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Monday 16 September 2019

Leak Detection In Sarasota’s High Rises

Posted by Accutech Restoration at 9:00 AM

It’s difficult to figure out where those leaks are coming from sometimes. We hear stories from professionals in all walks of life, from the smaller ones to the bigger ones. Sometimes, especially in high-rises, there are problems that you can run into that you might not expect. There are a lot of little aspects that high-rises have that a lot of people just glance over. For instance, water tanks and pressurized systems to get the water to the roof, or even the sprinkler systems.

Property Management And Leak Detection

Here’s a story for you about sprinkler systems. Imagine working as a property manager in a high-rise community in Sarasota, Florida. A leak was discovered on the 11th floor of a high rise. When this was reported to the office (one of the tenants noticed some staining in the ceiling), the property management office had to take the report seriously and respond quickly. The first problem was detection, which thankfully had been done by the tenant before major maintenance was needed. The next step was to find what was causing the leak.

After notifying the building maintenance engineer, a maintenance staffer was sent to the location of the leak. Upon arrival he found some discoloration of the ceiling drywall and agreed that there appeared to be a leak. He placed a bucket under the location for an immediate stop of any further water damage. In his visual examination he also noticed that there was a sprinkler head nearby that he felt might be the cause of the leak. Reporting this back to the building engineer who then notified the property managers, they contacted a local sprinkler contractor.

After several shutdowns of the sprinkler system for which they had to have the fire department involved and notify all the tenants, the leak was found to be coming from a faulty fitting in the sprinkler system rather than a faulty sprinkler head. This was a costly process which it turns out could have been prevented. The tenant who reported the leak had in fact noticed a secondary sign of the leak. Had their staff of maintenance personal been more vigilant in their building tours, detection of the leak in the high rise would have occurred sooner and could have been handled in house or with significantly less involvement of outside personnel.

Another Problem

The greatest concern is that there was another sign of the leak, in an empty unit on the 12th floor, directly above the leak detected by the tenant on the 11th floor. It is critical to have maintenance staff do a proper walk through every day so that the detection of leaks can be found quickly and then be resolved quickly. Without early detection a hidden leak in a high rise can lead to catastrophic costs and damages that will end up being charged to the owners of the high rise or even passed on to the tenants through higher rents.

Sometimes leaks aren’t easy to locate. That’s the problem, especially in high rises. Sometimes tenants don’t report problems or other issues arise with the water. Vigilance is the right option and makes everyone’s life easier. If you don’t find the problem immediately, it can cause major issues, like shutting down the sprinkler equipment or even major damage to the walls and floors. Don’t let this happen to you!

But, if you do get some water damage in your home, be sure to give us a ring. We’re experienced in this kind of work, and we know how to get water out of walls, carpets, and ceilings. That’s what we do. So, feel free to give us a ring! We’ll take care of your water problem!