Causes of Commercial Building Water Damage and Flooding

5/16/2019 (Permalink)

Water damage or flooding means to call in the professionals at SERVPRO

When you think about water damage, at first thought you usually attribute it to a massive storm. The type of storm that takes out power lines, floods your home or office, and shuts down businesses for days at a time. While most commercial water damage is often the result of floods and water that stems from weather events and storms, those are not the only causes of flooding and water damage.

You want to be proactive in trying to avoid any water damage that can possibly occur and cause a disruption or stop to your business. In knowing some common causes of workplace water damage, you can take some necessary steps to have certain things checked, inspected, and replaced where needed prior to there being an issue.   Here are some of the typical causes of water damage to commercial buildings.

Broken pipes and plumbing Just like in your home residence, if the plumbing system in your workplace fails water damage can occur. Pipes are known to bust either because they end up cracked and it is not caught in time, or simply due to weather changes. It’s common for pipes to freeze in cooler temperatures.  

Backed up sewer lines This cause of commercial water damage often catches business owners by surprise. If the sewer line to your building backs up or becomes damaged, not only can that cause flooding and water damage, but it can also be a huge health hazard. Contaminated Black Water is the result of backed up sewer lines and can cause serious health effects. Contaminated Black Water can also ruin products, office furnishings and any personal belongings kept at your office. This must be handled by professionals who have the right protection and safety equipment to go into the water and all areas affected by it, in order to treat and remove it.  

Malfunctioning sprinkler systems The older the building structure is, the higher the chances that it has outdated sprinkler systems that work in conjunction with fire protection systems. While those sprinklers can come in handy during a fire emergency, they can also cause commercial flood damage not only in the case of when they go of as needed, but also in case they go off due to being faulty or in need of replacement. This could easily damage any carpeting, ceilings, walls, inventory and business assets. 

Damaged appliances and equipment This cause of commercial water and flood damage is most common within restaurants, school cafeterias, bakeries, catering facilities, as well as any other business that has appliances and equipment that make use of water. If an appliance such as a dishwasher, refrigerator, cooler or freezer etc. fails, that will cause water to spread across and throughout your building. When this happens, especially during late or “after business hours” when there may be no one around, you may come back to work and face an extreme water emergency. Often when appliances or equipment break, the water is hard top contain and can often spray out all over, depending on the source. That can still cause water damage or flooding but can be contained more easily and kept to a minimum when someone is present at the time. Water can immediately be shut off, equipment can be unplugged, etc. but in the case when someone is not there it will result in more damage.

At SERVPRO of Burlington, we have the training, state of the art equipment, and expertise to be there for you in case of water damage or flooding. Our quick response and water extraction process will have your business back up and running again very quickly. Our highly skilled technicians get the job done right! Just give us a call at 336-379-1772. We are available for you 24/7 and 365 days a year.