Situation: A Chain Reaction of Oversights

BHS was engaged as experts by the property owner’s attorney to investigate a serious water damage event in a newly opened three-story self-storage facility on the West Coast. A simple warranty replacement by the fire suppression subcontractor triggered a water fall event:

• While replacing the elevator’s umbilical control cord, the subcontractor accidentally dislodged a sprinkler head in the elevator pit
• This caused the fire alarm to annunciate and the pressurized sprinkler system to release water through the dislodged sprinkler head directly into the elevator pit
• A 15 GPM sump pump, designed to handle the elevator’s hydraulic oil in the event of a leak, was float activated and pumped the sprinkler water into a non-sealed 55-gallon drum located on the second floor

Failure Amplified by Poor Emergency Planning

• The 55-gallon drum overflowed in under 4 minutes, flooding the second floor units
• Water then flooded first-floor storage units from above
• The on-site part-time watchman:
• Could not locate the key to the chained and locked main shut-off ve in the parking lot
• Did not think to shut off the elevator pit sump pump’s circuit breaker to stop pumping and use the elevator pit as a temporary reservoir
• Showed fire department where to cut the lock and close the valve, after 350 gallons flooded the building.

BHS Investigation: Deep Dive into Liability

To support our client’s defense, BHS conducted a comprehensive analysis of:

• Plans, specs, as-builts, and contracts
• Facility field inspections
• Interviews with elevator mechanics responsible for the event
• Design capacity calculations and overflow scenarios for water and elevator hydraulic oil

Key Findings:

• The elevator subcontractor’s actions clearly triggered the sprinkler release
• BUT the building owner failed to:
• Provide proper overflow containment for the 140 gallons of elevator hydraulic oil in the system
• Install alarms upon sump pump activation
• Create an accessible shutdown protocol for such an event
• Inform staff on emergency response protocols regarding sump pump deactivation and the sprinkler valve key’s location

Lessons Learned

This case proves that workmanship errors alone rarely account for the full extent of damage. Risk multiplies when design flaws and operational oversights are present:

• Design must account for overflow scenarios
• Backup alarms and fail-safes are critical
• Emergency response training for building staff is not optional
• Responsibility for consequential damages often extends beyond the obvious