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Top Causes of Commercial Water Damage in CT
12/28/2021 (Permalink)
If commercial flooding or water damage strikes your property in CT, our team has all the training and resources to immediately respond.
Flooding or water damage in commercial buildings in Connecticut can have severe consequences. Building materials can be damaged, inventory or supplies can be ruined, and mold can begin to grow within 48 hours and cause even more issues.
However, many of the common causes of commercial water damage can be avoided with proper inspections and maintenance. Here, we'll review the top causes of commercial water damage in Connecticut to help protect your commercial property from a loss.
Roof
According to Chubb, roofs are one of the most common causes of water damage in commercial buildings, making up 15% of all commercial water damage claims. If you notice water stains on ceiling tiles, you're likely dealing with some sort of roof leak.
There are many ways your roof can cause water leaks and damage, such as:
- Blocked gutters or lack of roof drainage
- Unchecked roof damage causing leaks during heavy rains
- Damage from heavy snow or ice dams
In order to help prevent commercial water damage from your roof, make sure that it is routinely inspected, damages are promptly addressed, and that excess snow and ice is removed.
Toilets
When toilets malfunction or water supply hoses fail, they can cause severe damages and affect multiple levels of a building. Toilets are the other leading cause of commercial water damage, also making up 15% of all claims.
However, there are proactive steps that can be taken to prevent toilet water damage. Routinely inspect water supply hoses to toilets and make sure that they're replaced every 3-5 years, as after this time they are more likely to fail.
Fire Sprinklers
Making up 14% of all commercial water losses, fire sprinkler systems can cause serious damage to your property. If they malfunction, they can go off on their own and flood the entire building. If temperatures drop low enough in the winter, the water pipes can freeze and burst.
Lastly, in the event that your commercial property has a fire, the sprinkler system working property can also cause considerable flood damage.
To help avoid flooding from your fire sprinkler system, make sure that is inspected and tested, and that the pipes are property insulated to prevent them from freezing.
Vacancy
When a property or an area of a commercial building is vacant, owners or property managers should be sure to properly winterize or prepare the space of vacancy. This is because it's likely for flooding or water damage to go unchecked in vacant commercial properties until it's too late.
When you're dealing with a vacant commercial property, make sure that the water is turned off or a leak detection system is installed, that pipes are properly insulated to prevent them from freezing, or not turning off the heat if the other prevention tips are not possible.