Experience Files

Smoke and fire-damaged structures represent a project type that, when handled incorrectly, can quickly lead to significant liabilities. A few commonly missed steps can come back to haunt you, resulting in persistent odors, unhappy clients, and costly rework.

Critical Mistakes and How to Avoid Them:

1. Insufficient Demolition and Hidden Soot Reservoirs: A thorough initial inspection is paramount. If you don't perform a comprehensive inspection, you can easily miss large, hidden soot reservoirs behind walls, in cavities, or within structural components. If these areas aren't opened up, the soot cannot be removed. No amount of deodorizer, ozone, or chemical treatments will permanently eliminate the smoke odor, especially when confronted with the heat and humidity of summer. Always error on the side of aggressive, targeted demolition to ensure all soot-affected materials are exposed and addressed.

2. Missed or Inefficient Duct Cleaning: HVAC duct systems are notorious reservoirs for soot. A standard, routine duct cleaning is rarely sufficient for fire damage. A much more thorough cleaning is required. Always follow up with the application of duct encapsulating products. If you're dealing with fiberboard or internally lined ductwork, cleaning can often be more trouble than it's worth. Unless you plan to use a paint-on type duct sealer, removal and replacement of these sections are often necessary to guarantee odorless operation.

3. Confined Spaces: Attics with Low-Pitched Roofs: If your production team faces a physically challenging, confined space like a low-pitched attic, their thoroughness will naturally suffer. It's simply too difficult to properly clean and treat these areas effectively from a cramped position. In such cases, be prepared to drop sections of the ceiling to allow adequate access to the roof deck and framing. This seemingly larger demo scope upfront can save immense headaches later.

4. Poor Framing Spray Encapsulation: Once the structure is clean enough for spraying, the next step is critical. Wet fog the structural components with a duct encapsulant mixed with an appropriate deodorizer. Understand that deodorizer alone will not create a lasting solution to any lingering odor issue; it merely masks it temporarily. After the structure is dry from this encapsulant application, apply odor sealers, and always apply them thoroughly. Use a larger orifice sprayer to ensure a heavy, uniform application of the sealer. The standard nozzle that comes with most airless sprayers is not ideal for the heavy, consistent coverage needed for effective odor sealing in restoration.

The Golden Rule: Never Close Up a Smelly Structure

The absolute last thing any contractor wants is to complete repairs on a house, only for the client to discover it still smells like smoke upon moving back in. This is a common and incredibly costly mistake. Never allow a structure to be closed up (repaired) if any smoke odor persists. If, after all the above steps, you still have a problem, you must track down the source. For example, if the smell lingers around a window destined to be replaced, remove the window entirely and board up the opening. It's a drastic step, but far less costly than having to re-demolish newly repaired sections.

Be prepared to perform targeted demo in specific spots if necessary to eliminate lingering odors. Prioritizing thoroughness at every stage of fire damage restoration is key to delivering a truly clean, odor-free environment and avoiding significant liabilities.