Do Electronics Still Work After A Fire?

1/20/2022 (Permalink)

How fire affects electronics

Electronics are often the most expensive equipment in a business, from high-priced computers to cash registers and appliances, technology isn’t cheap. And smoke from a fire can damage electronics, even if the fire never got near them. Computers, appliances, and other devices can drive up the cost of recovering from a fire, even if an electrical fire was not the cause of the damage. 

Smoke carries soot, which is a very fine carbon residue powder that can very easily damage electronics. Even a small amount of soot has the ability to short out electronics by bridging circuits and providing an insulated covering on the heat-producing components, which will eventually lead to failure. If electronics are working after a fire, they could still have long-term damage, having all electronics inspected is essential as soot can cause corrosion and shorten the lifespan of your electronics.

If you experience a fire, after the Charlotte, NC, fire department has come, make sure to unplug and turn off all electronics before calling SERVPRO of South Mecklenburg County. 

Our team of technicians will come out and restore your Charlotte, NC, business after a fire so that you don’t have to worry. 

After experiencing a fire, many people want all new electronics, but most insurance companies won’t cover the cost to replace everything. Insurance companies know that many of these electronics can be salvaged and that the cost of salvaging is much lower than a full replacement. 

A licensed fire and smoke electronics restoration technician will remove:

• Soot deposits
• Aggressive deposits from smoke and chemical vapors (hydrochloric acid)
• Deposits from water (lime, sludge, mud) 
• Residues of chemical extinguishing powders
• Dust deposits
• Other pollution (environmental, operational, etc.)

As you can tell, fire can be very dangerous for electronics, even if they aren’t touched by the flames. Determining the extent of the damage can be difficult for the untrained eye, which is why we always recommend bringing in experts in fire restoration. Not only will they remove the damage while protecting the rest of your property, but they will also stay in contact with your insurance company to ensure the entire process moves smoothly. 

If fire damages your Pineville or Matthews, NC, SERVPRO of South Mecklenburg County is only a call away. And don’t forget, limiting the extent of fire damage is possible when you are prepared. Find out how a free Ready Profile can help save your business time and money after a disaster. Call us at (704) 840-6112 for all of your disaster needs, and remember, we are always “Faster to Any Size Disaster!”

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