For the owners of commercial and public buildings, commercial water damage results in financial losses, deterioration of reputation, and halting the cash flow from tenants and leasers. The burst water pipe situation is almost never under your control, but the water damage restoration and remediation most certainly, are.
What Causes Commercial Water Damage?
There are a number of the most popular reasons for the burst water pipe in commercial buildings.
Faulty Foundation
Any building ages and has normal wear and tear. That includes the foundation, which has a growing number of tiny cracks through which dust, water, and air start to penetrate over the years. Although its deterioration and deformations remain mostly invisible to the naked eye, they displace the pipes and may cause the burst water pipe over time.
Clogged Sewer
Water damage restoration may be necessary because of the clogged sewer. The system accumulates dirt and grease deposits over time, preventing normal sewer flow. Also, it can be clogged with anything that sewerage cannot cope with, like a large volume of toilet paper. Also, since a lot of people throw away in a toilet or garbage disposal anything that shouldn’t be there, like used hygienic tissues and products, leftovers of building mixtures, or even toys (as children may do, intentionally or not — this is a frequent situation in commercial, residential buildings), those bulky items can stop the work of the entire system in a blink of an eye.
If keeping an eye on the situation isn’t possible, the best solution would be elaborating on the list of rules of items that shan’t be thrown in toilets and putting it above every toilet in a building.
Undetected Leaks
Some pipes located out of direct sight can leak for days, weeks, months, or even years undetected. Eventually, when such commercial leak detection happens, the accumulated damage may be very high. This commercial water damage might already deeply corroded walls, ceilings, basements, floors, and other areas — in addition to a burst water pipe itself.
To prevent such water leak repair, preventive maintenance would be the best solution — and it shall be done once a year or more frequently.
HVAC Issues
HVAC creates humidity movement around the area, and some actively working units accumulate condensation on their working parts. Also, their piping system may become clogged, which prevents humidity withdrawal, which may lead not only to tiny puddles of water on the floor or brooks on the walls but to commercial water damage restoration if a large HVAC system for the entire building that has accumulated a lot of water inside or around it releases this water one bleak day, causing a little flood. Imagine this water accumulates on the roof and just starts flowing down the floors when clogged piping breaks.
What To Do If You Experience Commercial Water Damage?
When you spot commercial water damage, you shall immediately follow the steps below.
Locate The Source Of The Damage
Inspect the area for commercial leak detection to find out where the water comes from (if possible). This information will be highly useful for your commercial water damage restoration company whose specialists arrive at the site.
Shut Off Water
To prevent further demolition of the building, equipment, and belongings therein, shut off the water valves (main ones for the building and additional ones for each unit). The faster you do that, the lesser the commercial water damage will be.
Contact Your Insurance Company
To receive compensation for the water damage restoration, call your insurance company as soon as you shut off the water. Snap pictures of the damages and make their description in as much detail as possible. If you don’t know how to do that, the specialists of the Re-Store Services 24/7 Emergency Services Company, which you must contact for water leak repair, can professionally aid you with this.
Call In The Experts
After the commercial leak detection is done, contact the Re-Store Services 24/7 Emergency Services Company ASAP. The company works every day, round-the-clock, and arrives at the site of water damage restoration immediately to inspect the damages, define the remediation, and select the best approaches to it.
What Are The Risks Associated With Commercial Water Damage?
Not only does commercial leak detection lead to the need to make water leak repairs, which means direct financial losses for landlords, homeowners, or property managers — it has a number of associated risks, which we describe below.
Immediate Safety Concerns
The water that flows in places where it shouldn’t bring immediate damage not only to the surfaces that aren’t water-resistant but also makes floors slippery, downsizes the integrity of surfaces and working areas, and diminishes the structural stability of buildings.
Long-Term Health Risks
Moisture that was absorbed by carpets, baseboards, walls, and other items in the interior can lead to the proliferation of fungi, mold, bacteria, viruses, and mildew — even if the water leak repair steps were immediately taken — before all the surfaces and items are completely dried and processed for disinfection.
While people with normal health may sustain these microorganisms, children, the elderly, and asthmatic people are very vulnerable to them.
Damaged Equipment
Water primarily damages electronics, papers, goods in the stores, and other valuables, especially when directly drips on them. So, a potential loss leading to commercial water damage cleanup can be huge for offices, stores, warehouses, and a lot of other commercial places.
Financial Loss
Commercial flood damage restoration immediately causes financial losses, which are manifested in payments for the works of specialists and equipment, changing the damaged belongings and surfaces, and installing new pipes instead of broken ones.
Dealing With Commercial Water Damage? 24/7 Emergency Services Can Help!
We wish that never happens to you but if you face a burst pipe or another water damage reason, call your company for commercial water damage cleanup immediately.
These types of companies have a team of dedicated professionals with extensive hands-on experience gained from years of dealing with damaged pipes and the resulting floods. They have all the necessary equipment for plumbing work, surface drying, repair, and restoration work in the exteriors and interiors of commercial buildings.
Therefore, no matter what water damage problem you are facing, contact the experts first.
