A 6-story, 140,000 sf Class A office building in Birmingham, Alabama prevented catastrophic top-down water damage thanks to 24/7 early water leak detection sensors and the AlertAQ™ platform.

We were able to respond to the leaking air handler before it would have caused major water damage.

— Facilities Manager

Air handler unit causes flood

On a hot August evening in Birmingham, long after custodial staff and office workers had headed home from work, a potential water damage catastrophe was was brewing at a 6-story, Class A office building.

The mechanical room on the 5th floor houses one of the building’s air handler units (AHU). Over time, dirt and other debris had accumulated in the condensate line which is designed to drain excess moisture caused by conditioning the air. When the line becomes clogged, water can overflow the drain pan and cascade down to lower floors causing top-down water damage.

Early warning from AlertAQ™ platform

At 9:50 PM, the water from the backed up condensate line spilled onto an Alert Labs water leak detector that had been strategically placed in the condensate drain pan. Immediately, the on-duty facilities manager received an automated water leak phone call informing him of the location of the leak. The facilities manager was able to drive out to the building and unclog the drain before any more water pooled in the room and caused more damage.

Our insurance carrier said the damage could have cost $2,000,000.

— Facilities Manager

Policyholder of an Alert Labs insurance partner

The Facilities Management company that looks after the building in this case study is one of the many insureds of a national insurance company that is working with Alert Labs as part of their water loss prevention strategy.