Maintenance & Prevention for Commercial Water Damage

5 min read

Water damage in commercial properties can cause operational disruptions, damaged products or raw materials, and significant property damage costs. To prevent this, commercial property owners and business owners should take necessary precautions to avoid the risk of water damage.

One of the best ways to catch issues in their earliest stages is to conduct regular maintenance and inspections with your water appliances, plumbing, drainage, and other water systems. When done right, you can have regular maintenance that prevents damage and reduces the need for a water damage company in Columbia to intervene.

Maintenance Steps That Prevent Significant Commercial Water Damage

These are some of the ways you can conduct regular maintenance. Choose the relevant solutions to your operations and facility to ensure you mitigate the risk of commercial water damage.

1. Regular Plumbing Maintenance

Your plumbing system can experience regular wear and tear. Throughout the year, pipes can experience mineral build-up, pipe freezing in the winter, and the usual degradation over time. Left untreated, it can eventually lead to leaks and other issues that get worse. As a result, leaks, cracks, and burst pipes can lead to water damage around the property.

Professional plumbers recommend plumbing maintenance scheduled at least once a year. Avoid going two years without having your plumbing checked as much as possible. Regularly scheduled maintenance can help plumbers see the early signs of damage. Treating these early signs is more cost-effective than waiting for the damage to break and disrupt your operations.

2. Make a Maintenance Plan for Your Spaces

In addition to your pipes, fixtures such as equipment, roofing, and drainage systems could be a source of water damage. These will also need maintenance, so consider creating a more comprehensive maintenance and monitoring plan to ensure these risks are less likely to develop unforeseen issues.

To create your maintenance and monitoring plan, ensure that you have someone who can conduct the following:

• • Create, schedule, and conduct inspections and preventative maintenance on your property’s systems. Plumbing and drainage systems, appliances, and other equipment have varying schedules, so having a way to keep track ensures every aspect is checked against water damage.
  • Spot and address early signs of water damage. During operations, there may be signs of water damage, such as mold growth, odors, and discoloration around your property. Even if your team is conducting regular maintenance, areas of your operations could be overlooked and can promote water damage.
  • Establish emergency protocols. In case of an unexpected incident like a burst pipe or flood, establishing protocols can help mitigate the effects of water damage. You and your staff should be aware of steps such as how to turn the water supply off, how to prevent contamination, how to keep employees safe during an emergency, and what should be prioritized when salvaging equipment or items.

3. Address Visible Issues Immediately

If you see the first signs of water damage or plumbing and draining issues, you should address them swiftly. Contacting a water damage company in Columbia for the early signs of wear or a plumber for problems with your plumbing mitigates the damage and how it impacts your workplace.

For significant leaks that lead to water damage, here’s what you should do:

• • Shut your main valve or the valve connecting your water supply to the leak’s source.
  • If any equipment was impacted by the leak, dry it immediately. If there are large spills and puddles in the room where the water damage started, try removing all the furniture for better reach when drying the property.
  • Ensure most of the area is dried off as much excess moisture as possible. There’s no telling how much moisture has seeped into the flooring and walls, so contact a professional water damage company in Columbia to handle the rest of the potential water damage.
  • Contact a plumbing professional to handle the source of the water leaks.

4. Training Your Employees

Employees, especially those in leadership and managerial positions, should know the risks of water damage and the issues that lead to it. Regular training allows them to spot the warning signs and what to do immediately and ensures their safety in unexpected emergencies. Establish policies and points of contact in case of hazardous events.

5. Protecting Your Property

For commercial and industrial establishments that are prone to or have a high risk of water damage and emergencies that could lead to it, taking the necessary precautions can minimize your losses and mitigate disruptions. Some of these best practices include:

• Installing Safety Features: Backflow valves, water alarms, water-resistant barriers, and sump pumps can be an investment that minimizes the effect of water intrusion on your commercial property.

• Reinforcing Pipes and Plumbing Fixtures: Investing in quality plumbing fixtures and then working with a credible service provider to install them ensures your pipes are more durable than the average types against wear and tear.
• Efficient Drainage Systems: Prevent flooding by ensuring your drains are clear. On top of managing your plumbing systems, ensure your drains are free of blockages that could affect how well water flows out of your property.

Restoration 1 Delivers Water Damage Cleanup in Columbia for Commercial Properties

Water damage can affect operations, revenue, and productivity in the workplace. By having these strategies ready before an unexpected accident, you can minimize the damage and downtime of plumbing issues, flooding, and other unforeseen circumstances.

However, not all signs of water damage are visible to the naked eye. Unless you know where to look, underlying and untreated water damage issues could spread around the property’s furniture, equipment, and structure. If that’s the case, contact a reliable water damage company in Columbia, College Park, and Annapolis, MD, and give Restoration 1 a call.

At Restoration 1, our emergency service response is available 24/7. Let our technicians visit your establishment, assess the damage, and recommend the necessary repairs and steps to bring your property back to its original condition.

Contact Restoration 1 today for dependable property restoration solutions in Columbia-College Park-Annapolis, MD.