There are multiple scenarios where water damage can be encountered by a commercial property. For instance, an overflowing water body near you or a flood from the storm might deposit gallons of filthy water over the structure’s first floor. Even leakage from pipes can result in water being collected in the spaces between the structure floors, resulting in the growth of mold and other problems in the inaccessible regions.
Despite what caused water damage, here are a few points to help you understand what to do upon finding it.
Confirm the Severity of the Damage
One of the key factors that you would want to do upon identifying the water damage signs is to evaluate the severity of the damage. However, just a check with your naked eyes isn’t sufficient to draw curtains on the problem. Water can seep through the materials of the building far from the moisture intrusion source. And all of this is done without any signs or symptoms.
You need a specialized tool to measure the moisture present in the building material, for accurate detection of the water spread.
Summon a Commercial Water Restoration Expert
If you are evaluating your commercial property and don’t have any prior experience in restoration activity, then it would be smart to consult a commercial water restoration expert to handle the job. This is because the water damage restoration work can be too dangerous for beginners with minimum to zero knowledge on the domain.
Hiring a Professional Water Restoration Experts Always Pays Off
A professional commercial water restoration expert will have the tools and experience and everything else to minimize the risks from hazards like fiberglass exposure, insulation, mold pores followed by weakened floors that might result in collapse, all of which are included in the common hazards of water restoration work. Furthermore, the expert can successfully handle the job and slack down future issues.
Drying Out the Affected Region
If you have planned on handling minor water damage yourself, then eliminating the moisture that leads to the damage is possible.
However, you might need a few appropriate tools to ensure you can dry out the area completely, like:
- Wet vacuums (to quickly get rid of the standing water)
- Air movers for extraction of humid air
- A thermo-hygrometer to track the room humidity
- Pin/Pinless moisture meters to track the content of moisture
If your structure comprises of the temperature control system, then by turning up the temperature you can prevent condensation of the water, hence enabling a faster drying-out of the affected region.
Documentation is Important
When you are undergoing an inspection and attempting to handle the commercial property water damage, ensure to keep everything documented regarding the damage, the factors leading to the damage, and the steps that might be required to solve it. It is always a wise decision to document everything because you might be required to file an insurance claim for the repairing cost, and asking for an insurance claim sans documentation might lead to denial of the claim.
How Does Having A Moisture Meter Helps?
Having a moisture meter helps as it keeps the readings stored along with the stamp of time and date, and the stored data can then be easily transferred into a report on the computer. This offers documentation about the severity of the water damage and makes the entire task of getting insurance claims easier.
These are some of the best actions to perform if your commercial property encounters water damage. While summoning a commercial water restoration expert is probably the ideal thing you can do, the following steps must help someone prevent the damage. However, if the damage is serious enough that you need to warrant an insurance claim, then you must contact an insurance claim expert for the cleaning of water damage.