Using Water Leak Detection in Your Church
It's water damage you don’t see that often causes the most problems.
Daily usage of water heaters and supply lines to faucets or toilets are culprits that, when they leak or are damaged, can become a major headache for churches.
"If the plumbing is over thirty years old, especially if you have copper lines, the minerals in the water cause pinholes and then you have a leak," Mike Brittain, Loss Control Manager at Southern Mutual Church Insurance, said.
Those slow, minor leaks —ones that can go undetected—often result in significant damage. For church buildings, leaks can be a bigger problem since the facility typically experiences low foot traffic for most of the week.
For many years, leaks have been all but undetectable until they become a bigger issue. But water loss prevention technology has made it possible for churches to monitor their plumbing lines and detect issues, allowing a more proactive approach that prevents large losses.
How Water Loss Prevention Devices Can Help Your Church
"The number one controllable risk out there is water damage,” William Thomas, Vice President of the Commercial & Construction Division at Water Hero, said.
"Water is just something people take for granted," he explained. Most people expect plumbing to work and water infrastructure to function without giving it a second thought – until something goes wrong.
Thomas and Water Hero are seeing water damage become more than just a facility issue for churches and other commercial-grade buildings. It's beginning to affect their ability to secure insurance coverage.
"We've definitely seen an uptick throughout the country with existing buildings unable to find coverage because of water damage claims," Thomas said.
Not only is ministry disrupted, but a church may struggle to find adequate, affordable coverage if it experiences a loss due to water damage.
"A lot of churches we've dealt with have aging infrastructure," Thomas explained. "As pipes get older, they're prone to problems."
If an older pipe bursts or starts leaking, water detection devices like Water Hero can send alerts to your church letting you know a leak has been detected.
Water Hero's technology allows you to access your church's water infrastructure on a computer or your smartphone. You can decide who receives alerts, so if a leak is detected, someone at your church knows about it and can take action.
The app can detect leaks throughout your plumbing infrastructure and can shut the water off to your facility automatically without human intervention.
"We can detect underground leaks," Thomas said.
Beyond leaking, Water Hero also monitors flow, usage, and temperature, which may help you resolve any billing issues and determine where the most water is being used. Line temperature monitoring can help alert you to rising temperatures, which may indicate a potential fire in your facility.
Leak detection tools give your church an incredible amount of insight into your water usage.
"If you're filling a baptismal pool, if you want to see how much and how long it takes, you can see that in the dashboard," Thomas explained.
Brittain said he's installed a Water Hero in his own home to determine leaks or high usage, noting it was easy to set up and manage.
"I installed a Water Hero on my home personally," he said. "If water runs for more than 15 minutes, I'll get an alert."
Installing water leak detection devices on water lines can help prevent the costs of repairs and damage. More importantly, it reduces the likelihood that your ministry and services will be disrupted. For churches that offer services like daycare or school, water damage can cause significant scheduling challenges.
"It could not only save the church the inconvenience during an extensive repair, but also out-of-pocket money when they have to cover their deductible," Brittain explained.
Keep Your Water Infrastructure Well Maintained
When it comes to water loss, the best way to avoid a problem is to prevent it in the first place. Brittain said it's rarely significant water events that cause issues; it's plumbing that's used frequently and wears down over time.
"A lot of times, it's those day-to-day situations," Brittain explained.
He recommends that churches inspect things like water supply lines on a regular basis, as they are often the cause of small leaks that can lead to major damage or inflated bills. It's those issues that a tool like Water Hero can help detect quickly.
Most churches have extensive plumbing infrastructure, with multiple restrooms, a kitchen, and a fire sprinkler system. Sprinklers are one issue Brittain sees causing significant problems.
"In addition to doing routine maintenance on water supply lines, we see issues with fire sprinkler systems," he said.
Brittain says churches should have them inspected by professionals at least once per year, which is a requirement for Southern Mutual Church Insurance policyholders.
He explained that those inspections check for corrosion, drain any condensation that builds up, and identify sprinkler heads that need to be replaced.
There’s a Cost to Doing Nothing
Brittain and Thomas each said the benefits of having water loss detection technology far outweigh the upfront costs.
"We're here to help people and help them not have damage in their buildings," Thomas said.
Brittain noted that anyone who installs a water leak detection system, such as Water Hero, should have multiple points of contact who receive alerts, install a battery backup, and set up automatic shutoff.
When it comes to water loss, the best way to avoid a problem is to prevent it in the first place. And those problems are avoided with proper maintenance and prevention.
"The cost of doing nothing is greater than the cost of doing something," Thomas said.
Southern Mutual Church Insurance policyholders are eligible for a premium discount. Reach out to our team to learn more about this program.
