Zyad Jabal, P.E.

Expert QuestionS & AnswerS

After 17 years in plumbing systems, what’s a recurring finding in your investigations that most people in the industry don’t expect?

One recurring finding that surprises many people is that plumbing failures are often caused not by the pipe itself, but by improper installation, poor maintenance, or system mechanisms such as thermal expansion, pressure spikes, and water hammer. Many failures that appear sudden are actually the result of gradual deterioration over time.

Failure analysis and cost estimating — what unique evidence and challenges does each present?

Failure analysis and cost estimating each present unique challenges. Failure analysis focuses on preserving and interpreting physical evidence to determine the cause of a failure, while cost estimating requires accurately defining the repair scope, including hidden damage, labor, materials, and code-related repairs. Both often involve assessing incomplete documentation and conditions that are not readily visible during inspection and applying engineering judgment in the analysis.

In property loss consulting, disputes over scope and cost are common — what’s the most effective way to establish a damage assessment that holds up under scrutiny?

The most effective way to perform a damage assessment that holds up under scrutiny is to rely on a thorough inspection, comprehensive documentation of the inspection findings, retention of objective evidence, and a clear methodology. Photographs, measurements, testing, repair records, and industry standards help support findings and distinguish incident-related damage from pre-existing conditions. A well supported assessment methodology is repeatable and is based on verifiable facts rather than assumptions.

What’s the most interesting case you’ve worked on that you can talk about without revealing client details?

One of the most interesting projects I’ve worked on involved post Hurricane Dorian damage assessments of power plants, reverse osmosis and water treatment facilities, breweries, pharmaceutical plants, and commercial dock systems. Having lived through the event without power or potable water, and seeing restored pumps initially deliver salt water to the domestic supply, provided valuable perspective while evaluating damage mechanisms and restoration efforts.

What do you wish more people understood about the work you do in industrial and renewable energy?

What I wish more people understood is that industrial and renewable energy investigations are rarely about identifying a single failed component. Determining the root cause requires understanding the failure mechanism and how equipment, operating conditions, maintenance practices, environmental factors, and system interactions contributed to the loss. Conclusions must be supported by physical evidence, sound engineering principles, and objective documentation and analysis.

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