Cleanzine: your weekly cleaning and hygiene industry newsletter 18th April 2024 Issue no. 1110
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CleanSafe completes sports club recovery after "tsunami" flood
CleanSafe Services has completed a major flood recovery exercise at a private sports and fitness club where a pipe burst - allowing a third of the water in the club's swimming pool to empty into the basement.
More than 200,000 litres of water drained from the 20 metre swimming pool at the Charing Cross Sports Club in Hammersmith, West London, in a matter of minutes.
Emergency cleaning specialist CleanSafe, which has branches in London, Birmingham, Manchester and Edinburgh, put in place a range of flood damage restoration measures at the club, on the site of Charing Cross Hospital. The whole emergency clean-up and recovery process took 10 weeks to complete.
"CleanSafe's response has been impressive," admits club manager Tom Canning. "Such a critical failure is the nightmare scenario for any sports facility managing a swimming pool. Getting expert help in quickly was key to our recovery.
"The flood was like a tsunami. Our basement was waist-high in water within minutes. The club's electricity control panel was submerged, so we lost power, which meant the club had to close temporarily.
"The flood recovery firm our insurance company appointed was clearly not up to the job, so I contacted CleanSafe very late on Friday night. It had a team on site, with all the equipment they needed early the next morning."
CleanSafe used a jet vacuumation tanker to remove the water and because it contained treatment chemicals, it had to be treated as contaminated, so was disposed of at an authorised waste site.
The flood recovery process was managed by CleanSafe account manager Colin Williams. He says that taking decisive action, based on sound technical knowledge, is vital for flood damage restoration to work.
"Reconnecting electricity was critical," he explains. "Because of the built up location, with a hospital and homes nearby, we had to obtain a temporary supply from the grid; not use generators. Once power was back on, after three weeks, the club could partially reopen."
CleanSafe follows a rigorously-tested approach to flood recovery in buildings, incorporating the latest innovations as they are developed.
With standing water in the club's basement cleared, all surfaces, including pipework and machinery, were sanitised by being wiped down to prevent mould growth.
The basement was then treated with a deodorising agent, to neutralise unpleasant smells, which was particularly important to maintain a pleasant environment for club members.
The dry-out was completed with dehumidifiers and air blowers over a period of two months - up to 10 of each deployed at the height of the process.
"Swimming pool water contains chlorine and acids that could have damaged the fabric of the building, so the drying process had to be very closely monitored," adds Colin.
"Also, drying has to be done at a speed that's not so fast that it causes cracking of walls and floors, but not so slow that it can lead to mould growth.
"Our priority with flood recovery work, like this, is to get our clients fully back up and running as fast as possible, in a way that best protects their commercial interests, both in the short and long-term."
Tom Canning says: "Having CleanSafe on our team helped us to plan our recovery with confidence. We could advise our 2,500 members with certainty, minimising their anxiety and the long-term negative impact of a catastrophic event.
"We were able to open some services three weeks after the flood, and complete the recovery in less than three months, which is a remarkable team effort. CleanSafe's contribution has been pivotal."
T: 0800 998 1196
E: [email protected]
W: www.cleansafeservices.co.uk
5th March 2015