It’s bad enough when a pipe bursts in a single-family home. The amount of destruction can be incredibly devastating, but when a pipe bursts in a commercial building, it takes things to another level. This is especially true when a broken pipe floods a large apartment complex.
In situations like this, there is only one thing for a property manager to do—call a restoration company for an apartment flood cleanup. However, they can’t hire just any company when working on a project of this scale. Instead, they need to hire a team with proven experience.
One of the best ways to make sure that a restoration company has experience is by reviewing case studies like this. This particular case study details how Pride Cleaning and Restoration, Inc. can help restore large-scale flood damage to apartment complexes.
The Cause of the Water Damage in the Apartment Building
Jim Seubert’s goal as the owner of Pride Cleaning and Restoration, Inc. is to be available to help his customers whenever disaster strikes. Because of that, he was able to take the late-night call from the owners of an apartment complex that had suffered substantial water damage.
On the call, he learned that the water damage was caused by a 6-inch water pipe on the third floor. It had broken in the middle of the night and dumped approximately one million gallons of water into the new construction apartments in just a few hours. The water damage impacted the basement, first, second, and third floors, which included about 60 apartment units.
The Inspection and Assessment of the Flooded Apartment Complex
As soon as Jim received the call, he immediately started contacting his crew. Within a couple of hours, he was able to have 15 crew members on site to inspect and begin documenting the damage. They also came equipped with truck-mounted and portable pumps that could extract large volumes of water right away.
As they worked through this process, they went through each unit and took pictures and videos of every single room. They discovered that everything on the first three floors and basement had been impacted, including the water heaters, furnaces, electrical, ceiling fans, and more. From there, they used their findings to create an effective apartment flood cleanup plan.
Apartment Flood Cleanup Services Pride Cleaning and Restoration, Inc.
Jim and his crew worked together to devise a plan that would help to mitigate the total loss to the apartment complex. The goal was to salvage as much as possible while still making sure that the entire building was dried out to prevent any costly mold damage down the road. Their plan included the following:
- Demolition
- Cleanup
- Drying
Demolition
Once the standing water was extracted, it was time to start the demolition process. Teams of 45 people worked daily for 12 hours a day to complete the apartment flood cleanup. They split up into smaller teams to tackle different units. Though each unit looked different in terms of damage, they were responsible for removing drywall and flooring. In some spaces, everything was ripped out to the studs.
Removal of Building Materials
While working on the demolition, they also made efforts to preserve everything that they could. They saved granite countertops, cabinets, and more. Everything else that was damaged beyond repair had to be removed from the building.
Drying the Space
Finally, the biggest part of the multi-week project was the drying process. The crew brought in desiccant drying systems to funnel dry air in. This would then force out the moisture. These systems were spread throughout the entire affected area.
The contractors also utilized 450 different types of air movers. They were placed throughout all of the affected floors and relocated as the spaces started to dry. The process took several weeks to thoroughly dry the wood and the remaining building materials.
One of the biggest challenges that the contractors faced was drying the flooring. Multi-family buildings use a type of flooring called gypcrete to control sound and fire. The goal was to leave it in place, but moisture had collected underneath the floor and its sound mat. The contractors needed to find a way to dry the floors without removing the gypcrete.
Learn More About Apartment Flood Cleanup Services in St. Louis, MO
Though it took weeks of long days and a lot of hard work, Pride Cleaning and Restoration, Inc. was able to successfully complete the apartment flood cleanup. This project is just one example of their expertise and work ethic.
Customers who need help with residential or commercial flood cleanups should contact their emergency response crews right away. They can call the company’s emergency line or submit their information through the online form.
