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What to Know About Water and Commercial Buildings | SERVPRO® of Spring Valley/Jamul
10/21/2022 (Permalink)
Flood damage can have a terrible impact on your commercial business.
A pipe that bursts in the employee lunchroom, a roof leak or a sewage backup can destroy your floor, devastate inventory or possibly even close your business short- or long-term.
We have seen flooding from natural causes affect us every year. While California has overall mild weather, heavy rains often create flash floods that can be compounded by burn scars if we have experienced a recent wildfire.
With flooding from multiple sources always a threat, the more we prepare our businesses, the safer we can stay. When you are prepared, your recovery can move faster and your stress level can stay lower.
Becoming familiar with your building’s layout is a great way to prepare and mitigate water invasions. Teach yourself where water shutoffs are for both the sprinkler system and the main water in order to turn water off quickly at its source if a leak or other failure occurs.
Multiple people in your building should know where these shutoff valves are located so they can respond in a hurry if an emergency happens.
If you do experience a water event in your building, you will need to understand what kind of water is causing the flooding. This information is vital in handling the water safely.
White water: This kind of uncontaminated water comes from a plumbing failure. White water is not considered dangerous, so you can take care of the issue by yourself when flooding isn’t substantial.
Gray water. If you have a toilet or sink that overflows in a bathroom, it results in a gray water flood. This kind of flooding is contaminated but is not considered dangerous to be near.
Black water. These kinds of floods occur when you have sewage backups or a severe storm. This kind of water is contaminated and toxic. A professional should always be called to handle this, and you will need to ensure everyone stays away from the affected area.
When you respond to a water event quickly, you can mitigate your total losses. Locate and turn off the water at its source, and allow some fresh air to enter.
Open all the windows and doors around the flood, and let everyone that may come into the building know to stay away.
Once you have the immediate dangers are handled, start noting damages you can already see. Pictures will help when you talk to your insurance agent as well as be useful in the process of restoration as you decide how to better build the area so that another flood doesn’t happen.
Water damage can be harder to locate than you may realize. There may be areas of hidden damages you will need to keep an eye out for. Wet wall studs, moldy framing and buckled floors are all signs of deeper damages that need to be addressed quickly.
After water does intrude, call SERVPRO of Spring Valley/Jamul as soon as it is safe to do so. We will walk with you through the entire process of drying and restoring your business to be like new. Sanitation and cleaning can take more than a week according to the severity of the event, so stay patient.
Our team has the training and equipment to get your business back to normal as quickly as possible.
When disaster strikes your commercial property, we’ll be there to help clean up and get you back in business quickly. Reach out 24⁄7 to get started!