Water damage, whether minor or substantial, can cause serious disruption to your business operations, damage to your building and discomfort, even health risks to your employees. While the water damage caused by a severe flood or by the water used for putting out a fire cannot be prevented, there is a lot that you can do to avoid preventable water damage to your business property. Here are some tips.
Insulate Exposed Pipes
Any damage caused by burst pipes is costly to remedy, but the issues caused by the damage of the pipes exposed to freezing are also notoriously hard to detect and they might cause structural damage in the building before they get noticed. The water that freezes inside these vulnerable pipes expands and causes the pipes to burst, causing an inundation either instantly or when the water in the pipes melt.
To solve the problem, perform a detailed inspection of your building to identify all the exposed pipes, then choose suitable insulation, such as foam of the right thickness and wrap the pipes in the insulation.
Don’t Turn Off the Heating Completely in Winter
You need a certain temperature even in the unused or rarely used areas in your building to prevent water in the pipes from freezing. Make sure that the temperature in unused rooms never drops under 50 degrees Fahrenheit.
Perform Regular Gutter and Downspout Maintenance
One of the major causes of water damage is damaged gutters and drainage. Gutter pipes that are clogged, cracked, broken or sagging and downspouts that are clogged or otherwise damaged are unable to direct water away from the building, leaving rainwater or the water resulting from melting snow pouring down on the building walls and into the foundation. The excessive moisture might be absorbed into the walls and into the foundation, causing cracks as well as mold and mildew on the interior as well as on the exterior of the building.
Fortunately, the problem is easy to solve: inspect your gutters and your downspouts every six months, ideally before summer and before winter, then clean the pipes and repair any damage that you find.
Maintain Your Roof
Regular roof maintenance is essential not only for preventing roof damage and to slow down roof aging, but also for preventing water damage inside your building. Airborne debris tends to accumulate on roof surfaces and the dirt and dust also tends to absorb the moisture from the air – if the dirt is not removed in a timely manner, the prolonged exposure to dampness will sooner or later weaken the roof, causing leaks to appear. Fortunately, roof cleaning is not a difficult process, you can do it climbing on a safe ladder and using a suitable tool, such as a broom on a long stick or a device suitable for blowing the debris off the roof. If you don’t feel safe handling the cleaning, you can turn to a professional roofer to do it for you – roof cleaning services are very affordable, but they are surely valuable for any building.
Despite all these precautions, water damages are still a possibility. If your home or business suffers from flooding and severe water damage, your best bet is to contact the best water damage restoration experts you can find.
If you have other issues, typically these providers can also provide fire mitigation, mold removal and Colorado asbestos removal.