Don’t let an event get started!!

According to a report by Zurich American Insurance Company, “water intrusion is one of the leading property damage risks associated with new construction and renovation projects.” By researching their claims experience from 2007 through 2016, Zurich found “nearly 50% of all Builders Risk claims resulted from some form of weather or escape-of-water event”.  “A water damage event can range from rainstorms and snow-melt, to flooding and hurricanes, as well as damage from internal water-carrying systems, such as plumbing and sprinkler systems.” White Cap Resource Center: Water Intrusion: The Contractor’s Most Expensive Enemy, Rick Yelton,  May 20, 2020

Regardless of the cause of the water intrusion, the resulting damage to building materials following such an event can be costly if not addressed immediately. 

By taking preventive steps and developing a plan for responding to moisture intrusions you can mitigate or even prevent a significant impact to operations.

Prevention and Planning

Quick steps that can be taken to help minimize the chances of water intrusions include:

• Always be aware of weather conditions anticipated for the worksite location and time of year.
• For new construction ensure temporary protective measures are adequate to withstand severe weather events. 
• Inspect and clean-out roof drains and gutters to insure they are working properly
• Maintain proper sealants on roof flashings and penetrations
• Ensure that weep screeds and weep holes are working properly and as designed
• Ensure proper drainage exists around your building and that water sheds away from the building
• Install/reinstall gaskets or sweeps on doors
• Carefully plan construction projects, which leave the building open to the environment by using multiple weather prediction sources
• Inspect plumbing systems for signs of damage or pending failure
• Look for signs of water staining and investigate the cause
• Confirm proper drainage of HVAC equipment condensate

Have a plan to respond to water intrusions that is scalable. Large and complicated water intrusions are best left to professionals. Smaller intrusions may be handled in-house with properly trained personnel and the appropriate equipment. Here are some important considerations:


• Develop a written response plan, train key personnel and review regularly. If an in-house response team is established, it is important to understand its limitations and establish strict criteria for calling in professional support.
• Know where to shut off water sources to the building, such as water mains, fire sprinklers, etc.
• Identify resources such as response contractors who can respond quickly and, if possible, negotiate a contract with a response company prior to needing them. This typically insures better pricing and guarantees a response. Use contractors certified in accordance with the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration (IICRC).
• Understand your insurance coverage related to water intrusions. Typically, mold growth and remediation is excluded from insurance policies.

Large Scale Water Intrusion

In the event that water Intrusion occurs, the number one priority is to find out where the water is coming from and stop the leak or leaks.  If you have a flood try to extract the water out as soon as possible and depending on the size call a remediation contractor to help with the drying process.  Alert your insurance carrier immediately, so they can send over an agent as soon as possible. Take as many pictures as you can to verify to water intrusion issues.  

Wet drywall is the number one cause of mold in a new building.  In most cases its prudent to contact an environmental consultant to help with documenting and determining the extent of water damage.  A trained inspector using an infrared camera and moisture meter can determine what wallboard should be removed and what can be saved. Mold can start grow in as little as 24-hours, so starting the dry down process immediately along with the removal of wet building material is critical.  Once mold starts growing you will need to contain these areas similar to asbestos abatement projects, which could double or triple cleanup costs.  

Some tips for drying out large areas is to use large desiccant dehumidifiers.  Some of these large trailer mounted units have the ability to dry out whole houses or commercial floors very quickly. Portable dehumidifiers are fine for smaller projects but may not be as affective for larger releases. 

Some challenging areas are where you have multiple layers of wallboard for fire rating or drywall attached to plywood or OSB. Water becomes trapped between the two layers and can’t be dried out easily. Another problem area is carpet and padding. In most cases the best plan is to pull up the carpet and remove and dispose of the wet padding. ACC can work with your insurance agent, owner, general contractor and restoration contractor to make sure that all areas are checked, quantified and mapped out.  The moisture map will guide the General Contractor and restoration Contractor to where they need to concentrate their efforts.  

This is when developing a water intrusion/mold work plan is important.  The work plan explains where the water intrusion and mold issues are and will broadly quantify areas with elevated moisture and areas where mold is growing.  All materials that are water damaged and may need to be removed should be tested for asbestos and lead at the beginning of the project. ACC can also help with testing building materials for asbestos and lead. 

Contact Us to learn more on how ACC can meet your environmental needs.