LESSONS LEARNED: Unoccupied Office Building Water Leak

water leak office building

Minimize Damage with Preventative Maintenance Services

Our Service division was recently called to a customer’s office building after someone discovered severe water damage. Upon inspection, our team discovered that a pipe on the 5th floor of the office building had burst and leaked water all the way to the 1st floor resulting in over $100K in damage. The water had been running for at least two days before anyone discovered it.

water leak office buildingwater leak unoccupied building

THE CAUSE

Because of the pandemic, this office, like many others has been largely unoccupied with employees working from home. As a result, the water in the pipe hadn’t been flowing for almost a year. As the temperatures decreased, the stagnant water froze and broke the pipe. With no one to monitor the facility, the water was able to do damage for multiple days.

THE SOLUTION

This costly damage could have been minimized or avoided altogether with daily walk throughs and ongoing preventative HVAC maintenance. Partnering with an experienced service contractor who can monitor and maintain your building’s systems will protect your facility and ensure your HVAC system will be ready to go when employees return to the office. All faucets and fixtures should be used at least weekly, toilets should be flushed once a week. Daily walk throughs to check all systems is the best way to reduce your risk of damage and system failure.

HVAC & Mechanical System Maintenance

If your building is currently unoccupied, you should make sure that your building’s systems are still being taken care of. Your heating, cooling and plumbing systems need regular check-ups to keep your systems functional and prevent expensive repairs and building damage. At MMC, our Service Division can create a preventative maintenance plan that is customized to your needs. In addition, we offer 24-7 emergency service to customers in the Twin Cities, St. Cloud, MN and Fargo, ND. Contact MMC to learn more about our mechanical services.