Maintenance staff in the Schenley spent this week repairing 12 radiator leaks, a sewage backup and replacing the floorboards in one sixth-floor room after students returned to find water damage after winter break.

Workers from the Trammell Crow Company, who manage the Schenley residence hall through GW’s Office of Property and Real Estate, patched flaking ceilings throughout the building and snaked a blocked sewer pipe that caused backup in room 107. The sewage also leaked into a basement study lounge under the room.

Two students, sophomores Vanessa Couzzo and Dana Monchick, have stayed in a JBKO guest room since Saturday, when they returned to find their sixth floor room flooded.

Their floor is scheduled for completion Friday, said Rose Kirk, senior property manager for Trammell Crow.

Kirk said damage also occurred to the ceilings of rooms under radiator leaks, some of which have been patched and painted. Other ceilings await repair until they dry, she said.

Trammell Crow staff was able to do the plumbing repairs and housekeeping cleaned up the sewage, but the company hired a contractor to make floor and ceiling repairs, Kirk said.

Couzzo and Monchick previously believed their radiator leaked because they followed GW instructions to turn the heat off over the break, and failed to find a notice from Trammell Crow to leave the radiator on.

Kirk said the leaks could have occurred at any time and had nothing to do with whether the radiators were on.

“They could have happened when the students were living here. They could have happened in any other building,” she said. “If the students were there, they would have notified us sooner.”

Kirk also said radiator leaks are common during the winter, especially in older buildings like the 85-year-old Schenley.

She said all students affected by the damage received a memo Wednesday detailing the status of their repairs.

Sophomore Bridget Hansen said she and her roommate returned to their sixth floor room over the weekend to find ceiling plaster on her bed and the floor. By Wednesday, Trammell Crow had patched the ceiling and was returning to paint it.

“We had to sleep in rubble for a few days, but it’s all right. It was fixed,” Hansen said.

Sophomore Stevie Rousey also had minor ceiling damage in his sixth floor room, which he said was repaired Monday.