Water Damage Prevention Tips for Your Hotel

2/19/2019 (Permalink)

The best way to prevent water damage in your hotel is to be aware. Take time to look around, especially after wet weather and check for signs of a problem. Damage to the walls and foundation areas of a building are extremely important to repair as soon as possible in order to avoid larger structural and property damages in the future, which can end up costing far more in the long run.

Here are some things to look for:

• Look for changes in the color or texture of surfaces. Wallpaper or paint might be peeling away or appear discolored. Check for bowing in the walls, which can be a result of long-term seepage. In service areas on lower floors that may have unfinished walls, you will want to look for a white, salty substance known as “efflorescence”. This usually appears on foundational walls and will tell you how high water has risen. If flooring is swollen or removed from the subfloor, that is another indicator of water damages.
• Make sure your staff is well-trained on how to check for leaks and maintenance needs, and establish a system they can use to get important information about those needs to the people who arrange for repairs and upkeep.
• Cracking can occur in the foundation and/or the floor, and it is often due to water damage. Look for cracks in window seals and door panes, as well.
• Odors are an indicator that there is an excess water problem. Oftentimes, it’s mold or mildew that causes those smells, which means you have water damage on your hands.

• Keep drainage areas well-maintained in expectation of summer storms; directing water away from your buildings will stop any problems before they even start! Pay special attention to guest parking areas and entryways to alleviate the possibility of lawsuits from dangerous situations that can arise through water damages.

Once you have found that you have water damage, it’s probably time to call a professional general contractor. These people are experienced and trained to repair and renovate spaces that have extensive damage from excess water due to leaky pipes, flooding, etc.

The team at  SERVPRO of Belle Meade/ West Nashville is the team to call for cleanups after water damage or fire damage, both large and small. We are mold-remediation experts, too!