Fourteen thousand people in the United States experience a water damage incident each day, and 98% of basements get damaged in their lifetime due to water. That’s a pretty high frequency of water-related incidents and alarming for a business person. It’s because water damage can create a halt on your business activities, and the repairing cost will be a burden on you.
Most water damage incidents on business premises are 100% preventable using safety measures. But it is always the negligence of humans that creates the loss. But you should be wise and prevent any situation that can create water damage to your belongings and halt your business activities. Here are eight time-tested tips for you.
Let’s begin!
- Use Insulation on Exposed Pipes
Most flooding incidents happen due to a water pipe bursting at night in winter. Water freezes due to low temperature and creates cracks in pipes. Next, water floods your premises and damages valuable things; even structural damages happen this way. You can prevent such flooding by using insulation on exposed pipes. So, water cannot flood your premises, even if the pipe gets a crack. You can find insulation tapes in every hardware store, and it’ll not cost you a fortune.
Water damage repair at commercial centers needs to be highly professional. Otherwise, the restoration of valuable properties will not be of supreme quality. In such cases, hire tested and reputed commercial services, and get things done perfectly.
- Up the Heat to Sufficient Levels
You can prevent water freezing in pipes by maintaining the premise’s thermostat at a sufficient level. It’s best to keep the heat above 50 degrees on all days during the winter. Also, you should keep replacing the batteries of the thermostat regularly. Otherwise, the thermostat can stop, water will freeze, and pipes will burst, creating a flood in your building.
- Mind Water Drainage in Gutters
Blockage in water drainage destroys interiors and exteriors of buildings in almost every case. Gutters get blocked due to fallen leaves and debris stopping the water drainage. But if you can clear out drainage problems right on time, you don’t have to pay for water damage repair. So, keep inspecting gutters in your building, and when you see any blockage, call professionals to clear everything out.
- Clear Ice from Your Roof Immediately
Your roofing material can weaken due to the accumulation of ice and snow. Often ice dams get created on roofs that prevent proper melting and drainage of ice. As a result, longer stays of ice on roofs damage the roofing material; even your roof can create cracks, and you can get water leaking during the rain. So, clear out snow every day from your roof by yourself or by calling professionals for it. Otherwise, your property will lose its value.
- Use Shutoff Valve in Case of Pipe Cracks
You have to act quickly in case of pipe bursting because water will flood the premises in minutes. In such a case, locate your shutoff valve immediately and turn it off. Water will be cut off, and you can focus on repairing pipes and removing water from your premises.
- Fill Out Cracks and Gaps
Inspect the exterior of your building closely and find every crack on it. Next, check your roof and find cracks and gaps on it. After that, you must use a sealant to fill all cracks and gaps in your building. Otherwise, water will seep through during rain and damage your building structurally. Also, make sure every crack gets sealed in your building’s heating system.
- Remember Your Valuable Items
You should know about all the valuable things in your building and have a list of them written down somewhere. So, in case of flooding, you can replace every damaged item with accuracy. Such a practice will also prevent you from emergencies in the future when you require a specific item.
Remove all people from your building in case of flooding, and try to remove as many goods as possible. So, your damage and loss can be minimized.
- Get Insurance Protection
Insurance on your building against water and freezing damage is essential because it protects you from losses. Sometimes, repairing costs become so high that you have to close your business permanently. That’s why paying a premium on insurance is far better than paying the cost of heavy damages and repairs. So, call your insurance agent and buy a coverage plan as soon as possible.
Conclusion
Statistics indicate that businesses suffer from water damages daily. Still, you can prevent your business premises by using all of the above tips and hacks. Also, remember to get insurance on your building against water and freezing damages. It’ll help you survive in the future when any unfortunate incident may happen. Moreover, hire professionals to clean your gutter and remove ice from roofs.
