Bird poop can do more damage to your commercial property than you may think.

3/18/2022 (Permalink)

Birds may be harmless, small, and graceful creatures. They can also become a pest to your commercial properties. They may do more damage than you may think below are some areas where properties have had damages done due to bird droppings to their nests:

Roof damage:  Starling, pigeon and sparrow nests are often built-in rain gutters, drains and the underside of roof corners. Warehouses may experience great damage, even collapsed roofs, when drainage systems are blocked, and standing water is forced to rise. A collapsed roof that results in death or serious physical damage could put a company out of business. Bird droppings can eat away at many substrates, especially tar-based roofing materials. Droppings that can accumulate on roofs will eat into the material and eventually cause leaks. The life expectancy of a warehouse roof can be cut in half by a light, but continuous, layer of bird droppings.

Blocked ventilation systems:  Bird nests built in chimneys and ventilation systems can not only spread diseases through the system, but they can block airflow to the building. 

Fires:  Nests are usually flammable due to their construction of twigs, straw, and dried droppings. Nests constructed in electric signs and machinery pose a severe fire risk.

Property:  Left undisturbed, bird waste can damage almost any building material. Wood, stone, steel, and iron can all be damaged by bird droppings, which have a pH level like vinegar. If allowed to accumulate, droppings can clog gutters, discolor paint, corrode I-beams, ruin cloth awnings, and short out electrical equipment. Droppings commonly eat into and destroy wood, paper and cardboard packaging of products stored outdoors on pallets.

If you experience any damages give SERVPRO of San Luis Obispo a call at 805-541-1271.

Source: Nachi.org