Protect Your Small Business From Water Damage

A simple burst pipe or other water-related mishap can be financially devastating for a small business. When a business must close for days to repair the damage, lost revenue can spell ruin. If repairs aren’t taken care of promptly, they can lead to costly mold and structural repairs.

If your business experiences a water-related incident, you’ll need to act quickly to mitigate the damage. Small business insurance can also play a crucial role in lessening the financial impact. However, it’s best to prevent such occurrences from happening in the first place. Use these tips to protect your Idaho Falls business from flooding and freezing damage, and rely on Restore Rite for immediate support.

Insulate From the Cold

When temperatures drop during the winter, especially at night, exposed pipes are vulnerable to freezing. Plummeting temperatures or cold drafts can freeze water inside a poorly insulated pipe, creating pressure and ultimately causing the pipe to burst. Be purposeful about programming the thermostats; maintaining insulation, and managing exterior doors and truck bays.

Snow and ice accumulation on your business’s roof can result in weakened roofing materials and create “ice dams,” that prevents melted snow from properly draining. Regularly remove snow and ice from your business’s roof to prevent structural damage. Know your roof’s load-bearing capacity, and periodically check to ensure its weight limits.

Inspect Gutters and Drains

Fallen leaves and other debris in gutters and downspouts can lead to water damage to the exterior and interior walls of a building. Regularly inspect your business’s gutters, downspouts, and drainage system, and remove any debris or buildup. Have gutters professionally cleaned on a regular basis to ensure water is draining properly and away from the building. 

If the parking lots direct water toward the building, engage an engineering firm to reroute excess rain to city storm sewers

Utilize Leak Detection

Undetected leaks can cause just as much damage as a storm or flood. Leaks can come from a wide variety of sources including damaged windows, malfunctioning sump pumps and HVAC problems.

Severe damage can occur until these are detected; even a small amount of water can promote unhealthy mold and mildew growth in the right conditions.  Few businesses, facility managers, and property owners are actually monitoring for leaks. 

Monitoring can include spot sensors as well as cable-style sensors that can be placed on the boundaries of a room or facility.  A more sophisticated system can alert you (or the facility manager) of leaks.

Locate Your Shut-off Valve

If a pipe breaks, you’ll need to act quickly so know (and share) the location of the main shut-off valve for your building’s water supply. Shutting off the main valve will temporarily cut the flow of water to the building, preventing flooding until you are able to fix the problem.

Protect Your Business With Insurance

It’s important to be financially covered in the event that you do experience water damage. When it comes to small business insurance, the details of your coverage matter:

• Many commercial property insurance policies will cover the cost of pipe breakage but will exclude damage from flooding, groundwater, and backed-up sewer lines. 
• Your insurer will consider the source of the water when you make a claim and decide whether you’re covered. 
• You can ask your insurer to add a rider, or an endorsement to your policy to extend coverage to hazards that are excluded from your policy to ensure your business is protected.

Water Damage Cleanup Idaho Falls 

When your business suffers water damage, call Restore Rite. They are available 24 hours a day to clean up minor or major disasters in and around Idaho Falls, Idaho. Whether your water damage came in the windows, a broken pipe, or a hole in the roof, you will need experienced help to get your facility open for business.

When a local store, facility or office calls with a water emergency, the team responds immediately. Experts assess the amount of damage and then create a plan of action to restore the property as quickly and efficiently as possible. Call us for help for your business in Idaho Falls, Idaho.