Frozen water pipes and the damage they cause are a problem for thousands of people each year. Cold weather freezes the water in your pipes, causing it to expand and rupture both metal and plastic piping. These ruptures can lead to huge amounts of water flooding into the walls, ceilings, and interiors at your business or commercial property. 

A burst pipe can cause thousands of dollars in damage at your business, making a major mess that is costly and challenging to clean up. All Illinois business owners understand the importance of preventing pipes from freezing, but sometimes your best efforts are not enough. At McMahon services, we have helped business owners clean up after thousands of bust pipe situations. If you are faced with damaged plumbing in the cold Chicago winter, it’s important to act fast. Here’s our expert advice on the three steps you can take right away that will help to stop damage from spreading.

Step One: Turn Off The Water Supply and Contact an Emergency Plumbing Service

If your pipes have frozen or ruptured, turn off the water immediately and contact a licensed emergency plumber. All business owners and maintenance teams should know where the main water shut-off is at your property, and it should be easy to access. If your pipes have not yet burst, make sure the building’s temperature is at least 55 degrees, then work with your plumber to help locate and thaw frozen pipes.

It’s also a good idea to be mindful of your other utilities during these situations. Water can damage your electrical system. You may want to turn off the power at the breaker panel, or unplug nearby electrical cords.

Step Two: Contact Your Water Damage Restoration Team and Your Insurance Agent

Once the plumbing tasks have been handled, it’s time to start the clean-up process. By calling a water damage restoration company right away, you will get help from skilled teams who know how to handle burst pipe damage repair.

This is not something to leave for your maintenance team to handle:  Water damage restoration experts provide comprehensive services, and have specialized knowledge and equipment. Here are six ways they can help your business recover from water damage. 

• Responsiveness: Disaster restoration contractors are ready to deploy large teams at any time, ensuring that damage is stopped as quickly as possible before it can grow. 

• Specialized, Heavy Duty Equipment: Professional water damage companies have access to equipment that your facility might not have. They can safely clean up saturation and internal damage using state-of-the-art drying equipment like industrial dehumidifiers, HEPA filters, air movers, air scrubbers, and water extractors.

• The Ability to Prevent Mold Growth:  Water damage experts know how to prevent mold growth by safely cleaning and removing damaged materials from your facility. The responsiveness of your contractor is also an important part of mold prevention: Mold can begin to grow only 24-48 hours after a leak or flood.

• Professional Cleaning Services: Even if you have housekeeping team members, they most likely won’t have the ability to offer the professional antimicrobial and antifungal treatments that water damage restoration experts use to safely sanitize and deodorize your property and its contents.

• Restoration and Reconstruction: At McMahon Services, we can also handle any additional structural repairs and reconstruction of your property. Working with one company for the entire process will ensure that your business gets back to running normally as quickly as possible. 

• Partnership with Your Insurance Company: It’s also important to contact your insurance agent right away after water damage occurs. An experienced restoration contractor will know how to document, communicate, and negotiate with your insurance company. This partnership ensures that the damages are assessed correctly, and that you get the coverage you are entitled to under your insurance policy. 

Step Three: Use your Emergency Communication and Operations Plan

If the water damage from a burst pipe at your business is significant, it may impact your daily operations. You will need to make sure that everyone involved knows what to do now, and what to expect in the future. 

Every company should have a communication and operations plan for an emergency. Make sure that yours is up to date and ready to use. This will make it easy for you to keep your employees, customers, community, and vendors informed. This will ensure that you can keep operations moving, and re-open quickly and easily. 

Protect Your Investment From Dangerous Water Damage

It’s important to protect your commercial property from the severe Northern Illinois winter weather. Even with preventive measures, frozen pipes are unfortunately very common, and can have a huge financial impact on your business. Winter weather can make water damage clean-up even more difficult – expert help is essential. 
At McMahon services, We have expert crews available 24/7 to dispatch to your business for emergency plumbing, water damage restoration, mold removal, and reconstruction services. We offer FREE damage inspections and FREE estimates to residential and commercial customers in our Arlington Heights, Berwyn, Des Plaines, Evanston, Mount Prospect, Grayslake, Mundelein, Libertyville, Oak Park, Palatine, Wheaton, Naperville, Waukegan, Schaumburg, Skokie, and surrounding IL service areas.