Keeping Your Hotel’s Pipes from Bursting This Winter

12/18/2018 (Permalink)

Frozen water pipes in your hotel can be a costly and damaging incident that can be prevented with some vigilance and preventative measures. Winter carries the potential to wreak havoc on any building, causing frozen or burst pipes. Here are some tips and popular tricks to keep your water flowing and the pipes in your hotel from bursting.

Everyone understands that when water freezes, it expands. In cases of extreme cold, ice can expand to the point of breaking through or bursting any pipes that have water sitting in them. It’s important to keep pipes warm and to keep the water inside them moving if at all possible when they are exposed to frigid temperatures.

Crawl spaces, attics, garages and other areas that are exposed to the outside temperatures without insulation are the most likely areas where pipe breakage will occur, so for these areas, it will be important to drain the supply lines or remove the hoses that are commonly left in the cold. Swimming pools and water hoses are two obvious places to start. Speak to your plumber or hotel handyman about having insulation or pipe-sleeves added to trouble areas. Keep storage area doors closed if water supply lines are inside.

If you suspect a pipe is frozen but not broken, it is possible to thaw the pipe and resume regular use. An indicator that a pipe is frozen is water trickling from a faucet when it would normally flow fast and free. If you locate a section you believe to be frozen, apply a heating pad or hair dryer while keeping the faucet open for a quick fix. If the water begins to run after some time warming, you have found the area!

Contact a professional to discuss measures to be taken in future that will keep these types of events from occurring again.

Enjoy your holidays, and keep your pipes safe to prevent water damage to your hotel property! If a disaster does occur, SERVPRO of Belle Meade / West Nashville is ready to help. We are experts when it comes to cleanup projects both large and small, and mold remediation is one of our specialties.