Swamp Cooler Property Damage Nightmares

When the summer heat hits, people have a myriad of cooling options for their home or business: fans for simple air circulation, air conditioners which produce electric powered refrigerated air, or swamp coolers. In case you didn’t know, a swamp cooler, also known as an evaporative cooler, is a unique apparatus which employs a natural cooling process, combining water evaporation with a reliable air moving system. This is often a popular choice in arid climates like Colorado.

One of the biggest differences between swamp coolers and air conditioners is that swamp coolers use a lot less energy; running a swamp cooler often costs a third of the price of an air conditioner which translates into huge energy savings.

On the flip side, swamp coolers use much more water than air conditioners and are primarily installed on the roof. This means they need to be well maintained an installed properly, or they can cause significant damage to your property.

Property damage related to water intrusion from faulty water lines or broken pipes is the second most prevalent cause for insurance claims, coming in second only to hurricanes.

Common Problems That Can Cause Property Damage

• Broken Pumps – Broken pumps can cause the water to stop circulating, and could cause a fire in rare circumstances. Make sure you are using parts and pieces that have passed safety inspection, and don’t use spare parts without warranties. If you have experienced a deep freeze in your area, you should inspect your swamp cooler that the pipes did not freeze, expand and burst.
• Corrosive Cases – The cases of your swamp coolers are always in contact with water. If you don’t inspect them often, the metal casing might rust, and the result is water leakage. Any extensive water leakage on your roof is going to make it deteriorate over time, and the water will make its way into your home.
• Float Valves – A float valve that does not work properly can allow water to overflow from the cooler case. This is the most prevalent reason for roof damage from a swamp cooler. There is often an overflow standpipe that should work to discharge extra water safely away; however this can quickly become overwhelmed if a valve gets stuck. The result is water overflowing for an extended period of time and potentially entering into a properties ducting system.

Regular, preventative maintenance on your evaporative cooling system is the cost effective way to avoid potential property damage. It is highly recommended to have your system checked out annually and cleaned to prevent mold build-up. This is often a good time to check for parts which may need to be replaced. Parts are relatively inexpensive and easy to fix/replace when compared to the service charges of an air conditioning specialist.

Swamp cooler property damage is serious, and it could eventually make your home structurally unsafe. In the event that you have water damage or fire damage to your property, you should contact NuBilt Restoration & Construction for immediate and proper repair of any damages.

At last, what Coloradans need to know and do about Wildfires

Colorado March 2012

The effects from a wildfire can be far-reaching. Whether you live in the forested area or in a nearby city, it’s difficult to escape the impact of a wildfire.

For obvious reasons, inhabitants in the forested areas are more susceptible to the serious dangers of a wildfire. Every year wildfires consume thousands of properties while destroying hundreds of thousands of acres.

Although assistance is available, protecting your home and your well-being is ultimately your responsibility. As such, there are many factors to consider when determining your preparedness in the event of a wildfire such as, what kind of materials was your home constructed out of or what’s the immediate topography and foliage surrounding your property. (more…)

Avoiding Wind Damage: A Checklist for Homeowners

Once a major storm hits, it’s too late to protect your home and property. But there are things you can do now to limit future wind damage. Some are fairly simple and inexpensive; others will require a contractor. You’ll need to consider the characteristics of your home, your financial resources and the building codes in your community.

This homeowner’s checklist will help you learn what you can do. For more information about the costs and benefits of each approach, talk to a professional builder, architect or contractor. You should also ask your building department about building permit requirements

• Is the roof sheathing properly installed?
  During a windstorm, wind forces are carried from the roof down to the exterior walls, down to the foundation. Homes can be damaged when wind forces are not properly transferred to the ground. Roof sheathing (the boards or plywood nailed to the roof rafters or trusses) can fail during a major storm if not properly installed. Examine the sheathing from the attic. If many of the nails have missed the rafters, you may need to re-nail the sheathing. If you’re putting on a new roof, make sure the sheathing complies with current recommended practices. (more…)

5 Construction Defects You Can Avoid!

Turns out, defective construction is easy to prevent, however claims are not and the claims costs surpass the cost of doing it right. Edward Fronapfel, P.E., forensics claim specialist and owner of SBSA Inc., is deep in the trenches regarding construction defect claims for owners, builders, developers and insurance companies. Through his consulting, he’s narrowed down the five most current construction defect claims, and discussed how you can avoid them.

Post-Tensioned Floors Defects

Post-tensioning is a way to strengthen concrete in your flooring slab or patio. Post-tensioning has the characteristic of moving on the soil it sits on. Such movements can result in cosmetic defects to the home, such as the drywall, doors and/or windows. If the post-tensioning movement occurs outside on the patio slab, the result may end in drainage being funneled into the house.

A method for avoiding with post-tensioning construction defects claims would be to increase the slope the slab sits on, to reduce the effect of the movement. By creating a dap, or small step, between the house and adjacent patio you will help reduce the path for water to drain into the home from patio slab movement and provide a lap for the building skin. (more…)

The Fire Insurance Claim Process

Fire victims dealing with filing a claim with their insurance company are often faced with many questions. The following is a tip sheet offered by the Insurance Information Institute, an industry trade group, on what you need to know if your house has been damaged by fire:

If my house burns down, will my insurance company pay to have it rebuilt?
The typical homeowner’s policy covers damage due to wind, fire and lightning. So if your home has been completely destroyed by a fire or if the roof has been burned, your insurance company will pay to have your home rebuilt or to have the roof replaced. It will also pay if flames and smoke have damaged any other part of your home. (more…)

5 Ways to Protect Your Property from Winter Fires

With winter, we think snow and cold temperatures, which would be a fire deterrent, right? Well, unfortunately because of the colder temperatures and conditions, people use methods to heat up their homes which increase home fire occurrences. In fact, according to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), 49% of all home heat related fires happen December, January and February! As such, we have assembled a helpful guide so that we can prevent you and us to not be apart of that statistic.

So here are 5 ways to protect your property from winter fires:

• Keep Distance – Make sure that all heaters have a safe distance of at least 3 feet away from any combustible materials (clothes, paper, furniture, curtains, etc.).

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Winter Roof Leaks? Don’t Dam Your Roof

Although ice damming can result from the sun’s heat melting the snow on the roof, the more common way ice dams are formed is due to irregular temperatures in your attic or roof’s undersides.

“When your roof reaches 32° and above, snow starts to melt. If the resulting water from that snow melt reaches a lower portion of the roof which is below 32°, freezing often occurs. This is the start of the ice dam formation,” according to Jeremy Hall, HAAG certified roof inspector. “As this begins to build up receiving continued runoff of melting snow from the uppermost portion of the roof, water intrusion becomes a hazard as the ice expands and goes in between the roof materials.”

You may be prone to ice damming if:

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Don’t Be a Winterization Victim

With the first Colorado freeze warning issued as early as October 17th this year, many homeowners were caught off guard, scrambling to get their homes ready for winter. Every cold snap puts homeowners at the risk of suffering property damage and expenses caused by frozen pipes. Irrigation systems are especially susceptible due to their proximity – outdoors!

NuBilt has received a record number of calls this season due to sprinkler system freezes which might have been avoided with proper winterization and having the system blown out in time. Many residents who have migrated to Colorado from warmer climates never think to perform this step before temperatures fall into the low 30 degree level. Upon reaching this temperature is when water expands, increasing in volume to one-eleventh, sufficient enough to cause pipes and fittings to burst, valves to crack. Just keep in mind, if you ever need to shovel snow, then you are in a climate which requires steps to protect your pipes from freezing. (more…)

Warning: The Problem with Mold (Part 2)

The Mold Controversy: Affecting Managers, Insurers, Remediators and the Community

In Part 1 of this exploration into the problems and controversy surrounding mold, the history behind the recent mold phenomenon, detection methods and health effects were outlined (Warning: The Problem with Mold (Part 1)). With Part 2, the eradication process, or mold remediation as it is known to those in the industry, and why the associated costs are what they are will be outlined. Additionally, the question over the levels of responsibility to address the presence of mold within a structure and why there exists a reluctance within the property manager, insurance and restoration world, to speak definitively on the subject. This is especially timely as we enter the fall season, when mold spore counts traditionally reach their highest level of the year. (more…)