What Can I Expect from Professional Water Removal in My Stockton Retail Store?

7/31/2020 (Permalink)

Leaking water could cause slips and falls in your store and this could lead to more trouble for you and your store. Contact SERVPRO today.

Count on Clear Communication and Diligent Work from the Stockton SERVPRO Team When You Need Safe and Efficient Water Removal Services at Your Retail Establishment

Most everyone has experienced a minor water issue and come out the other side a little wetter but wiser. But when a supply pipe for an entire strip mall ruptures in the hallway outside of your Stockton shop, you have a severe water catastrophe on your hands. A few towels and some grunt work with a bucket and mop cannot make thousands of gallons of water disappear. You need help from a local company with scalable water removal resources.

Where Do I Even Start When My Whole Store Is Nearly Underwater?

Start by calling a reputable water removal service to facilitate water removal from your Stockton retail store. A water crisis of this severity needs professional inspection and intervention. The sooner you welcome trained and well-equipped technicians to your shop, the better for the most successful outcome. The quantity of water involved is considerable, and you need commercial-grade equipment along with the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC)-trained operators. Building management or cleaning crews you regularly contract with will be overwhelmed with the damage and cannot help avert the severity of the potential long-term damage.

What Do Professionals Need to Inspect? The Water Is Everywhere And Obvious to Anyone--What Needs Assessment?

The first phase and following stages of a commercial water removal project are laid out for our IICRC-trained SERVPRO team as follows:

• Provide for the health and safety of technicians and occupants
• Document conditions and work procedures
• Mitigation
• Drying
• Cleaning and repair

Ensuring the safety of property occupants and technicians is essential. The time we take to note the conditions and plan the project is time well spent. It holds you, your employees, and your customers safe and ensures we prepare for every contingency, removing water in all its forms wherever it migrates. Leaving any water behind exposes your store and its contents to progressive deterioration and the risk of secondary damage such as mold growth?

What Things Do Professionals Seek to Identify in a Safety Assessment?

Water, especially standing or moving water contained in your store’s space after a massive pipe rupture presents many dangers. Professionals are vigilant not only for the inconveniences and disruption water removal in your retail store can cause but also against risks that can injure individuals or are even deadly:

• Water can cause slip, trip, and fall incidents
• Water collected in confined spaces and hidden recesses must be removed, but the effort can be dangerous and precise planning can avert harm
• Water increases the conductivity of electricity and can shock or even electrocute 
• Water breaks down highly permeable materials, and that disintegration can expose biohazards such as asbestos and lead
• Water, even if it starts as relatively clean, picks up and supports the multiplication of contaminants over time, including molds and pathogens
• Water collects in building cavities, eventually causing a structural collapse that can cause injury and destroy contents

How Do Disaster Company Crews Control the Safety Issues Posed by Water Damage in a Commercial Space?

Our capacity to meet your retail water removal needs is scalable. As we work through the initial plan, adaptations make it move responsive to your situation. We use commercial grade water removal equipment, positioning submersible pumps at the onset. We have multiple truck-mounted extractors available, each able to lift and move 36,000 gallons of water a day. Removal also requires:

• Scoping for trapped water with infrared imaging, moisture detectors, and moisture meters
• Careful removal of the hidden fluids to avoid structural collapse and ensure no moisture remains, which can involve controlled demolition:
• Holes drilled or cut in drywall or mortar joints (cinder block construction) to release fluids
• Weep holes punched in bulging paint or wallpaper, or ceiling tiles before their removal 
• Flood cuts made parallel to the floor and several inches above the waterline

Note: the above controlled demolition aids in effective drying as well

• Containment of contaminated water and disposal as required by local laws
• Cleaning and disinfecting of surfaces with EPA-registered products
• Drying of excess moisture-containing spaces, including confined cavities, using scalable numbers of:
• Air movers
• Heaters
• Dehumidifiers -- evaporative or desiccant types, or both

If the Water Removal Efforts Alters Structures, Who Can Repair the Damage?

Our construction division helps perform the controlled demolition appropriately. We also have all the skills and tools to build back damaged materials “Like it never even happened.”

SERVPRO of Stockton is ready to assist commercial customers with water removal needs fast after catastrophic events. Please call us at (209) 477-3090 to schedule a prompt assessment and plan to get your store back to business.