5 Steps To Take When An Elevator is Affected By Water Damage

6/4/2021 (Permalink)

The commercial water damage professionals at SERVPRO are ready for any size disaster!

Water damage to an elevator needs to be mitigated quickly.

If your elevator has been affected by water damage, you may be wondering what to do. Many outcomes can occur when an elevator is damaged by water, but these five tips will help your elevator get back up and running as soon as possible!

Commercial property owners and property managers have a lot of responsibility on their plate. They have to make sure the property is being taken care of, residents are happy, and ensure everything is maintained regularly.

A property manager's worst nightmare will be when there is fire or water damage to their property. In this post, we hope to relieve some stress if your property has elevator water damage. We go through common reasons why elevator water damage occurs and five actionable steps you can take to ensure your elevator is quickly back to running normally. 

How can elevator water damage occur?

Elevator water damage can occur from multiple different sources. Normally, it results from water ingress or commercial sprinklers in the property going off and flooding the elevator shaft.

The water damage professionals at SERVPRO have also seen an overflowing toilet or sink flood the area in and around your elevator, causing severe damage to the elevator equipment.

5 steps to take during an elevator water situation

Once a water damage situation arises, the key is to act swiftly in a calm manner. The most important thing you need to do as a property manager is to ensure that all of the residents and staff of the property are safe. With that being said, here are 5 steps for when a property has elevator water damage:

1. Ensure no one is trapped inside the water-damaged elevator.  
2. Shut off all power to the elevator
3. Document the entire scenario through pictures. Ensure you include all the damaged areas and anything that has been in contact with water. 
4. Contact a reliable water restoration vendor.
5. Contact your elevator service provider.

By following the 5 steps above, your property will be back up and running in no time. Since your elevator runs off electricity, under no circumstance should you turn the elevator back on until it has been cleared by an elevator repair professional. 

How to protect an elevator from water damage

Building engineers know that the elevator pit is the lowest point in a building's infrastructure, so even a broken pipe could easily cause flooding.

Here are specific steps you can take to ensure minimal or no damage from water hazards: 

• Equip your elevator with a surge protection system.
• Conduct inspection of all emergency lighting and call systems.
• Ensure a standby generator is functional. 
• There should be no point of leakage anywhere in the elevator. 
• Install sump pumps in the elevator pit and make sure they function. 

Understanding what kind of water is present in the elevator

When you are dealing with elevator water damage, you must know what type of water is present. There are three categories of water damage that you will be learning. Before we get started, remember that the water is deemed less sanitary the higher the category. 

1.CLEAN WATER

This category involves water damage sourced from a place of sanitation. It can include broken water lines, toilets, or faucets. And although this source is considered sanitary, it can proceed to unhygienic standards if not treated promptly. 

2.GRAY WATER

As the name suggests, this category involves water that is not entirely sanitary and has been contaminated in one way or another. Sources of greywater are from a broken dishwasher, overflowing toilet, or washing machine. These bodies of water contain a varying amount of bacteria and other organisms that make it imperative to be addressed in a timely fashion. 

3.BLACKWATER

The third category is the most unsanitary out of all the varieties. This water may have human or animal feces and many other pollutants. Floods and sewage water commonly cause blackwater water damage. 

Contact SERVPRO for commercial water restoration.

In instances such as water damage, it is imperative to seek professional help to limit the destruction. SERVPRO of Union, Towns, Fannin & Gilmer Counties has water damage restoration specialists available at your service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for emergency purposes. When you contact us, you will be getting highly trained, and IICRC certified technicians at your property. You can count on us to put you, the customer, first!