Get Ready for Winter: Avoid Water Damage from Frozen Pipes and Save on Insurance

What is Water Damage and its Causes?

Water damage is any leakage or exposure of water that can cause cracking of any part of a system that contains water or steam. It can result from natural disasters such as floods, hurricanes, and snow as well as from man-made incidents like leaks, burst pipes, or plumbing failures. It occurs in various forms and can affect homes, buildings, facilities, and other assets.

What Happens When Your Pipes Freeze in Winter

Cold weather every year, especially during winter, causes havoc for businesses globally with significant damage to assets and offices. One of the more serious water damage risks is damage from water pipes that have frozen and burst, which can cause property damage, business interruption, increased operational and insurance costs, and the potential loss of critical infrastructure. Use remote temperature monitoring to get real-time alerts when temperatures have dropped, so you can take proactive steps to avoid serious damage before it happens.

The Risks and Impact of Frozen Pipes

During winter, when water freezes inside pipes, it expands, putting immense pressure on the pipe walls which can cause cracks or pipe bursts, leading to water leakage once the ice thaws. These can severely impact businesses  and cause significant risks as follows:

1. Property damage

The most immediate and serious impact of burst water pipes is property damage. The resulting damage can range from structural issues to destroyed inventory and equipment. This can lead to costly repairs that may involve replacing damaged drywall, insulation, flooring, and even structural components.

2. Business interruption

Water damage from burst pipes can lead to business interruption, as repairs and cleanup efforts may take days or even weeks. The downtime can result in lost revenue, damage to business reputation, and – as a result – loss of customers. For smaller businesses in particular, this disruption can be financially devastating.

3. Increased operational and insurance costs

The costs associated with repairing the damage caused by burst pipes can be significant, especially without proper insurance coverage. In addition to the immediate repair expenses, businesses may face increased insurance premiums and potential fines for environmental damage if hazardous materials are released.

4. Loss of data and critical infrastructure

In the event that water pipes burst and damage computers and IT infrastructure, the impact can also be severe for your business’ critical data and electronic infrastructure. Water damage can compromise electronic equipment very easily, leading to data loss and disruption of essential operations.

Having a Remote Temperature Monitoring can help to prevent these risks. It is a cost-effective and easy way to alert you when temperatures vary outside predefined thresholds. Real-time, continuous, temperature control can play a pivotal role in giving you 24/7 visibility of assets and locations when you are not there, so you can be alerted before things go wrong.

Preparing your Business and Building for Winter

As winter approaches, there are numerous ways you can look to regulate temperature and reduce the risk of water-related damage:

• Set up a robust remote temperature monitoring system with 24/7 alerting and notification so that you know when temperatures are approaching freezing

• Complete known maintenance repairs on aging building infrastructure

• Identify possible risk areas and take preventative steps to protect from outside elements

• Identify areas inside and outside the building where water and snow can pool and cause damage in large volumes

• Regularly remove snow build-up from roofs and close to buildings

Preventing Your Pipes from Freezing: Remote Temperature Monitoring

The emergence of remote temperature monitoring solutions has been able to help organizations manage their chemical storage and associated risks. One solution that has gained traction recently is remote temperature monitoring systems. Remote temperature monitoring can be a valuable tool for managing temperature proactively to avoid safety risks and costly product degradation.

Here are the key benefits of a remote temperature monitoring system:

1. Early detection of temperature extremes with real-time data

Remote temperature monitoring systems collect real-time data 24/7 about the temperature in different areas of the workplace. This data can be accessed by users immediately when temperatures dip to risky ranges.

2. Automated alerts allowing proactive management

These systems can be programmed to send automated alerts immediately via text message or in-app notifications straight to a mobile device when temperatures reach near-freezing levels. This enables quick and proactive intervention, such as adjusting heating systems or providing additional heating sources to maintain a regulated temperature.

3. 24/7 visibility and remote control of your sites

For managers who operate and run multiple sites, it is impossible to be everywhere at once. Remote temperature monitoring allows you to have live insights into the temperature at every location, all the time—wherever you are. This gives managers the ability to act immediately in the event an incident occurs.

4. Avoid significant costs

While there is an initial set-up cost, remote temperature monitoring systems can avoid significant cost savings from property damage and business interruption. By preventing pipes from bursting and subsequent damage, businesses can avoid the hefty repair and replacement costs.

Get Insurance that Proactively Protects You Against Risks Like Water Damage

Mitti Insurance combines risk management, insurance, and technology into a single offering. With insights and features from the Mitti Platform, we’re ready to help businesses prevent incidents from happening. In this particular case, the use of sensors helps the Insured take action and reduce risk, lowering and/or preventing a claim. Helping the insured stay focused on running their business, rather than dealing with a claim, delivers a true partnership.

Conclusion

As winter approaches, businesses must be proactive in protecting their assets and premises from the risks of burst water pipes. With a proactive risk management mindset, you can use remote monitoring to drive a better insurance outcome for your business.

Investing in a remote temperature monitoring system is a proactive and cost-effective measure that can save businesses from the potentially crippling financial impacts of burst pipes, ensuring the continuity of operations.

Why Customers Use Mitti (by SafetyCulture)

Customers prefer Mitti (by SafetyCulture) for their monitoring needs primarily because of its ease of use without sacrificing functionality. Our senors’ self-installation guide makes it easy for you to install the hardware you need, as well as set up a simple reporting and alerting system via mobile on your own, saving you extra fees.

The sensors are also durable, have strong signals over long distances, and can penetrate concrete floors, cool room walls, and most other obstacles. You can be assured of their reliability even in harsh weather conditions and temperatures, making it so they are still usable.