Do I open today or not? Water Leak! :(

Create a Post
Verdaccio

Verdaccio

MGF, Master Grumble Framer
Joined
Jan 22, 2007
Posts
757
Loc
Berthoud, Colorado
I have a water leak from snow on the roof. It is in my gallery area behind the main counter. It is pretty bad - I have a tub with about 10 gallons in it from overnight.

All customer artwork is in metal flat files off the floor, or covered in plastic and well away from the leak area.

Windows are fogged with moisture.

A water leak is the last thing you want to see when you bring your treasured art to a framing shop, but things like this happen.

Landlord and repair people are on the way and should arrive within half an hour.

But do I open, or stay closed? There is no way to hide the leak. It is visible, and audible. Bah...advice would be appreciated.
 
i have a leak too, but luckily mine is only in the bathroom so its out of site of customers...

I'd open and use any concern to show how well you protect their treasures in case of an uncontrollable issue like a leak...
 
I would open.....turn up the heat, open a window or door to unfog the windows...keep things covered with plastic.....move, if you have to, your design area away from the "wet" area. Keep a smile on your face and keep working. As soon as the repair people get the snow off the roof and get the repair done, you should see a slowing of the drips, which might last for a few days. I'm sure your customers will understand a "roof leak" problem. Oh, and be sure to empty the tub often....ten gallons of water is very heavy. Good luck....keep us informed.
 
See if you can get your hands on a dehumidifier. A fan will help as well.
I would do everything I could to stay open.

edie the canyoutellivebeenthroughittoo goddess
 
Okay, thanks for the advice. :) The sign is flipped and I am Open and I will make lemonade out of these lemons! I am going to run out at my lunch break and get a dehumidifier. Landlord is here and repair people are on the way.
 
Okay, repair guy is here and the temporary patch will cost $500, and should stop the leak until warmer weather will allow for a more permanent patch. Dripping has slowed significantly and the humidity is down too, so YAY! :)

No standard-issue human customers have deigned to darken my door yet today, so I am pleased as I got to get it all cleaned to a "manageable" state.

They say it could keep leaking for 3-7 days as the water gets up under the roof coating and freezes and melts, etc. and what water is already underneath is gonna get in. The ceiling is bowing a bit too, so there is construction in the cards somewhere in the future too. Dandy...

Thanks for the replies and concern. :) It is nice to have a place to go when the sky is falling. :P
 
Voice of experience.....

If the ceiling is bowing, take an awl or screwdriver and poke a hole or two or three to allow the water to drain out more quickly. If it's collecting up there, chances are your ceiling will collapse and that will be a total mess.
 
The hole in the ceiling idea is a good one and we have already drilled two holes in to let excess water out more quickly. :)
 
Wow Michael, that sucks.

Running water can be a calming force. Maybe tell your customers that you installed a water feature for their enjoyment.

Just trying to help!

Not a good thing to be happening when your focus is on holiday orders, I hope it all dries soon.
 
A little trick I learned many years ago, I can't remember where or when, is to take a cotton string and attach it to the ceiling(decking) where the leak is, having the string long enough to reach the bucket........... no splashing as the water descends down the string. :)
 
When I first got into my shop almost two years ago, the ceiling tiles were so water stained and ugly and the previous owner told me there was "an occasional leak" The day I took over, I found out why....it was raining and I walked in and all the print bins were covered in plastic....and water dripping everywhere. We moved the print bins to where it wasn't leaking, put out buckets and talked to the landlady about fixing the roof. She said they'd been trying to fix the roof for years, but it always started to leak again. After a couple months of dripping and covering stuff up and putting buckets out, the other tenants and I got together and told her we were refusing to pay our rent until the leaks were fixed (one tenant had part of their ceiling collapse on their computer and copy machine!).

Guess what? It got fixed and hasn't leaked since. Money talks.

Hey Jerome, wish I'd known about the string thing!

Good luck, Michael.
 
No, I am not paying for it, the landlord is. I like the idea about the string! I now have three holes that are dripping and I have a ball of twine here...makes me feel a bit McGiver-ish. :P
 
I used to have a landlord that was reluctant to fix the leaks in the South Wall of my shop. The leaks damaged several framed display items more than once. The landlord told me that the contractor had not followed the plans of the designer so therefore the leaks. I then kept the shop open after storms and posted signs advertising damaged goods sales because of designers errors. The leaks were fixed within a month. No more problems.

Jack Cee
 
Create a Post
Back
Top