Christmas Eve, the phone rang from one of our Emergency Response Planning program clients for a frozen sprinkler that thawed and flooded the offices.  

While most of us were celebrating the Holiday Season, the Emergency & Disaster Response Team from Elegant Restoration responded,…that’s our Pre-Disaster Planning Service where we provide commercial property owners with a site survey to position both themselves and our Team better to respond to an emergency at their location.  Our commercial client knew who to call when most businesses were closed for the holiday. 

The client, located in Aberdeen, MD 21001, is a center that serves the needs of developmentally disabled adults in Harford County and Cecil County.

The mid-Atlantic experienced a sudden, plummeting freeze over the Christmas holiday weekend.  When temperatures began to rise, Elegant Restoration, Inc. received numerous calls for burst pipes caused by extremely cold temperatures. The thaw in the building allowed hundreds of gallons of water to flow through the split sprinkler pipes in the ceiling.  High-pressure, high-volume leaks from sprinkler systems and cold-water supply lines were popping all over our service area.

In the case of the Center, a Sprinkler line over a large classroom ruptured, and water flowed down through the drop ceiling into the classroom below and impacted offices as well.  Quick thinking on behalf of the Center’s Staff stopped the flow of hundreds of gallons of water as quickly as possible.  A call to the Team at Elegant Restoration, Inc., and we were on the way. 

Quickly on site, the Elegant Restoration Team rapidly deployed emergency equipment to the main room affected, as well as the hallway and several rooms beyond were also affected. To stabilize and stop the water damage, the Elegant Restoration team deployed specialized equipment to begin the drying processing and prepare the affected rooms for repair. 

• Dehumidifiers to remove the moisture in the affected area.
• Air Movers to circulate the air. 
• Air Scrubbers to clean the air in the affected area.

Emergency response actions taken within the first 24 hours of a water damage loss are CRITICAL. Stopping the cause of the water loss is important to stop the damage to building walls, flooring, and building contents.

Due to the rapid response by the Elegant Restoration Team, the threat of damage was stopped, and the drying process began. 

In the photos, our team removed the baseboard moldings that run along the edge of the floor and the bottom of the walls.  Removing this molding in the affected areas has three main benefits:

• Removing the baseboard creates a physical gap between the wet floor and the dry drywall just above.  This stops any upward flow of water into the walls & insulation.  
• It provides a way for our Mitigation Team to see if and how far up the drywall the water may have spread.  Yes, water is absorbed in the drywall and the wall insulation.  
• By opening up the gap between the floor and the drywall, high-volume airflow can be directed not only on the visible side of the wall but also behind the wall, thus facilitating significantly faster drying.  
• The Elegant Restoration team used both visual inspection as well as sophisticated moisture-sensing technology to ‘see’ water not only on the surface but below & behind the surfaces, allowing our team to pinpoint exactly where the water had traveled.  As seen in the pictures above, quick work on the part of our IICRC-Trained & Certified Team was able to identify and determine the level of drywall damage. 

When it comes to working with a professional emergency restoration company to protect your investment in your business:

• Work with a professional restoration company that answers the phone: evenings, weekends, and yes, even during holidays. All professionals with knowledge and expertise.
• Work with a trusted partner, one who knows your business needs and facilities.
• Work with an IICRC-certified company-trained and equipped service professionals, ready to respond and rapidly deploy a knowledgeable team to handle your water damage area.

Our team is here to help you recover quickly from a water damage loss from a frozen sprinkler pipe or any emergency at your building. 

Bob Sansbury,

Commercial Account Partner,

Elegant Restoration