Preventative Maintenance

7/15/2022 (Permalink)

A perfect example of why you should do preventative maintenance on your home is what happened to our client today. They had a pipe break and we were called in to do the water mitigation. A pretty standard job. Our technicians went to the home and began the mitigation. As they were taking down the wet sheet rock, they discovered 2 things: Mold and a leaking pipe. The pipe had obviously been leaking for a long time as they could see by the amount of mold. What happens now? Glad you asked. We have to stop work. A plumber has to be called in to fix the pipe and a mold assessor has to be called in to do some mold testing. Here in New York State, a licensed mold assessor must be called in to test when there is more than 10 square feet of mold. 

Now work has to stop until the mold assessor comes, tests the air and spores, gets the results, sends us the mold protocol (which NY state requires us to mitigate the mold based on what the report says), we have to create and estimate and send it to the homeowner for their approval. 

What’s the problem here besides the headache of the delay? Insurance. Many insurance companies will not pay to mitigate or repair any damage caused by a leaking pipe. Mold mitigation can be very costly. If the pipe has been leaking for a while, even a slow or small leak, mold can form and spread behind walls, under floors, and just keep growing. You can’t unsee a wall being taken down and a wall of mold behind it. Believe me it will stay with you forever.  

Preventative Maintenance. It all starts with the water. If you notice your water bill is higher than usual, and you know you have not been using an excessive amount of water, call a leak detection company in. Contact your local plumber and see if they offer a moisture testing program. The money you may spend in preventative maintenance can far out weight the cost of mold remediation from not doing it. 

If you need us we are here. Call SERVPRO of White Plains 914.684.1560