Recent General Posts

How to Protect Your Home from Spring Thaw Flooding

3/7/2019 (Permalink)

Protect your home from Flooding

Winter is coming to an end. Time to get outside and throw away those cold-weather blues! But unfortunately for homeowners, it’s not all fun in the sun. Especially with all the rain in Southern California!

The arrival of spring has brought heavy rains and rapid snowmelt, and together they pose the risk of sudden and severe flooding. Even if you live somewhere warm – like San Bernardino County – the snow melting off of nearby mountains can raise local water levels. And we’re not just talking about rivers dramatically spilling over their banks: pooling water and elevated groundwater levels are enough to damage your lawn or flood your basement.

As a homeowner, early spring is the ideal time to take protective measures against flooding. Here are a few quick and simple steps you can take today that will save you a real headache down the road.

Inspect Your Drainage System

Most homes are built with water drainage in mind, and feature ways to route that excess water away from your foundation. These often include outdoor flood drains, but may also include indoor drains (especially in the garage, mudroom, or any other area where water is likely to enter).

Drainage systems are great, but they run the risk of clogging up with leaves, twigs, and other debris. If that happens, the water will have nowhere to go and will just backup right onto your property. Take a few minutes to visit the drainage sites around your home and ensure that they still allow water to flow freely through. If not, see if you can clear the blockage yourself, or call in a professional for assistance.

Clean Out Your Gutters

Similarly, the gutters and downspouts lining your roof are an important part of your home’s drainage system. Their goal is to catch rainwater and route it away from your home. And of course, they’re quite prone to clogging – especially after the autumn and winter months, when leaves and twigs fall from nearby trees en masse. If that happens, rainwater will just pool alongside your home and is likely to penetrate the foundation.

Cleaning your gutters and downspouts may be a relatively easy (though dirty) task, or quite the hassle. It really depends on your home’s height, how easy it is for you to access the roof, the shape of the building, and other factors. Either way, it’s well worth doing at least once or twice per year, so call in the home-cleaning service professionals for assistance.

Install a Water Alarm

Not everybody knows that water alarms (also called flood sensors) exist, but as water damage restoration professionals, we’d recommend them to just about every homeowner. These little devices work similarly to a fire alarm, in that they will alert you immediately to the presence of water and give you a chance of containing the damage before it spirals out of control. Install one in your basement and in any other subterranean rooms – water alarms typically start at only $10-$15 each, and have the potential to save you thousands of dollars down the road.

For flood damage restoration and other home/commercial services, SERVPRO of Fontana is the name you can trust. Call us today at (909) 357-4337, and let us know how we can help.

Protect Your Business in the New Year by Creating a Disaster Recovery Plan

1/8/2019 (Permalink)

Recovery Plan SERVPRO

Do you have a disaster recovery plan for your business? If you don’t, you may have no idea what to do when a fire damages your business or when a flood causes extensive water damage. If you don’t have at least an outline of what steps to take when a disaster hits, you may lose valuable time and money. Having a disaster recovery plan in place will help you focus on what needs to be done, plus it provides instructions to your employees and managers in case you’re not available when the disaster happens.

What Should Your Plan Include?

A disaster recovery plan is a document that outlines what to do in the event of a major problem that’s going to shut down your business. It needs to cover a wide number of problems, including the following:

  • Fire and smoke damage
  • Flooding and water damage
  • Mold
  • Storm damage, including flooding, hurricanes, and tornaadoes
  • Earthquake damage, if you’re in an area that sees frequent earthquakes
  • Cyber-attacks, including the loss of customer’s private financial information

These are common issues, but you should also outline responses to less common problems that affect your local area.

What Do You Address?

For each different type of issue, you need to create a response plan that addresses all of these questions:

  • What should you/your employees do immediately after the event?
  • If the event happens while the business is open, how will you protect your customers and employees who are in the building?
  • What services do you contact to begin the repair process?
  • How will you finance these repairs and pay your employees if you have to close your business for days or weeks?
  • What sort of public statement will you make? You can even draft statements for some of the more common issues or create templates to fill in.
  • If your business has to close for weeks or months, how will you continue to generate income? Will you be able to work from a temporary office, from home, or from another location?

These are just a few of the questions you need to ask. You also need to have all of the contact information on hand for SERVPRO of Fontana. Our commercial services include water, fire, and storm damage repair as well as mold remediation and disaster recovery. Contact us at (909) 357-4337 or email us at SERVPRO9656@SERVPROfontana.com to learn more about how we can help your business get back on its feet after a disaster.

Commercial Storm Damage and Cleanup

10/31/2018 (Permalink)

SERVPRO of Fontana Responds Quickly to Commercial Property Damage

We regret to report that this past year has been a devastating season for fire damage in California. As of October 2018, a total of 7,295 fires have burned an area of 1,520,814 acres, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and the National Interagency Fire Center.

Thankfully SERVPRO of Fontana has been able to step onto the scene. Unfortunately, many commercial buildings and businesses have been effected by the fire damage. In addition, there was also been wind damage, water damage, and other natural disasters, causing substantial damage in a matter of minutes. There's never a good time for disaster to strike your business. Every hour spent cleaning up is an hour of lost revenue and productivity. So if an emergency situation arises in your business, give SERVPRO of Fontana a call.

Commercial Water or Fire Damage? Call Us Today (909) 357-4337

Commercial Restoration with SERVPRO of Fontana

SERVPRO of Fontana has the staff, technicians, training, and equipment to handle large commercial damage. Whether you're in a skyscraper or a small building, we're equipped to respond quickly to any property type in Orange County, Los Angeles County, and other surrounding areas. We implement strategic procedures to restore your property to original luster.

SERVPRO of Fontana has National Resources

SERVPRO of Fontana will respond immediately to fire damage, water damage, or other natural disasters in your business, no matter how immense the damage. SERVPRO has over 1,700 Franchises with several unique Disaster Recovery Teams located throughout the U.S. to quickly respond to any large scale events and disasters.

We are proud to serve our local communities:

If you're experiencing commercial property damage, please give our team a call today! 

Call SERVPRO of Fontana (909) 357-4337

Natural Disaster - Demo in Colton, CA

4/24/2018 (Permalink)

SERVPRO of Fontana Staff - demo in Colton, CA

Natural disaster or honest accident (i.e. stove or faucet left on), it only takes one incident to leave your house or commercial building damaged. In some cases, quick-fix repairs or a simple cleanup won’t do the job, and residents and business owners may benefit from demolition. Not sure how demolition works? Here’s a sneak peek into the demo process and how the SERVPRO Fontana team gets the job done.

Suspect fire damage, flood damage, or mold? Call our team at SERVPRO of Fontana for immediate assistance: 909-357-4337

Demo in Colton CA: The Inside Scoop

Before the team starts demoing, we survey the building and structure, and assess several factors: building location (such as Colton CA), building materials, construction method, presence of hazardous material, building condition, demo purpose, and debris disposal, to name a few.

Based on our analysis, we’ll then decide which demolition method will deliver the best results. Some demolition techniques include implosion, high reach arm, crane and ball, and strip-out. To make the demo go as smoothly as possible, we remove any hazardous materials like asbestos and radioactive contaminants, illustrate a detailed demo plan, and prep the area and building.

Safety is Always #1 for Demo in Colton CA

Safety is top priority for SERVPRO Fontana. Which is why our team only wears the most effective gear and uses top-notch equipment to minimize heat stress, dust and chemical exposure. Not to mention, we remove all flammable materials beforehand and have fire equipment on site ready to put out any impromptu flame immediately. Following the demo plan, we gut the building, tearing down all structures. We then remove the demolished materials and clean up the site. A demolition job well done.

The Takeaway: Demo in Colton CA   

No matter the method, the main goal when it comes to demolition is tear down the residential or commercial building efficiently and safely to facilitate reuse or redevelopment. Having proudly served local Southern California locations like Colton CA and Sierra Lakes CA for years, you can count on our team’s expertise to handle your demo needs.

Not only does every member of our team have IIRC training and employee certification training but initial franchise training, e-Learnings, and continuing education classes as well. Have a demo project? Does your structure need storm damage restoration or fire damage restoration?

Call our team at SERVPRO of Fontana for 24-hour residential and commercial service. 

Getting your Home Holiday Ready

11/15/2017 (Permalink)

It’s in the mid November, which means, Christmas is about 5 weeks away, and the holiday season is upon us. Whether you are hosting the scariest Haunted House on Halloween weekend, feasting with family around a Thanksgiving table, drinking eggnog and singing Christmas carols with loved ones, or ringing in the New Year with close friends, you want your house in tip top shape to make those you love feel at home. With so many other plans and preparation for special holiday events, it is easy to over look the most important aspect of your party, your home.  Here are a few tips and tricks to prepare your house for the holidays:

Check Basic Appliances

Nothing can be worst then preparing a Thanksgiving dinner then realizing your oven doesn’t work as you are about to cook the turkey. This can be easily diverged with having a local handy man come and check on the upkeep and basic health of your kitchen appliances. From your oven, refrigerator, central healing/air conditioning, power, and water pressure are all key things that make a house a home and having someone come out before months of parties and families will save time and headaches of when the festivities begin.

Cleanliness is next to Godliness   

Cleaning your house is a no brainer, but having the time to do a deep clean of you house before the fun may not be in the cards. You could do basic cleaning but you know you have that one friend or relative who is going to look for the flaws in your home then say something later about it, so you will need to step up your A game. Hiring professional cleaners to come into your home will save you time, stress and always worth the money. There are plenty out there so do your research in finding a cleaning service in your price range and will give you the service you need.

Transformation Time

After you have cleaned, checked all the major house functions, you get to do the best thing next, you get to decorate your home! You get to add a touch of holiday flare that will bring the essence of the holidays to your home. Whether it’s adding tomb stones to your lawn and transforming it to a grave yard, to putting up the Christmas tree decorated with Nutcracker ornaments, adding accents of blue and silver to your Hanukkah nights, or hanging colorful streamers for New Years, this is your moment to shine. Remember to have fun and allow your creativity to shine!

Party time!

Need I say more?

The After Party

You’ve managed to throw the most memorable party of 2017. Everyone was fed, great pictures were taken that will later be posted on social media, and it was over all a great experience for you and your guests. However, as fantastic as your party was, your home is now a hot mess. The after glow of your party has died down and in the harsh light of day you see the stains, the mess, the clutter of the fun the night before. Luckily, you can bring in those trusty professional cleaners again, and maybe even a carpet cleaner to take away the mess and bringing your home back into the state you are accustomed to.

The holiday season is one of merriment, joy, fun and family, but often can lead to stress and anxiety.  Hopefully these tips and tricks will help you prepare before and after your gatherings to make life a little easier.

SERVPRO offers a wide variety of cleaning services from Carpet & Upholstery, Ceiling, Floors, and Walls, and even Odor Removal.  Call SERVPRO today for your holiday pre party and post party cleaning at (909) 357- 4337.

Why Choose SERVPRO Fontana

10/9/2017 (Permalink)

Why Choose SERVPRO of Fontata?

A family-owned company for over 50 years, SERVPRO is a comprehensive service provider offering expert fire/water damage repair, flood & mold cleanup, reconstruction, and other specialty services for residential and commercial properties alike.

Fires and floods don’t wait for regular business hours – and neither do we. SERVPRO of Fontana’s award-winning disaster cleanup and restoration services are available 24/7, including holidays.

When disaster strikes, immediate action is needed in order to protect the structural integrity of your property and eliminate biohazard risks. We pride ourselves on speedy responses to your emergency needs and a quick solution to the problem.

Our Team

Our friendly team of service professionals is highly trained in property damage restoration – from the initial and ongoing education offered by SERVPRO’s corporate training facility, to up-to-date certification by the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC).

As a locally owned franchise and community employer, SERVPRO of Fontana is proud to serve our friends and neighbors in Fontana and the surrounding areas. Let us get you back on track without delay.

Our Results

There’s no job too big (or too small) for SERVPRO of Fontana. From individual residences to large-scale corporate solutions, we’ll do what it takes to restore your property to its former glory. We can even work with your insurance directly for a stress-free claims process – saving you a headache and a ton of paperwork.

Don’t believe us? Here’s what just a few of our satisfied customers had to say…


I had a small kitchen fire that left soot and smoke damage throughout the house. Was referred to SERVPRO of Fontana by my agent. They were able to have a crew on site same day. They sent a good team of guys, very professional and accommodating. Made the whole process a breeze. I would definitely recommend them!

--- Zachary W. in San Bernardino, CA

I was very happy I selected SERVPRO to work on my home. Great work.

--- Benito in Fontana, CA

Very happy with SERVPRO of Fontana. We had severe water damage to our house late on a Friday afternoon. They showed up within a couple hours and started working right away to clean up the water. They showed up on time, every time they came to our house and were very polite and courteous. I would recommend them to anyone! Daniel and his crew were great!

--- Lynn B. in Fontana, CA

For disaster cleanup and reconstruction services from the name you can trust, call SERVPRO of Fontana today at (909) 357-4337.

Preparing Your House For Winter Weather: 5 Things You Can Do Today

9/14/2017 (Permalink)

As fans of HBO already know, “winter is coming” – and with it comes a whole new set of weather-related challenges. If you’re not ready when the temperatures drop and the snow starts falling, you could be in for a rough (and possibly expensive) time. Fortunately, a little preventive action goes a long way.

Start winterizing your home today with these quick tips:

1. Clean Out Your Gutters/Drainpipes

Gutters and drainpipes are meant to gather water from your roof and route it safely away from your home’s foundation. Ideally, you should be cleaning these at least once or twice per year, and autumn is the perfect time to do so.

As trees start shedding leaves and twigs, they tend to collect in your gutters and drainpipes and cause blockages. This may result in water building up and seeping into your walls, attic, and/or basement – which can lead to expensive repairs. And the problem becomes even worse when cold weather rolls in and that water starts to freeze into pipe-blocking chunks of ice. Spend an hour or so on cleanup today, and save yourself a world of hassle later.

2. Check Your Smoke Alarms

When it gets cold outside, we tend to crank up the thermostat and pull the space heaters out of storage. As comfy as that can be, it means the risk of heating equipment fires does increase during winter.

Take a few minutes to go around your home and inspect your smoke and CO2 alarms, ensuring that they’re each functioning properly and replacing the batteries as needed. Continue checking these every month or so throughout the winter season, and remember that the U.S. Fire Administration recommends replacing your smoke alarms entirely every 10 years.

3. Install a Door Sweep

A door sweep is a simple strip of flexible rubber or plastic that attaches to the lower edge of your (outside-facing) doors. For only a few dollars and a few minutes of your time, these can help seal the entrances to your home and stop cold-weather drafts from entering. They also provide a small amount of protection against minor winter flooding from outdoors, which is often caused by snowmelt and can be aggravated by road salt and other deicers (if you live in an area where these are present).

4. Set Up A Water Alarm

Another way to combat the risk of winter (or spring-thaw) flooding is by installing a water alarm in your home. These little-known devices are surprisingly inexpensive, and function much like a fire alarm: they quickly alert you to the presence of unwanted moisture and give you a chance to stop the problem before it spirals out of control. Place them in the most flood-prone areas of the house, especially ones where you don’t spend a lot of time and won’t necessarily see the water yourself – the basement and attic are perfect examples.

5. Have Your Fireplace Inspected

Even if you prefer the warm summer months to the chill of winter, the chance to get cozy by your fireplace again is probably a silver lining. But before you do so, it’s important to run a quick check-up, especially if you haven’t used it for many months.

Shine a flashlight up the chimney and keep an eye out for any signs of cracking bricks, crumbling mortar, or built-up debris. Check it from the outside, too, ensuring that your roof’s flashing is secure and that there are no new tree branches or other fire hazards close to the home. If you’re unsure of anything, or if it’s tricky to get up on your roof safely, you can always call in a professional for a quick inspection and possible repairs.

When you need to repair damage caused by water, fire, storms, and more, SERVPRO of Fontana is the name Californians trust most. Call us today at (909) 357-4337 and let us know how we can help.

Who is SERVPRO?

12/4/2015 (Permalink)

SERVPRO is a Franchise company with over 40 years of leadership in cleanup and restoration. Our track record of results has earned us the trust of the insurance industry, countless home owners, and government agencies.

You may be aware that your local "SERVPRO OF FONTANA" is part of a Franchise system that has been helping make fire and water damage "Like it never even happened" since 1969. But did you know that the system has grown to include more than 1,650 Franchises nationwide in 48 states? SERVPRO OF  FONTANA is just a tip of the bright green iceberg.

Wherever there is a house full of water or an office full of smoke, you can count on SERVPRO Franchise proessionals to respond quickly.

-SERVPRO 

Water Heater Maintenance Tips

12/3/2015 (Permalink)

* Before doing any maintenance on your water heater, shut off the power at the service panel.

* Once every three months, drain one gallon of water from the tank. If you have hard water, do this every month to reduce sediment collecting in the bottom of the tank.

* Once every two years, have your water heater inpected by a service technician.

* Once every five years, have a service technician replace the anode rod.

- SERVPRO