throughout of the property, the content were also mold infestedwere they had been put onto the wet carpets, no attempts had been undertakento break the surface of the eggshell paint finish to let the trapped water escape.The ground structure was shrinking back after the escape (slowly) under its ownnatural ways thus the newly fitted kitchen was fitting with the structure to find itsown equilibrium. The whole structure will require to be opened up to see theextent of the mold growth and inspect the timber frame work, this can then betreated and the structure re-built/decorated so that the property can be re-letwith no possible health hazards to the new tenants. What should have been astraight forward job has now become a Insurance Companies nightmare.

2Are Homes @ RiskLondon IncidentSix years ago a serious Fire broke out in a high net-worth property this affectedthe flat directly above with thick acrid smoke, the insured had a lightdecontamination by a restoration specialist as instructed by the Loss Adjuster,then they were removed from the job. The approved building contractors wereinstalled and undertook the remedial works, however they never used a stainblocker or exposed any of the voids/dry lined walls. All works were halted by theinsured as he had concerns about the smell of smoke and bitter taste on his lipshe was worried about one of his children as they were asthmatic. Anunbelievable six years on he is still temporary accommodation with his familyand the property ins inhabitable. I have been involved with this site for manyyears and highlighted to all parties that the voids should have been opened upsix years ago. Upon recently attending site we opened up some of the voids andfound heavy carbon/smoke residues trapped inside. The client is now pursuinglegal actions with all parties concerned before any decontamination processesare undertaken.Upon attending site at aproperty that was in theprocess of dryingoperations being carriedout we noted severalissues.a. Heavy industrialdehumidifiersconnected into 4gang extensionleadsb. Desiccantdehumidifiersvented throughopen windowsc. Equipment notPATs tested nosign of test labelsPAT’s Testing keeping the costs downSpeed is of the essence regarding electrical equipment affected by water and fireresidue’s with most restoration specialist taking them to their unit’s and waiting for aspecialist to collect them for cleaning and testing thus rendering the item beyondrestoration. We attend site, itemize, photograph, document and assess/test andclean/wrap and leave with the insured in a clean area or for them to put into storage.

2KARBON CLEANING140 Hanworth RoadHamptonTW12 3ey0208 2875529Dav.tucker@yahoo.co.ukWe are here to helpKARBONCLEANINGServices we offerInitially were are an Independent Advisory service but we also offer restorationremedial and cleaning services regarding structure and household contents. Allworks are undertaken directly by us with no involvement of self-employed oragency staff. Our commitment is directly to you the customer and what we reportis correct at the time of our visit.Our prices are very competitive and hard to beat by other contractors, please feelfree to contact me to discuss further.Final CommentsRestoration is not a first aid process with a cheque at the end of the job, it is anart and must be delivered in a manner that derives quality and value for money toall parties. Most of all is the understanding of the parties experiencing theincident are part of the process and that the restoration specialist is an extensionof the Insurance Company, Loss adjuster or claims handler.David TuckerKARBON CLEANING140 Hanworth RoadHamptonTW12 3ey