How to Avoid Water Damage to Lakefront Property

6/8/2021 (Permalink)

Blog Summary: SERVPRO of Carrollton explains how waterfront property owners can avoid water damage to their lake homes.

The team at SERVPRO of Carrollton is made up of water damage restoration professionals with experience and certifications across the property damage restoration industry. The owners, Phil and Mary Jo Ciatto, make sure that their customers receive the best customer service possible. The entire Carrollton SERVPRO team is invested in the Carrollton community in which they live and work.

Carrollton, TX, is a wonderful place to live. According to a national real estate monitor, over one-third (36%) of people living and working in Carrollton are employed in office and administrative support, sales jobs, and management occupations. Carrollton also has more residents who work in computers and math than 95% of other places in the US. During the pandemic, many of these workers from various business sectors enjoyed the benefits of working remotely from home. These remote workers who owned weekend lake homes found themselves spending more time on the waterfront than at their primary home. Others went in search of the dream lake home and put their primary residence up for sale. Since lakes are abundant in this region of Texas, the demographic shift to the waterfront is understandable.

To make life on the lakefront more enjoyable and to protect the value of the waterfront property, SERVPRO of Carrollton offers four tips on how to avoid water damage to a lake house.

Tip #1: Prevent water damage resulting from swimming and other water activities.

Tracking water into the lake home after the occasional swim in the lake, pool, or spa may not present much of a problem. When the lake home was only a weekend retreat, the residual water intrusion from swimming presented no significant problem. However, multiply the water intrusion by multiple children and multiple times a day, and the problem escalates over a period of weeks and months.

Piling up wet clothes, towels, and flip-flops in the laundry room or bathroom can damage flooring, baseboards, and carpeting and lead to mold infestation or foul odors. Continuous saturation of flooring, carpeting, and rugs can also damage flooring and foster a mold infestation.

Simple remedies include creating an outdoor space to hang wet clothing and towels. Put down runners in the high traffic area from the entrance of the home to the bathroom. Use bathmats to capture excess water and prevent the flooring from becoming wet. Runners and bathmats should be washed weekly. If the rugs and mats are dampened multiple times each day, change them out daily with dry rugs and mats. Dry the damp mats outside in the sun if possible. Utilizing a portable room dehumidifier in areas exposed to frequent water and moisture intrusions can reduce the threat of water damage and mold infestation.

Tip #2: Watch out for spa or pool leaks.

Lakefront homeowners will often have a separate pool or spa for times when the lake is inaccessible due to low water levels, an algae outbreak, a fish die-off, or a chemical spill. A leaking pool filtration system can flood a crawl space, damaging the foundation and causing mold infestation and wood rot. While an interior spa is a welcome amenity for any home or waterfront home, a six-person spa holds as many as 475 gallons of water, and a spill of this magnitude can be disastrous. An operational spa introduces a massive amount of moisture into the air, and the increased humidity can cause extensive water damage and mold issues. Regular pool and spa maintenance and a room dehumidifier to mitigate the moisture influx can go a long way to preventing serious water damage from a pool or spa.

Tip #3: Excessive usage may put a strain on appliances, resulting in a water leak.

Inviting guests, friends, and family to the lake house is always enjoyable, and swimming, sunbathing, water sports, and boating are fun activities that build community. Entertaining large groups puts a strain on appliances such as the dishwasher, washing machine, and refrigerator. The increased usage of appliances may reveal leaks or cause malfunctions such as supply line failures or part failures. A burst supply line to the washing machine can spill as many as seven to ten gallons of water per minute into the laundry room.

Tip #4: Increased usage of the shower, bathtub, and toilets may result in a major sewage spill.

A bungalow with one or two bathrooms can handle a large crowd if the system is tied into a public sewer. However, if the home has a septic tank, trouble could be lurking.

• An eight-minute shower: 17 gallons
• An average bath: 30 gallons
• A typical toilet: 3.5 gallons

Hosting a large group of people over the weekend can push large amounts of water through the sewage system. When the guest list includes small children, the homeowner may find that toys, excessive toilet paper, diapers, non-flushable wipes, paper towels, or pieces of clothing are being flushed down the toilet. Be on the alert for continuously running water, the need for multiple flushes, and strong odors. Give these warning signs immediate attention.

These four tips are just the starting point for avoiding water damage on the waterfront. By following these tips, homeowners can continue to enjoy life on the lake.

When a water damage disaster strikes, trust the restoration experts at SERVPRO of Carrollton for water, fire, storm, and commercial damage restoration in Carrollton, TX. The company offers twenty-four-hour emergency service, a faster response to any size disaster, highly trained restoration technicians, advanced equipment and cleaning techniques, and EPA-approved cleaning and sanitation solutions. The Carrollton SERVPRO team is a trusted leader in the restoration industry.

For more information about the water damage restoration company, contact SERVPRO of Carrollton by email at office@SERVPRO10952.com or by phone at (972) 446-0383.