My dad is gone for the weekend, and he asked me to drop by his place and check on a "water running" sound he's been hearing for a few days. He hadn't been able to track the source or find evidence of flooding. But...I did.
From what I can tell, there is a leak outside in the yard somewhere close to the house. I turned off the main valve by the street, so no more water is flowing. Unfortunately, the water has made its way from outside to one of the downstairs bedrooms. Half the carpet that room is soaked - the pad is anyway. The water is clean, and so far there is no staining.
I have a feeling the carpet will need to be pulled up so it can dry, and the pad will probably need replacing. I'm pretty sure it's on tack strip. Any advice? Do I take a pair of pliers and start yanking it up?
Posted by Si Allen (Member # 420) on :
Check out one of the companies that specialize in flooding repairs.
Chances are that they can vacuum out 95% of the water and not have to remove the carpet.
Posted by Alicia B. Jennings (Member # 1272) on :
If it was me, I'd start yanking out the carpet and the foam pad underneath as soon as posible. Then I hang it up in a dry place (garage). Maybe you could lay it on some 2x4x8's on some saw horses. Then i'd check out the wood subfloor to make sure there is no water damage. After it has completly dried, I'd check the carpet for any bad smells or stains. If all is well, then I would replace the foam, why reuse wet stuff. And then put the carpet back down. If putting back the carpet is more than you could handle, hire it out. Reguardless, floors must be keep dry to aviod moisture damage.
Posted by Doug Allan (Member # 2247) on :
I'd call his homeowners insurance company & find out about his coverage. Molds can be very harmful, & trying to dry this without removing it could lead to mold problems later. Maybe removing, repairing or replacing this is covered after a deductable, & maybe that knowing the details of that coverage would help decide if the possible destruction, or the incurring of re-installation labor would be justified by the limit to his actual costs for a resolution.
Posted by Jon Butterworth (Member # 227) on :
I had the same problem with the lounge room carpet being flooded with a leak from the bathroom.
I did what Si suggested: Got a carpet cleaning Company in as soon as possible.
They sucked it almost dry. Fortunately it was summer time and the rest dried up fairly quickly. No damp underfoot ... no musty smells. If it starts to smell ... rip it up! It really depends on the type of underlay. Mine was rubber and not very porous.
We did eventually have the whole lot replaced as it was old and worn, but no problem living with it until then.
Posted by Roy Frisby (Member # 736) on :
I'm with Doug, call the insurance people first. His homeowners should cover it. Posted by Deb Fowler (Member # 1039) on :
Wow, Russ. I had to see how you could have a flood in Utah. I stayed with my sis back years ago there and it's as dry as a bone! Sorry to hear about your basement problem; such a drag. Sounds like some excellent advice here.
When I had my home in Ohio there were times when I waited to call the insurance company when on three occasions I had also some basement flooding Wow was I regretful! They told me the longer I waited the worse it would be. They came out (the 5th day and started right away, pumps, dehumidifiers, etc. Now mine was cement since I'd taken the carpet up from a previous flood. The black mold and such are very bad for one's health. We had so much flooding here in IL this year and last that FEMA has been out. It was up to the stop signs in some areas. I learn more and more about molds as time goes on.
There is a company that is teaching me about cleaning. It's www.ActionOzone.com and he's local here. I found out that not all ozone air machines are safe for breathing. It has to be a specialized type such as he has and applied to the air properly. So, with that info, (no floods this year at my house, btw, I did take his advice and unplugged my ozone treatment machine I had in the bedroom. Hopefully that will be better; just had to close the windows during nice weather due to bonfires in the neighborhood! Yuk. Good luck with the basement; glad you didn't have memorabilia in that; watch out for mildew on porous keepsakes, though, Russ.
Posted by Gavin Chachere (Member # 1443) on :
Having had just a tad bit of flooding experience,heres the probable truth...
unless he has a separate flood policy,theres is prob a 95% or greater chance thats not going to be covered by homeowners policy. They will tell you different and do nothing in plain english but jerk you off when you try to make the claim.** DO NOT TRUST THE ADJUSTER OR YOUR AGENT**...no matter how seemingly minor a claim. If for some reason theysay it is covered by homeowners,get it stated and notarized in writing,and do not trust the adjuster. Neither he or his agent is your buddy,your pal or looking out for your dads best interest,nor or they looking to do anything except break it off in his ass when it comes to paying,delay it aslong as possible and do anything they can to deny coverage for a similar event in the future. Sounds harsh but i watch it everyday. Before you call your insurance company if its a significant claim get an independent adjuster out there first. Also from personal opinion,that carpet needs to come up to dry and that pad needs to go. Noone is gonna die fromm black mold but if that pad doesnt dry 120% it will smell like someone buried ass in a shoe under a dog cage and ou will develop a mold problem that may not take hold in that spot,butthe spores will travel and settle somewhere else and come back later.
[ September 23, 2007, 11:44 PM: Message edited by: Gavin Chachere ]
Posted by Russ McMullin (Member # 5617) on :
Thanks for all the feedback. The carpet is in a basement bedroom, so the floor is concrete. I pulled up the carpet and sucked about 10 gallons of water out of the pad with a shop vac. It's still damp, but at least it's not sopping anymore. When I poured out the water, it was clear, which was good to see. I've got fans going on the pad and carpet. The carpet was installed less than a year ago, so I'm hoping it's in good enough condition to dry out and be restretched. The pad actually looks great other than being wet. If I can't dry it out completely I'll plan to have it replaced.
Tomorrow I'll be digging up the yard to see if I can track down the leak. I think I know where it is, but the pipe is about 3 feet below ground. Not fun.
Posted by Todd Gill (Member # 2569) on :
Russ - since you have the carpet up, I'd recommend taking a diluted bleach solution and mopping the floor with it to kill any invisible bacteria/mold that might have already started developing...
Doug makes a good point in that household molds can be a very detrimental health hazard.
Posted by Checkers (Member # 63) on :
Hey Russ, Check with your local equipment rental company to see if they can get your a commercial grade blower. Then set it up to blow under the carpet for fast drying. Another option is to just call one of the local disaster recovery/restoration companies like servpro. They have everything necessary to clean things up right. You may want to call your water company too to see if they'll help locate the leak for you. They can't keep your dad as a customer if he doesn't have service. Be prepared to replace the entire line though. Unless there was an obvious reason for the failure, like you hit it while digging a footing or something, you'll probably be better off replacing the entire line. Also, since you have the luxury of time, shop around and don't hesitate to negotiate pricing. All of these companies charge their "emergency" rate even when they're not busy.
Havin' fun,
Checkers
Posted by Randy Campbell (Member # 2675) on :
Russ did you fix the problem?If not do that first then start doing the carpet.
Posted by Russ McMullin (Member # 5617) on :
What a nightmare. I did find the leak. The galvanized water line to the house was completely encrusted with rust, and one part had failed. The "water running" noise started about a week ago, but it's probably been seeping out for quite a while.
The amount of clay in the soil made for very difficult digging. I was constantly banging the shovel to get the sticky mud off it. I didn't have the time nor the energy to dig a 40 foot trench, so I found a backhoe operator and a plumber to get the job done - not cheap. The new poly pipe line should last a long time. I watched them install it, so I know what's involved. I'll likely skip the plumber if I ever run into this problem again.
The carpet problem became secondary to the water line, so I haven't done much more with it. The fans are still going, and I'm going to see how things are in a week. The carpet will probably be ok. We'll let everything dry out for at least a month before attempting to put carpet back down. The pad will probably be replaced. Luckily that room doesn't get used much.
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