What Unexpected Issues Can We Run Into During Water Mitigation At Our Nutley Drugstore?

6/22/2020 (Permalink)

Water issues at your Nutley drugstore? Call SERVPRO today, we can be there to assist.

SERVPRO Has Extensive Experience Handling Water Loss Situations Which Can Help Identify and Fix Problematic Issues

Water use in Nutley drugstores is usually minimal, apart from the restroom or a sink for your customers. However, a sudden release of water from these areas can damage your store extensively. Alternatively, pipes running through the ceiling or walls can leak, causing damages. Whatever the source of the leak, SERVPRO technicians can help you take the appropriate mitigation steps, including dealing with unexpected problems that crop up.

What should be the main priority when mitigating water loss?

Any plans created for a water mitigation exercise in your Nutley drugstore should take into account several factors:

• The possibility of damage spreading to unaffected areas
• The effects of moisture on stocked items
• Long-term effects of water exposure to the building or fixtures

Since most water spills originate from a single source point, the initial damage is mostly localized to a section of the property. However, moisture migration through absorption by building materials or evaporation through the air can spread damage all over the store. Our SERVPRO technicians consider factors such as whether the water has pooled around the floors or other surfaces. Stagnant water seeps into floor materials, evaporates, or wicks through walls the longer it remains unaddressed, complicating the mitigation process. 

Preventing the unfettered spread of moisture is crucial to avoid damage in unexpected areas of the store. Our crews can help by expediting the water extraction process since we have a wide range of extraction equipment, including self-propelled and stationery deep extractors and regular water extraction units. Another alternative is to separate the wet sections from the rest of the store, especially if there are separate rooms. We do this by setting up containment with 6-mil plastic sheets to limit air movements. 

What logistical problems can water spills at a drugstore present?

Although water intrusion into any business premises can be destructive, it is more challenging at a drugstore where the changes that develop can damage most of the items in stock. For instance:

• Medical products require a dry place for storage
• High humidity in the air can damage the product packaging
• Water intrusions and restoration processes change temperatures damaging products

Proper planning can help minimize or overcome the challenges, thus avoiding logistical problems. Our SERVPRO technicians evaluate the loss at your facility to determine what steps are necessary to safeguard your stock. For instance, we can pack out items off the shelves or other storage areas in your facility to protect them from the wet environment. Because of several small-sized items, proper packing arrangements are necessary. Our SERVPRO crews help by providing boxes for packing and tagging them correctly to indicate what they contain, among other crucial information. Such actions may seem trivial, but they make it easier to rearrange the store once the water problem is resolved. 

What technical aspects should we be aware of when resolving water damage?

Resolving water loss is expected to be a straightforward process since it only requires extracting water and drying or removing wet materials. However, some situations arise that add technical challenges to the processes.

• Aerosolized contaminants from drying processes
• Equilibrium moisture content interfering with drying
• Water reaching hidden cavities

Drying wet materials, including assemblies such as shelves, requires enhanced evaporation rates. Setting up air movers around the facility can help provide the necessary air movements for the right evaporation rate. However, air movers can aerosolize contaminants creating other problems. Our SERVPRO technicians use air filtration devices to remove particulate matter from the air, ensuring we do not contaminate your workplace in the process of restoring water damage.

The drying process depends on the temperature and humidity levels in the property. The process can stop if porous materials, including wood, attain EMC, Equilibrium Moisture Content. Although the materials are not dry at this point, they do not release moisture because the surrounding air is saturated with humidity. Failure to address this would lead to a long drawn or stuck restoration process. Equilibrium moisture content occurs at specific temperatures and relative humidity. Our technicians monitor the drying process regularly using a wide range of tools, including thermo-hygrometers and moisture meters, and vary air currents and temperature to ensure that such equilibrium does not occur.  

A tiled floor can give you a false sense of security that moisture cannot reach the sublevels. However, unsealed grout or cracks can allow such intrusion. Our crews inspect the floor with thermal cameras to ensure we do not leave hidden moisture in place, which can cause problems in the future. 

A simple water loss can lead to complicated problems if mishandled. Call SERVPRO of Nutley / Bloomfield at (973) 662-0062 to help mitigate any issue, "Like it never even happened."