Fire sprinkler leak? Call the experienced professionals at SERVPRO of West Covina

2/27/2020 (Permalink)

The safety of fire sprinklers when a fire erupts is priceless. Sometimes though water leaks or flooding can occur. We are here to help!

Since 2011 the state of California has required all newly constructed residential dwellings to have automatic fire sprinkler system installed. Fortunately the statistics show that having this safety feature reduces the risk of death in a fire by approximately eighty percent! Clearly, fire sprinklers are worth the expense and maintenance. This life saving preventative measure, while reducing property damage if a fire erupts, can at the same time hold the minuscule risk of causing water damage just like any other plumbing.

Over the years we have witnessed a few sprinkler leaks and flooding situations both in residential and commercial facilities. One of our small water leak cleanups due to a fire sprinkler system was in a one year old tri-level condo. This one occurred because the pressurized water lines created a stress on a weakened area of the sprinkler line and a pin-hole leak manifest on the pipe inside the wall in a third floor bedroom.

Just this month a medium sized commercial loss occurs at a retail store that was doing some construction and a piece of machinery accidentally hit a fire sprinkler. This caused a rupture that got our team out of bed at five A.M. to help out and begin an extraction of the flooded areas. Another leak occurred in a SOCAL home where a sprinkler line randomly dispersed water in a living room and poured out the front door into their yard.

A different homeowner was forced to learn a hard lesson, but hopefully all of us can learn from it. He hired a handyman to install a ceiling fan in his upstairs bedroom. The day of installation the handyman was up the ladder and pulled the cap off from what he thought was electrical wiring but turned out to be a fire sprinkler head. Water gushed at a high force raining onto all of the contents in the room. The handyman turned and said: “I am not licensed, nor insured. Do not call me again” and exited the premises never to be seen again. The devastated homeowner made every attempt to stop the water as it continued to flow down his laminate staircase and through his first floor. Unsuccessful, he called for help. The water continued to rush through his home until the fire department turned the street main valve off. Our SERVPRO of West Covina team helped this family get all the wet materials cleaned up and dried but what a stressful ordeal to go through. Down side is once any sort of laminate furniture or laminate floors get wet, they swell and need to be discarded, which costs.

Accidents are going to happen but as homeowners we can do our best to stay on well informed and educated so that when the unexpected occurs, we know exactly who to trust and rely on.