In your busy day as a property or facility manager, you cannot afford to let plumbing problems slow your company down. You can’t prevent all plumbing problems, but you can be proactive about planning your responses to these issues. It is important to have a list of emergency contacts to reach out to and call to take care of leaks, floods, and more when they appear.
As the manager of the property, you are responsible for everything in the building, and plumbing problems cannot afford to wait. This is why outsourcing the problem to a professional service like McMahon Services makes the most sense – our water and sewage clean up team will allow you to focus on other critical issues in the building.
Have an Emergency Kit Prepared
Issues with plumbing are never fun to deal with. These can include flooding from heavy rainfall, sewage back ups from clogged drains, broken pipes, or a cracked septic system. As the building manager, you only have a short time to respond to get this problem under control. At McMahon Services, we have emergency services in Berwyn, Des Plaines, Arlington Heights, Naperville, Schaumburg, and other surrounding Illinois areas and can help with clean up 24/7.
However, before we arrive, having an emergency plan in place can help you prepare for any plumbing emergency that appears.
- An emergency plan makes it clear what should be done when a plumbing emergency occurs in your building. It outlines the steps to take to get the issue under control. It includes:
- Shutting off the water to the building
- Indicate who should be called about the emergency like the building owner, building manager, and emergency response team (like McMahon Services)
- Notify tenants about the problem, how they should respond, and what they should expect with clean up
- Let the water company know about the emergency if it is a municipal water line, city sewer, or main drain
- Prepare an emergency kit
- Include tools like a bucket, plunger, duct tape, towels, fan
- Write out instructions on how to turn off the water that any building residents can understand and follow
- Have emergency phone numbers ready. These include:
- Your local plumber
- Water company
- Building owner
- Building manager
- Tenants
Do Not Start a DIY Water or Sewage Clean Up
While it may be tempting to start the clean up on your own, it is typically not advisable to take on the clean up on your own without the help of a water damage and sewage clean up professional. Working with a plumbing back up can be dangerous if you are not trained in waste removal, which most facility or maintenance teams are not.
Handling gray water or sewage can be hazardous or unsanitary to any clean up crew as it contains contaminants like food residues, bacteria, human waste, etc. At McMahon Services, our teams are trained in the clean up processes and come fully prepared with equipment to sanitize the area properly. We will not allow tenants back into the building without ensuring the area is safe for return.
Our team is ready to respond 24/7 – you haven’t planned for this emergency. Plumbing issues can happen any time, and we understand the need for a partner that will help get your business back to normal as quickly as possible. We’re ready to help during these difficult times – call us today.