Look at the bright side, Joe, You got off pretty easy with Murphy’s law, "Anything that can go wrong, will!) just think about the folks in the delta and Louisiana! You’ll be back running in no time! But I’ll bet your lunch was up at your adam’s apple, eh? John jc5729
That could have led to a shocking experience. Sorry, couldn’t help myself.
I’m sorry about your flood problem.Sounds like you did the right thing to get it shut off. My guess is your home owners will cover it since it was a sudden and catastrophic accident. I looked into that recently when I dicovered water damage in my bathroom which resulted in a total remodel of the bathroom including replacement of the whole outside wall. Insurance would not cover it since it wasn’t due to a sudden occurrence such as a burst pipe,but only a slow leak over time.
I worked in public works for a city. We were filling potholes from a dump truck when the truck fell through the street and broke a water main. The water gushed up and ran down the street and down a guys driveway and backed up about a foot deep against the garage door. The poor guy opened the door to see what the little trickle of water was, and a tidal wave rushed in and flooded his whole basement. The expression on his face was priceless, the city covered what his home owners did not.
Please keep us posted on the outcome and your dealings with the powers that be. It could be educational.
Joe, very sorry to hear of the damage. I am glad that the power was off to the layout and nothing much worse happened. I think that this should be a warning to all of us to check out where and how the layout gets power. Keep electric off the floor and make sure Ground Fault circuits are used below grade. I have GFCI curcuits in my new room but need to have them installed in the old room where the wiring is many years old. Good luck getting everything back to normal!
Thank goodness your layout is above sealevel! [;)] Just think of the 2 inch water mark as sea level [:P]
No kidding … if your layout is in a room that’s low enough water is a possibility (even a remote one) then plan ahead and get the electrical up high enough several inches of water would not be a problem! [swg]
Joe,
I’m sorry to hear of your troubles.
I’ve been in a similar situation. For your health and your family’s health, get that wallboard replaced as soon as you can. Wet wallboard is prone to growing mold and mildew in a short period of time, even if you’ve taken action to dry it out. Wallboard that has stood in water is soaked all the way through and it’s almost impossible to get it completely dry. Once it looks dry and uUntil it’s replaced, spray the stained part with a 5% chlorine bleach and water mix to help prevent mold.
Another area to be concerned about is outside along your house where the water was 6" deep. Was that deep enough to reach the sill plate at the base of the wall? You could be in for more repairs if the water soaked into the sill plate and studs of the wall. A professional home inspector would be a good investment. You will probably have to argue with your insurance company AND the city to get all the damages paid for.
Also keep an eye on that carpeting and pad. Carpeting can grow mildew in a short period of time and the pad will retain water even after vacuuming. You may want to consider renting a carpet cleaner. They have more suction than the typical homeowner’s wet/dry vacs. How hard would it be to replace the carpeting? Once wet, the carpet backing gets weak.
Get good estimates on the cost to repair ALL damages. Don’t just accept what your insurance company says it’s worth. If necessary, hire a private insurance investigator. Like the home inspector, it’s a good investment if you end up having to fight to have the damage repaired.
I hope I haven’t sounded too much like the voice of doom. I had a small water leak in a rental house basement that got to the walls in the downstairs bedroom. The tenant cleaned it up but failed to tell me about it. I found it after they moved out. The drywall on two walls and in the closet had
Joe, sorry about the water intrusion in the layout room. Being originally from low lying Louisiana I know all about water logged households. I hope everything works out for you with insurance and the repairs. I agree with Darrell, you might want to have the first foot or two of sheetrock or wallboard removed and any affected insulation removed, and then give the wall sections time to dry out really well before replacing the insulation and wallboard. You will want to prevent any mold and mildew growth from taking over. Since you only had an inch of water in the room, it is unlikely that the wall studs would be affected much, but to be safe as Darrell mentioned, you might want to get an inspector in there just to be sure before replacing all the water managed materials. Take plenty of photos before, during, and after any work is done on the affected area.
Thanks, guys. Yes, what a mess a little water can cause. As others have said, at least it was clean water and not the sewer! [xx(]
I guess hearing something like that makes me glad I tore up my basement floor when I moved in and put in drains and a sump pump. Sorry to hear the misfortune, but it sound like you got through it ok. Can’t have the SP go under like that.
This whole adventure makes me realize how you should plan ahead in your layout space and keep stuff up off the floor, probably at least 6 inches off the floor to be safe. No electrical anything within 6 inches of the floor, and ideally even put the benchwork legs inside some tall tin cans or equivalent.
And speaking of electrical, this also makes me think of how to better protect the electrical side of the layout from disasters, like using GFI outlets for safety (could save your life) and plugging everything into a surge protector.
Would be no fun to have a $700 DCC system go up in smoke. [xx(]
I guess that maybe I need to stop complaining about being limited to a second floor small bedroom. I hope all turns out well for you.
Yes, an upstairs layout space seems really attractive right about now … [swg]
It’s during times like this that I’m glad my layout is in a garage - even though I had to wait a few years and install a large heat pump, and lots of fiberglas insulation[xx(] The pain was worth the gain!
I
I am surprised to see that the city/town main water line is on/so near your driveway. Usually, water mains are out in the street. Another point to check Joe, if the water followed a path towards your house, it is possible that the footings of your foundation have been compromised. I would have this checked before you settle anything legally with the city/town/insurance company. If compromised, it could lead to cracked foundation walls, house interior walls via settling, etc. I wish I lived closer to give you a hand with the cleanup Joe, I’m retired and have the time. Hope all goes well for you Joe,
Where would one find several Artillery shell casings?
Don’t go there, Joe!
I have had sewer water up to 1.5 inches through our house about 5 years ago! [xx(] we had to through out most of our possesions because of contamination I was only 12 at the time, but it wasn’t pleasant from what I recall.
all after we had 5 days of rain and the stormwater was in the sewer system so it couldn’t cope [xx(] the toilets and floor drains were bubbling.
Raw sewage, not nice at all.
your very lucky, Joe.
That’s a very kind offer, Dick – and thanks for the advice on the foundation. I plan to have a friend of mine who is a construction contracting manager for a firm that builds retirement centers come take a look. (By the way, for those of you who have my videos, this friend is none other than Rick McMurry, the host of my how to videos … small world aye?)
On a lighter note… that was water round your tootsies Joe [(-D] Did you check for any small fish between your toes?
Glad you turned the power off. Breakers are good!
Have you seen how much main street a 36" main will take out? Bigger than a bomb crater. Glad you didn’t have that.
Cans aren’t such a good idea… wobbly and the law of Mr S Od dictates that the water will rise to can lip + 1/10"…
Shell cases… ignoring the possibility of bad jokes… your local National Guard/Army/Marine Corps range… but you might get a visit from homeland Security, AT&F, FBI… Also same problem… just a bit deeper. Best thing is use steel legs (Dexion/racking) Won’t warp and is also fire and chemical proof…termites and such aren’t too keen on it either.
Being boring again… don’t get a friend in… they’ll argue he’s biased… get proffessional everything and add it to the bill… they would if you bust their main. They’d charge you for supplying bottled water to the rest of the county in case the hole you made let in contamination.
It’s very sad but these days you have to think nasty first. if they behave nicely you can ease off a bit… cautiously. Promises are no good…get written contracts.
Have a dsposable camera with flash around at all times. catch it happening. carry it in your car and you can get evidence of any bump or whatever. I even take record pics of odd things at work and (discreetly) of people that look like they shouldn’t be about.
And I’m not paranoid! Evidence has saved me a whole lot of hassle.
Smile, say please and keep your tinder dry. [8D]
And have a nice day! [(-D]