Frequently asked questions

Yes. Emergency calls are answered at any hour, every day of the year.

The Greater Toronto Area, Hamilton and Niagara, Waterloo Region, Guelph, Simcoe County and surrounding communities. The service areas page has the full list.

For the first visit, yes, so we can walk through the damage together. After that, many customers give us access and carry on with their day. Drying equipment needs to keep running whether or not anyone is home.

Often, for a clean-water loss in one area. For sewage, significant mold, or fire and smoke damage, it may be safer to stay elsewhere until cleaning is done. We will tell you which applies.

Yes. Emergency work to stop damage spreading starts on your authorisation, and you receive a written scope and estimate before rebuild work begins.

Yes. The same team does the emergency work, the drying and the rebuild.

Quickly. Drywall and wood start absorbing water within minutes, and mold can begin to grow within 24 to 48 hours in damp, warm conditions. The sooner extraction and drying start, the less has to be removed.

A small spill on a hard floor, yes. Once water has reached drywall, insulation, subfloor or the space under cabinets, household fans dry the surface and leave moisture trapped behind it. That hidden moisture is what leads to mold and rot.

Usually not for a single room. The equipment is loud and runs around the clock. If the water was contaminated, or several rooms and the kitchen or only bathroom are affected, staying elsewhere may be safer and your policy may include living-expense coverage.

We compare moisture readings in the affected materials against unaffected parts of the same building. Equipment stays until the readings match, and we keep the log.

We advise against it for anything beyond a very small spill on a hard surface. Sewage carries bacteria, viruses and parasites, and porous materials cannot be reliably disinfected. Without removal of those materials the contamination and smell remain.

In general the homeowner is responsible for the sewer lateral on their property and the municipality for the main. Responsibility for damage is a separate question and depends on the cause. Report the backup to your municipality and your insurer.

Hard, non-porous items can usually be cleaned and disinfected. Carpet, underpad, upholstered furniture, mattresses, drywall and paper goods that were in contact with sewage are normally discarded.

Yes, once the contaminated materials are removed and the structure is cleaned and dried. Odour that lingers is a sign something contaminated is still in place.

Much of it can be cleaned. Hard surfaces, many contents and structural materials respond well when the right method is used early. Porous materials that absorbed heavy smoke, and anything charred, usually need replacing.

Soot is acidic. It can discolour plastics and finishes within hours and etch metal, glass and stone over days. Early cleaning limits this.

Not until the electrical system has been checked and the smoke residue is dealt with. Fine soot particles and combustion gases linger in the air and in the ducts.

Your insurer makes coverage decisions. We provide the documented scope, and you are entitled to ask questions and to choose your own contractor.

Health Canada considers indoor mold growth a health concern regardless of type and advises removing it. People with asthma, allergies or weakened immune systems are more likely to be affected. You do not need to identify the species to know it should go.

Health Canada treats mold as a small amount when there are three or fewer patches with a total area under one square metre, and says a homeowner can generally clean that with water and dish detergent while wearing gloves, eye protection and a well-fitting N95 respirator. For a patch larger than three square metres, mold that returns after cleaning, or mold hidden inside walls or ceilings, Health Canada advises hiring a professional. Anything inside walls, and growth that keeps returning, should be handled with containment.

If you can see it, testing is not needed to decide it should be removed. Testing is useful when there is a smell with no visible source, or to confirm the job is complete. For that, an independent assessor who does not do the removal avoids a conflict of interest.

Bleach can lighten the stain on non-porous surfaces. It does not penetrate drywall or wood well, and it does nothing about the moisture that caused the growth.

For most of the twentieth century. Health Canada notes that before 1990 asbestos was mainly used for insulating buildings and homes against cold and noise, and for fireproofing. Canada prohibited the import, sale and use of asbestos and products containing it on 30 December 2018, but material installed earlier is still in place in many buildings.

Generally not, as long as the material is in good condition and nobody disturbs it. The hazard comes from fibres released into the air when a material is damaged, cut, sanded or removed. That is why testing comes before renovation and why removal is controlled.

Ontario Regulation 278/05 does not apply to the owner of a private residence that the owner or their family occupies, so the law does not stop you. It does apply to any contractor or worker you hire. Health authorities advise against doing it yourself because of the exposure risk to you, your family and your neighbours.

If the building is covered by the regulation, the owner must have an asbestos survey before arranging demolition, alteration or repair, and Ontario's Occupational Health and Safety Act requires a project owner to identify designated substances, which include asbestos, and tell contractors about them. In an owner-occupied house it is still the sensible first step.