A frozen pipe in a second-story hotel room broke, and water seeped through the floor and caused massive damage to the room below. Servicepro from Duluth was called to clean up, and the business owner, Kevin Buck, offered some tips on how to prevent this from happening, and what to do if it does happen.
A pipe carrying water to a baseboard radiator broke, cascading water across the second story hotel room, through the floor and into the room below.
The damage was stunning.
Not only were some of the walls ruined, the vermiculite—a sound dampening material used in the ceilings of some hotels—got wet and busted through the ceiling tiles, making a horrendous mess, covering the ruined carpet in 2-3 inches of grey sandy material.
Servicepro from Duluth was on the job, cleaning it up. Kevin Buck, owner of the company, had some tips for other people who might suffer similar damage, and gave some tips how to prevent it from happening.
“In homes or cabins that aren’t used it’s logical to turn the heat down, but the corners of a house can get cold, and water running through lines can freeze in those locations. It’s best to run glycol, rather than just water in the lines. This would prevent pipes carrying water from freezing.
“If a line does break, the key is to get it cleaned up as fast as possible. Extract the water from the carpet; make sure the outlets are safe. One common mistake is that people turn the heat way up. Don’t do that. The warmer the air, the more moisture it holds and it causes secondary damage that ruins furniture, mattresses, wallpaper, art work etc.
“Don’t turn the fans on. Most people think it’s a good idea to turn a fan on. It’s not. Evaporating water will find someplace to go. If you are going to turn the heat up and run fans, crack your windows. This is calling burping the moisture, and it allows someplace for the moisture to go.
“If you decide to clean up, check with your insurance company to see what they require. If you do the work wrong they may not cover the damage.
“Last, hazards lurk in your walls. Older homes may still have asbestos or mold that when a wall is opened, can make you sick. Moisture can get into electrical circuits, so make sure to hire an electrician to check your outlets. We (Sevicepro) always hire an electrician and have him/her sign off on a room(s) that suffered water damage before we work on it.
“If a job is too big, call a professional. We have the equipment to handle the cleanup. Remember, the faster the damage is repaired, the cheaper it will be in the long run.”
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