5/6/2022 (Permalink)
Perhaps surprisingly, window damage claims make the list of top commercial property damage claims. This type of damage can occur due to storms, high winds, or hail and doesn't necessarily involve shattered glass. Structural or seal damage to window and fenestration systems are often overlooked since they're not readily apparent. Speak with an experienced attorney to make sure you're not omitting window damage in your claim.
5/6/2022 (Permalink)
Storms are the most common cause of roof damage, as strong winds, down-pouring elements, flying debris, and falling trees can impact the structure of a building's roof. It's not uncommon for insurance providers to deny roof damage claims by arguing that the roof was old, that the damage was a result of normal wear and tear, that it was built from known risky materials, or that the business owner in some way caused the damage.
4/21/2022 (Permalink)
Many events can cause water damage in your business, such as:
4/21/2022 (Permalink)
Commercial water damage is one of the most frequent and expensive claims small businesses face. When it comes to your business and water damage, it doesn’t take much to face a costly claim. In fact, our data shows that about 75% of losses come from leaks related to:
4/21/2022 (Permalink)
From finding the source of water and starting the restoration process to filing a claim with your insurer, there are steps to follow that are critical to mitigate the damage.
4/21/2022 (Permalink)
Your commercial property insurance won’t cover every type of water damage claim. For example, if your business property gets damaged from flooding, your commercial property coverage likely won’t help. That’s why it’s a good idea to get different types of insurance to help protect your commercial building from water damage.
12/11/2020 (Permalink)
Water damage can cause your business to close indefinitely. SERVPRO has the expertise to get your business up and running quickly.
How to Prepare Your Restaurant for Water Damage Recovery
Restaurants throughout the Northern Virginia area are plentiful, so you need to work continuously to set your business apart from the competition in the area. While part of this comes from your commitment to providing your customers with top quality food and service, it is also about how quickly you can respond in the face of adversity. When situations like water damage occur, you need to work fast to prepare the property for restoration – even if it is out of your skillset to perform it.
With how quickly emergencies like water damage in a Restaurant can get out of control, you have much more than your building to protect. In addition to structural concerns, you have the investment that you have made in the food and supplies to consider, as well as the foot traffic of your loyal customers. Even without the ability to handle widespread water loss as our SERVPRO professionals can, there are steps you can take to prepare your property for restoration work to come.
12/10/2020 (Permalink)
Mold Damage in Your Northern Virginia Business Is No Need to Panic
Much hype exists in the media about the dangers of mold, leading to your need for a fast fix if an infestation manifests in your commercial space. We have the certification to offer professional mold remediation services and are happy to evaluate your scenario and discuss the process from start to finish. Our crews master the techniques during the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) training. We also invest in the equipment needed to abate mold growth efficiently and safely.
Avoid Long-Term Shutdowns
Every minute your business is on hold because of mold damage, your customers lose access to your products and services. We are sensitive to this issue as statistics bear out that nearly half of companies that shut their doors even temporarily because of a disaster might not reopen. When our project manager arrives, we discuss ways to partition off the moldy area safely and according to local ordinances. Permitting you to operate in at least a portion of your commercial building with as few limitations as possible during mold remediation is a priority. We also make every attempt to find and help arrange to eliminate the water source fueling the mold growth.
Adherence to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Protocols
Containment
Our Applied Microbial Remediation Technicians (AMRT) follow the procedures developed by the EPA for commercial buildings and schools. After we locate and determine the dimensions of the mold outbreak, the SERVPRO team partitions the affected space off from the rest of your business. Heavy-duty sheeting defines the perimeter. We then use negative pressure air scrubbing technology for two purposes. First, it seals the partitioned spaced, preventing drift. Second, it pulls airborne contaminants, including spores and other moldy residues, through HEPA filters, exhausting the air to the outside.
Removal
Scraping and brushing remove active mold colonies from solid surfaces. SERVPRO also works hard to save porous materials with innovations like soda blasting. Through gentle abrasion to agitate and dislodge the surface mold, the soda also inhibits the rebound of mold growth. Vacuuming and wipe-downs ensure we collect all debris for appropriate disposal as hazardous waste.
Disinfection
To inhibit mold regrowth, SERVPRO applies EPA-registered antimicrobials to affected areas. We might consider the use of disinfectant-infused sealers to provide a barrier and a smooth, mold-free surface for refinishing.
12/9/2020 (Permalink)
Reducing the Threat of Mold
Almost everything in your entire Park Slope café is organic, meaning that the entire assortment of items remains susceptible to mold and microbial threats. The fastest route for these colonies to start in your business is poor ventilation or a botched cleanup and drying of a water loss incident that occurred in recent weeks. Water damage does not always dry up on its own, and lingering effects can feed mold spores naturally occurring in the environment to encourage them to seat and spread on surfaces.
You might not realize that mold damage in your business has started until it has spread to the point of concern. Your customers are a primary focus here, and you need professionals that can assess the risks and determine if containment and remediation can allow you to keep your doors open. Because of how many coffee shops and cafes are in Northern Virginia alone, we understand how important it is to get back up and running at full capacity as quickly as possible.
Reaching out to our SERVPRO team is reaching out to a team of qualified and well-trained technicians accredited through the standard-setting Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC.) For remediation alone, we have certified Water Restoration Technicians (WRT), Fire and Smoke Restoration Technicians (FSRT), & Applied Microbial Remediation Technicians (AMRT). With the strict regulations and codes for mold remediation and construction work, professional services are a must.
Content management is critical to protect much of the furniture in the outer-lying areas of the damaged zone. We can move wooden furniture and other susceptible materials and items to a safer space while the mold region gets sealed off with thick, 6 mil plastic sheeting. Our remediation contractors can determine if drywall, flooring, and other fixtures must get removed before we deploy our effective colony removal strategies like media and soda blasting.
The discovery of mold requires a fast response from our SERVPRO team. We have effective containment strategies and tactics to stop the spread of the organism while we get to work on the necessary steps to remove the colony entirely.
12/8/2020 (Permalink)
Removing Flooring Flood Damage in Northern Virginia
According to the NFIP, businesses comprise only 5% of flood policies as of August 2019. While it could be tempting to cut costs, losses incurred by flooding can lead to more than just long-term damaged structures. Without professional mitigation, local businesses can lose significant amounts of revenue.
If your Northern Virginia business has suffered flood damage, IICRC-certified SERVPRO technicians are available to help you 24/7. Disasters do not always occur during regular business hours, so this team strives to help small business owners restore structures and get back to business as usual. Your local SERVPRO is actively involved with beneficial organizations like CERT, the American Red Cross, and many other drives and charities that seek to improve the community.
Assembling a Small Business Disaster Supply Kit
• Pack battery-powered essentials such as flashlights and radios to monitor disasters and navigate more safely.
• Keep a stock of non-perishable foods, including canned goods and calorie- and nutrient-dense granola and energy bars, as well as disposable utensils and a manual can opener.
• Make sure there is a gallon of water per person per day in your kit.
• Mylar blankets are another must-have in the event of the flooding-related disaster at your business.
• Personal hygiene items and first-aid materials are a must-have in your disaster supply kit. Be sure to have garbage bags handy to dispose of trash and maximize sanitation.
Keep emergency numbers and procedures available throughout your facilities, and go over evacuation routes and procedures with your employees to maximize safety for both your staff and customers. If you have special needs employees or clients, include special accommodations for them in your planning.
How SERVPRO Restores Businesses
If you have over 2 inches of standing water in your business, technicians can deploy submersible pumps to suck up water fast. Technicians can then use extraction wands to remove moisture in surfaces and wall cavities and prepare the space for disinfection and drying. Carpet and pad need to be removed from the facility to maximize safety.
If your business keeps porous merchandise, these items may require removal as floodwaters contain microbes and other contaminants. If you need mold remediation after a flood, this SERVPRO team is licensed to address mold with EPA registered antimicrobial cleaners .
12/4/2020 (Permalink)
Common Issues with Commercial Flood Damage in Your Businesses
Commercial flood damage has the potential to shut down a business if it is not correctly cleaned up. Numerous factors affect the outcome of the restoration and how rapidly it can reopen.
When SERVPRO technicians help local businesses experiencing commercial flood damage, the technicians work to not only get the company reopened as quickly as possible but also to save the property owners from the cost of replacement and repair through their restoration methods.
Saving Stock From Cross-Contamination
In almost any business, stock and equipment are significant investments. When they are on-site during flood water cleanup, SERVPRO technicians take careful measures to protect unaffected areas on the premises from cross-contamination from pollutants in the groundwater. This may include actions such as sealing off the loss area with plastic, coving HVAC vents, and in some cases, pack-out of undamaged items to a secure location until mitigation efforts complete.
Mold is a Threat
The high humidity of a flood loss structure makes an ideal breeding ground for mold colonies, and airborne spores can germinate and begin to spread as fast as 24-hours. SERVPRO technicians have a mold remediation certification and know the early warning signs of a mold infestation as well as proactive treatments to inhibit growth.
Common Losses Seen with Groundwater Damage
Even half-an-inch of groundwater leaves behind significant flood damage. Industrial carpet and tiles tend to be adhesive-backed and often delaminate in the presence of extended exposure to water. SERVPRO technicians remove items with too much damage for restoration and carefully note the condition along with photos. This attention to detail is part of a report created to assist property owners in filing insurance claims to expedite reimbursement.
Sheetrock wicks water rapidly, and once it has warped or buckled, it requires removal. Technicians measure to the water-line and cleanly cut several inches above it to halt any further damage and open up the wall cavities for complete drying.
12/3/2020 (Permalink)
You can count on SERVPRO’s experienced professionals to eliminate water damage on your property. Call us today.
With the high volume of traffic that your franchise eatery receives every day, you need fast and reliable water restoration.
Natural disasters and accidents that impact your Northern Virginia restaurant's productivity and operation are rarely situations that employees and property managers can handle on their own. Broken sprinkler heads, damaged sink fixtures, or broken pipes in the walls can cause substantial water damage to the building. How these conditions get addressed can often be a difference in whether your facilities can stay up and running after a loss or if the doors to your restaurant must close temporarily for professional water restoration companies to complete their recovery.
Because water damage repair for Northern Virginian restaurants can encompass so many individual tasks, each approach for compromised businesses varies based on the circumstances and structure's layout. Certain fundamental mitigation steps are the centerpiece of our initial activity, but even these approaches get tailored to specific situations. For example, controlled demolition might not be necessary for most metal frameworks in wall systems. However, older franchise restaurants might still feature wood framing in the walls that could become overly damaged with exposure.
What Water Mitigation Services Must Occur?
Even with a fixation on cleaning and restoring a damaged property after a water disaster, your restaurant depends on the initial mitigation and emergency services our SERVPRO team provides. Applying some of these actions immediately can keep your facility open in some capacity, allowing you to continue serving customers while restoration, cleaning, and drying continue. Mitigation involves several quick approaches, including:
What Materials Are Affected by Standing Water?
No matter where the bulk of the damage exists in the restaurant, from the kitchen and food prep areas to the dining portion of the building, our contractors and restorers' response remains the same. Understanding what materials are the most likely to become damaged by the presence of water ensures that the appropriate drying and cleaning occurs promptly to reduce tear-out.
Is Mold Possible?
If mold exists because of the water damage situations in your restaurant, it could welcome several immediate health and safety concerns for your patrons and staff. When water damages exist, our SERVPRO professionals work quickly to limit the spread and treat surfaces with antimicrobial solutions when possible.
12/13/2019 (Permalink)
Unfortunately, water damage events are never scheduled. They typically occur at the most inconvenient time.
Because it is your business, quick response is critical in AVOIDING:
That's where SERVPRO® of McLean, Annandale-Falls Church, South Arlington professionals come in to help you get back to business quickly.
DO:
DO NOT:
12/13/2019 (Permalink)
Here are four tips from various South Arlington landlord and property manager resources to get the conversation started:
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12/13/2019 (Permalink)
Freezing or Bursting Pipes
One of the most common causes of damage to commercial buildings during the colder months is freezing and bursting pipes. As a building owner, there are measures you can take to prevent pipes from freezing; however, sometimes the worst happens anyway. If it does, the result can be thousands of dollars of damage to your building, furniture, electronics, and other business property.
Following are a few tips on protecting the pipes in your building from winter’s worst:
Winter Runoff
As winter begins to recede, the risk of damage from freezing pipes fades with it. However, melting snow and ice bring a new concern for building owners—flood damage to property resulting from the runoff of the melt. In many areas of the country, snowmelt is a greater threat for flooding than any other source. The bad news is that flood resulting from melting snow and ice is still considered a flood and, therefore, may not be covered by standard commercial property insurance.
Damage from Ice, Sleet or Snow
Ice, sleet and snow can be incredibly destructive to your property. They can be the source of damage or amplify existing damage—for example, ice getting into a crack in a wall. Unfortunately, damage caused by ice, snow and sleet are not covered by most standard commercial property insurance policies. While some policies will cover damage resulting from the abrupt collapse of a building’s roof under the weight of ice, snow or sleet, others will not.
Protecting your building from harsh winter conditions takes a great deal of preparation.
12/13/2019 (Permalink)
When a fire breaks out at your business, you won’t have time to sit down and research what to do. You’ll be busy trying to get everyone out and grabbing important documents amidst all the chaos.
That, along with many other reasons, is why your business in Plant City, Lakeland, Winter Haven, and nearby central Florida areas needs to have a fire safety plan in place before a fire starts.
Why a Fire Safety Plan Should be a Top Priority
Running a business takes time and money, so it’s tempting to put administrative items on the back burner until you have time to get to them. However, you need to address a fire safety plan sooner rather than later.
Without a plan in place, you could be setting yourself up for even more of a disaster, including employee lawsuits and other liability issues. You also need to be cognizant of what could cause a fire in your business. A restaurant obviously has fire dangers in the kitchen, whereas a tech company could have equipment that overheats, and a retail store could have other issues arise.
Employee Safety is Key During a Fire
It’s vital to ensure that your employees will be safe in case of a fire. During storm season, it’s possible that a fire could break out due to a lightning strike. Fires start with no warning and most people will react with a flight response, running out of the room.
Without a plan in place, they may run to the wrong area of the building and there is no way to keep track of which employees went where or if they got out safely. In other words, during a disaster is not the time for employees to learn proper procedure. Instead, create a plan and make sure each employee has knowledge of what to do in case of a fire.
HOST QUARTERLY FIRE DRILLS AND MAKE SURE FIRE SAFETY TRAINING IS PART OF NEW EMPLOYEE ONBOARDING.
What Your Fire Safety Plans Should Include
Any business, small or large, should have a fire safety plan in place. There are many elements that go into ensuring a successful fire safety plan, which include:
What to Do After Fire Strikes Your Business
After you begin to pick up the pieces when a fire strikes your business, it’s important to quickly address the fire damage that has happened. Restoring fire damage is vital to ensuring the building structure and items inside can be salvaged. Contacting a company such as True Builders to assist with the fire damage restoration process should be one of your first steps.
12/13/2019 (Permalink)
Water damage in the workplace may not only prevent you from doing business. It can also put the health and safety of your employees at risk. The moment you spot signs of commercial water damage, it’s important to take action immediately.
Commercial water damage restoration is often more complex than residential water damage restoration and usually requires an intensive approach. The size and structure of commercial buildings, the extent of damage, the varying uses of space, and the number of occupants all affect the restoration process. Aside from these, there’s usually always a time constraint for the job because business has to continue as soon as possible.
While some water damage issues are inevitable, most problems can be prevented when the cause of water damage is found earlier.
In this post, we’ll talk about the most common causes of water damage in commercial properties and how to deal with them.
CAUSES OF COMMERCIAL WATER DAMAGE:
DAMAGED WINDOWS
In commercial buildings, water damage is often caused by windows that are not properly sealed. Damaged windows can cause moisture to seep in, which triggers a lot of problems including mold build-up and warped wood and drywall. Resealing windows regularly is important as caulk can break down over time.
DAMAGED PIPES
Broken pipes can stem from many reasons, such as changes in pressure, deteriorated water supply lines and sewer drains, and cold weather (freezing temperature can cause pipes to burst). Bulging walls, water stains on walls or floors, cracked or loose tiles, and musty smell – these are all signs of damaged pipes. Detecting leaky pipes is challenging and it usually requires some specialized water leak detection equipment.
BUILDING FOUNDATION
If gutters are not cleaned regularly, they can get clogged, causing water to leak into the property through the roof or the foundation. One of the most common signs of leaks in building foundations are puddles nearby or framing that has become wet. Poor drainage systems can also lead to water damage in your foundation.
ROOF LEAKS
A leaky roof can cause ceiling damage, mold or mildew issues, fire hazards from shortened wires, and compromised structural integrity. Exposure to heavy rains and snow make roofs vulnerable to damage. Moreover, incorrect snow/ice removal can also trigger water damage in roofs.
HVAC PROBLEMS
HVAC systems work by heating or cooling the air through a series of ducts. Over time, these ducts wear out and get damaged, resulting in leaks. The HVAC system needs to be cleaned regularly and the excess water from the condensation reservoirs has to be removed to prevent water damage.
SEWER CLOGS
Sewer water contains bacteria and other pathogens that cause illnesses and infections. If you see signs of sewage damage, such as gurgling sounds or water backing up out of the drain or toilet, you should call water damage and restoration professional immediately.
SPRINKLER SYSTEM LEAKS
Other causes of water damage in commercial buildings are leaks in sprinkler systems. Signs of sprinkler leaks include wet surfaces like drywall and carpets, presence of mold and mildew, and standing water. Regularly inspect your sprinkler systems for leaks and moisture.
COMMERCIAL WATER DAMAGE PREVENTION
Taking the necessary measures to prevent water damage can save you from costly repairs and business interruption in the future. Since water damage can come from a variety of sources, it’s essential to have the building inspected regularly to prevent leaks and related issues.
CREATE A FLOOD MONITORING SYSTEM
Regardless of whether your business is located in a flood-prone area, make sure you have an efficient flood warning system in place. Flooding can result from other causes, including plumbing failures, overflowing rivers, and melting snow.
GET ENOUGH COVERAGE FOR YOUR PROPERTY
Flooding is not usually included in property insurance policies. Water damage restoration can be very expensive. Water damage insurance can help you deal with the costs if ever your property gets damaged by a flood in the future.
CONDUCT A WATER DAMAGE INSPECTION REGULARLY
Water damage prevention is a lot cheaper than restoration. To prevent water damage from getting worse, have professionals inspect your property at least once a year. Leak detection is performed in several ways, such as humidity monitoring and the use of spot sensors.
INVEST IN FACILITY MAINTENANCE
A preventative maintenance plan should help keep your commercial building safe and secure and contribute to your water leak prevention efforts. Different parts of a commercial building should be inspected at different intervals. For example, doors, windows, and gates should be checked each year for weariness while the roof can be coated every five years or so to prevent damage.
COMMERCIAL WATER DAMAGE AND MOLD
Water damage and mold go hand in hand.
One of the most common effects of water damage in commercial buildings is mold and mildew build-up. It only takes 24-48 hours of exposure to water damage before these dangerous microorganisms start growing.
To stop mold growth, the source of water damage should be fixed right away. It’s best to hire emergency water damage restoration professionals to conduct mold cleanup and mold mitigation to ensure that no trace is left.
COMMERCIAL WATER DAMAGE RESTORATION
Commercial water damage restoration is a job that is best handled by professionals. Make sure to hire restoration contractors who have water damage restoration certification.
Water damage specialists are expensive. If you’re worried about the cost of their service, you can buy water damage restoration equipment instead, like air movers, commercial dehumidifiers, air scrubbers and more. These devices can help reduce the moisture in your indoor air, helping prevent mold growth and the other effects of water damage. However, if the water damage is caused by structural issues like the ones discussed above, you have no choice but to hire professionals to have those problems repaired.
CONCLUSION
Water damage in commercial buildings is a serious problem that should be addressed as soon as possible. There are many causes of water damage, like damaged windows, roof leaks, damaged pipes, sewer clogs, HVAC leaks, and sprinkler system leaks.
Thankfully, water damage can be prevented by creating a flood monitoring system, getting an insurance plan that covers flood damage, and conducting regular property inspection and facility maintenance.
If you see signs of water damage in your commercial property, call the professionals right away. Fixing the root cause of water damage should stop it from getting worse.
12/13/2019 (Permalink)
Cleaning Services
The office is one of those places where people spend most of their time. It’s where you meet and interact with other people daily. There are many spaces like the bathroom, board room, break room and the kitchen, that are used by everyone. Therefore, these are spaces where most employees encounter disease-carrying germs.
In fact, this is the number one reason common ailments like cold and flu viruses spread in an office environment. Things that are frequently touched such as door knobs, refrigerator handles or microwaves are perfect places for germs to thrive.
No wonder, illness spreads easily in such shared spaces, affecting everyone. Result? Unhealthy employees and frequent sick days, leading to decreased productivity.
As a business owner, one your priorities should be to keep your office environment clean, especially the shared spaces. Although it’s not possible to eliminate all germs and bacteria, there are steps our cleaning services company recommends for keeping your office germ-free. Let’s discuss some of them.
Company Clean Hands
We are taught from our childhood to keep our hands clean, especially before we eat. Unfortunately, an astonishing number of people still don’t follow proper hand-hygiene practices. Oftentimes, people don’t clean their hands after using shared equipment or germ-ridden things in public places such as elevators, handrails, light switches, and water fountain handles.
Moreover, people reportedly don’t wash their hands after coughing or sneezing. This is how germs get transferred to daily-used items such as keyboards, desks, door knobs and phones.
To promote good hand-hygiene in your office, post signs in bathrooms to remind employees to wash their hands thoroughly. In addition, stock your office space with disinfecting wipes and hand sanitizer to keep germs at bay.
Keep Common Surfaces Clean
Some of the spaces in your office are commonly used and shared like breakrooms. The tables, chairs, door knobs, and countertops are touched by many people in a day.
Therefore, not cleaning or disinfecting these areas regularly increases the likelihood germs are passed from person to person. An experienced janitorial company focuses on these areas every time they clean.
Be Careful of the Overlooked Spaces
There are some surfaces in your office that may get forgotten. These include drawers, handles of the refrigerator, microwave buttons and sink knobs. These areas serve as perfect breeding grounds for bad bacteria and viruses.
A good cleaning services company will always pay attention to these oft-overlooked spaces. They use the right cleaning agent that not only provides a spotless look but also disinfects these areas effectively.
Keep Desks Clean
Office desks often have the highest potential to get contaminated with disease-causing organisms. Work areas and desk-top equipment are used daily and easily collect dust and germs.
Therefore, cleaning cubicles and desks sporadically is not enough to keep the area sanitized. Your janitorial company should give office desks a thorough cleaning on regular intervals. Encourage your staff to declutter their desktops so cleaning staff can better sanitize the work space.
Cleaning Services Company Conclusion
A cleaner workplace guarantees healthier employees. If your workplace productivity has nosedived due to employee sick-days, it’s time to rethink your office cleanliness. Following these tips should help to keep germs off the shared spaces in your office. To keep your business in top shape, it’s always best to work with a cleaning services company who knows the importance of keeping shared spaces clean and hygienic.
12/18/2018 (Permalink)
Is your commercial building and HVAC system ready for a snow storm?
Prevent Costly Facility Issues with these Facility Maintenance Winter Tips
Snow, ice, and freezing rain can wreak havoc on a commercial building, especially if you are not prepared. Here is a checklist of tasks to help any building owner or property manager prepare for a snow storm.
Checklist to Prepare Your Office Building for a Snow Storm:
12/18/2018 (Permalink)
While the cold weather may be great for deer hunting or ice fishing, it can be challenging for maintenance and service teams. As a result, preparing your commercial buildings and facilities for winter becomes all the more critical.
In this blog post, we will highlight maintenance tips you can do as a building owner or facility manager to prepare your properties for the heating season. Most of these tips are tied solely to your heating and cooling systems, while others focus on your building structure and the areas around it. All play a part in ensuring you are ready for whatever Mother Nature has up her sleeve.
Inspect Heating Systems
It’s a no-brainer that maintaining your heating systems should be a top priority in colder weather. We recommend that you inspect heating systems regularly and create a written plan to outline what maintenance tasks need to be addressed daily, weekly, monthly and annually.
Concerning equipment, hot water heating boilers will see increased use.
To ensure their proper operation, we suggest you:
Winterize Cooling Systems
While heating systems move on-line, cooling systems not in use during the cold season need to be winterized. This might include draining your cooling tower, shutting down your chiller or emptying a condensate drain trap. Not addressing maintenance tasks as systems are taken off-line could result in significant damage to them. Additionally, necessary repairs can be addressed at this time rather than at the moment when you need cooling in the spring and summer.
Calibrate Thermostats / Reduce Set Points
This suggestion contains two points. First, by calibrating your building’s thermostats, you ensure your heating systems will operate more efficiently. And that saves money. You know what else saves money? Lowering the temperature in your building (not too much, though, as you don’t want building occupants to be uncomfortable). Studies show you lower your utility bill by an average of one percent for every degree dropped. Imagine the savings you’ll enjoy over the course of a winter!
12/18/2018 (Permalink)
A business in Alexandria, VA experienced structural damage as a result of a serious workplace accident. SERVPRO has the expertise and equipment to provide remediation for damage resulting from an accident such as this one. In this particular situation, an employee of the business was attempting to retrieve fluorescent light bulbs from there storage location on top of a drop ceiling. The employee lost his footing and caused a panel from the ceiling to fall out and approximately 15 fluorescent light bulbs to fall through and shatter. Luckily there was no one underneath the area and the employee was able to catch himself before falling on top of the resulting broken bulbs.
SERVPRO was able to HEPA vacuum to ensure no tiny shards of glass created any safety concerns. We also created a temporary cover for the ceiling. The business owner and office manager were very grateful to be able to use the space again within a matter of hours!
12/18/2018 (Permalink)
As conditions warm – thawing the ground and warming the air – here’s a list of conservation tips from water conservation firm Water Signal to help those who own and manage multifamily structures identify leaks and conserve water by staying proactive throughout the spring and summer.
12/18/2018 (Permalink)
Simple Maintenance May be the Responsibility of Tenants
Commercial property owners who rent space to tenants should be aware that in some cases, the tenant is responsible for well-functioning plumbing. What should tenants do?
Never Put Up with Leaking Faucets or Pipes
Not only do leaking faucets or pipes waste water (in fact, approximately 900 million gallons in the U.S. each year), leaks also contribute to the growth of mold, wood rot, and other structural issues.
While not all leaks are noticeable, if the water pressure drops you should have a plumbing contractor investigate the situation at once, as it could indicate a leak in the plumbing network. It is not always possible to prevent a leak, however investing in a thorough plumbing inspection once or twice each year is the best way to manage your system and avoid leaks.
12/18/2018 (Permalink)
If you run a commercial property, you probably have HVAC units to maintain. You care about keeping your tenants comfortable and it wouldn’t hurt to cut down on energy costs. Well working HVAC systems not only keep people comfortable but also foster a lower upkeep. With that in mind, here are 3 tips for commercial property owners to make their HVAC systems work for them.
1. Develop a System
You should always make sure to schedule regular HVAC maintenance for your residents. That means, at the bare minimum, you should clean air ducts on a regular basis for all of your tenants. In addition, make sure you are consistently getting rid of standing water. Water collecting in drain pans, humidity managing equipment, and cooling towers can harbor harmful bacteria and other microbial horrors if left unattended to.
2. Constantly Clean and Disinfect
Especially for managing large amounts of HVAC systems, whether for business property or living spaces, you need to make sure everything’s perfectly clean. Otherwise you’re putting your tenants in danger. Use brushes and other equipment to loosen debris from all components, and extract contaminants with a vacuum or a power washer. This is a great time to inspect any worn or damaged equipment and you can replace as necessary.
3. Dispose of Contaminants Safely
If not only for the environment, you should dispose of all contaminants in a safe green way for the heath of all your employees and tenants. After you clean everything thoroughly, make sure to follow the EPA guidelines for disposing of any excess.
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