Water Remediation advice?

[Hisgirl]

We had a pipe burst behind a wall in our house and the subfloor got wet in certain areas. We're going to have to pull up some hickory flooring and bring in fans. Mostly the small kitchen and my master closet area.

Any advice you can share as we go into this adventure? Not sure if insurance will get involved. We'll see what the quote is.

 

[kdonnel]

Insurance will be involved.

The wall needs to be opened as well.

You don’t want to risk mold.

 

[starry_solo]

Are you planning to contact your insurance carrier?
Have you contacted a remediation company?
They will definitely open up walls in the area, maybe not the entire one...

But it's going to be pricey. Probably 10K minimum, if you're in CA...

 

[MICKIMINI]

Yes, this is when insurance is important. Take lots of pictures and make lots of notes. Good luck.

 

[_19disnA]

Insurance SHOULD be involved that is part of why you have insurance. The cost of the repairs will likely be far in excess of any deductible. Did you think this was something you could fix on your own? If a pipe burst in the wall, a good bit of water probably escaped before you noticed anything was wrong. ANY drywall that got wet needs to be replaced. At a minimum you will need to repair the damaged plumbing, flooring and drywall based on your description. If any electrical got wet, that also needs to be repaired.

Insurance will want to be notified or any potential claim BEFORE you start the repair work.

 

[tvguy]

While life is impossible without water, it can destroy a lot of things. I would not do anything without a remediation company and contacting your insurance. Once you start opening things up, the damage can have spread far further than expected. And, if you have ever done any remodeling, the other issue is surprises the contractor that built your house, or contractors that have remodeled your house left hidden.
My dishwasher leaked undetected for lord only knows. It went undetected because the contractor who built my house apparently intended to put tile flooring in the kitchen, but changed his mind and put in vinyl flooring. But because the floor was lower to allow room for the tile. So he put down the vinyl flooring, and then put another layer of plywood on top of it, and the identical flooring on top of that. So when they went to tear out the old floor, it turned out to be two old floors which increased the cost, and hid the water damage undneath.

 

[Skippy918]

Contact the remediation company stat! They will rip out all the wet stuff and put in fans and dehumidifiers to dry out everything else. File a claim with insurance because this is not going to be cheap.
Our hot water tanks are in the attic. One sprung a huge leak and thank goodness my husband was home to shut off the water and drain the tank. The remediation company had to cut out almost the whole ceiling in our breakfast nook area.

 

[LuvOrlando]

Not sure if it can help but I looked it up when I had water soak carpet in my basement and Borax is a natural way to kill and prevent mold growth.

20 Mule Team Borax is super cheap, I got it at Walmart in the laundry section, and it worked for me, I put it down and suctioned it up with a carpet cleaner. I knew Borax has a PH that deters mold so it was ok givien my particular situation.

Would probably give this a try if everything is exposed, I would not give it a try if there is seepage or deep saturation.

https://dengarden.com/cleaning/Borax-on-Wooden-Joists-for-Mold-Treament

 

[tvguy]

Our hot water tanks are in the attic. One sprung a huge leak and thank goodness my husband was home to shut off the water and drain the tank. The remediation company had to cut out almost the whole ceiling in our breakfast nook area.

Wow, I have never seen a hot water heater in an attic, that sounds like the worst possible location because of the possibility of leaks. Mine is in my garage, where a leak a leak flows harmlessly under the door to the outside. My parents house had the water heater inside it's own closet. The floor was basically a huge grate so any leak went harmlessly into the crawl space. I have seen a few in basements, but they always had the concrete floor sloped with a drain at the low point in case of a leak.

 

[amcnj]

I know of one kitchen water line that burst. The very old wood flooring became warped and had to be replaced in three rooms.

Someone else had a water heater leak while they were away. Aside from the flooring, parts of some walls and the kitchen cabinets had to be replaced, due to their having soaked up some of the water.

 

[barkley]

I know of one kitchen water line that burst. The very old wood flooring became warped and had to be replaced in three rooms.

Someone else had a water heater leak while they were away. Aside from the flooring, parts of some walls and the kitchen cabinets had to be replaced, due to their having soaked up some of the water.

it's crazy what water damage in one area can damage in adjacent areas. there was a show on hgtv called 'renovation 911' that featured a remediation and restoration company. the damage they would find (and knew to look for) never entered my mind.

plumbing issues are vital to be properly addressed-we have a neighbor who discovered a leak inside a wall only after it caused major external damage and was gutted to find out that b/c he ignored what his insurance company determined were visable prior indicators of the problem he did not have near the coverage he imagined (they did some kind of percentage he had to cover over his deductible due to contributing negligence).

contact insurance.

 

[2goofycampers]

Rent some commercial dehumidifiers to take the moisture out.

 

[ronandannette]

I've got a little bit of a different take on this, based on 30+ years experience in residential home warranty. The two main factors are: How long was the water leaking before you noticed it and what type of climate do you live in. A leak is always a matter that needs URGENT repair, but it doesn't automatically mean a mold infestation.

If the leak was noticed immediately and that part of it was repaired professionally, it's very different than a slow leak that had water wicking up into all the materials for weeks, months or longer. A single instance of water leak that is stopped immediately, all the bulk water removed and then the wet areas are proper ventilation is provided, will likely not result in mold growth, especially if you live in a relatively cool and dry climate (like we do).

Pulling up your flooring and cutting open the wall cavities is a start. Expose the subfloor as far back as is needed to reach a part that is completely dry (had no contact with water) and cut out enough drywall so that you can clearly observe the conditions. You may need to also open/remove sections of the ceiling below, if you have a developed basement. Use your fans and dehumidifier for at least a full week and monitor the areas. In general, if the materials appear bone dry, they are. Your flooring contractor will also have the necessary tools to gage the moisture content of the sub-floor and any wood framing; the drywall is easier to visually evaluate and by feel.

 

[tvguy]

. A leak is always a matter that needs URGENT repair, but it doesn't automatically mean a mold infestation.

Certainly there are health concerns with mold, but I was surprised how quick, easy and relatively inexpensive it was to remediate.
When we remodeled, when they removed a 5 foot long section of a tile wall in our bathroom, they found that water had made its way behind the tile over the 35 years that the wall had been there. Apparently all it takes is a few hair line cracks in the grout. They sealed off the bathroom with plastic sheeting, and removed the molded wood. It was an outside wall, and they had to reframe the entire 5 foot section of wall including replacing two sheets of T-111 exterior siding. They treated the new framing, and the visibly unaffected joists under the shower with anti-mild/anti insect paint, for lack of a better term. It was just a reddish colored liquid. Took less than a day and cost $1,200.

 

[ronandannette]

Certainly there are health concerns with mold, but I was surprised how quick, easy and relatively inexpensive it was to remediate.
When we remodeled, when they removed a 5 foot long section of a tile wall in our bathroom, they found that water had made its way behind the tile over the 35 years that the wall had been there. Apparently all it takes is a few hair line cracks in the grout. They sealed off the bathroom with plastic sheeting, and removed the molded wood. It was an outside wall, and they had to reframe the entire 5 foot section of wall including replacing two sheets of T-111 exterior siding. They treated the new framing, and the visibly unaffected joists under the shower with anti-mild/anti insect paint, for lack of a better term. It was just a reddish colored liquid. Took less than a day and cost $1,200.

FWIW, an insurance company will not automatically call in a "mold remediation" specialist either. They will employ experienced and reputable contractors in plumbing, flooring, drywall, etc., all of whom should be easily able to determine whether a larger problem exists.

 

[Skippy918]

Wow, I have never seen a hot water heater in an attic, that sounds like the worst possible location because of the possibility of leaks. Mine is in my garage, where a leak a leak flows harmlessly under the door to the outside. My parents house had the water heater inside it's own closet. The floor was basically a huge grate so any leak went harmlessly into the crawl space. I have seen a few in basements, but they always had the concrete floor sloped with a drain at the low point in case of a leak.

It’s common where I live especially in a 2 story home. We don’t have basements. We switched to tankless and love it

 

[Skippy918]

I know of one kitchen water line that burst. The very old wood flooring became warped and had to be replaced in three rooms.

Someone else had a water heater leak while they were away. Aside from the flooring, parts of some walls and the kitchen cabinets had to be replaced, due to their having soaked up some of the water.

One of our friends had a washer hose that leaked while on vacation. They came home to a flooded first floor and had to move out for 6 months. Another friend’s toilet hose also failed and same thing. Whole first floor flooded.

 

[tvguy]

It’s common where I live especially in a 2 story home. We don’t have basements. We switched to tankless and love it

Yeah, my son and daughter in law switched last year and like it. The estimate I got was when I replaced my electric water heater was twice the price, and I suspect the water heater I bought will out last me.

 

[rlk]

We live in an apartment building and have had the wood flooring in our entire apartment replaced (except the bathroom) due to leaks. Both times the water came from someone doing work in their unit. For both incidents, we were out of our apartment for six weeks.

 

[jo-jo]

One of our friends had a washer hose that leaked while on vacation. They came home to a flooded first floor and had to move out for 6 months. Another friend’s toilet hose also failed and same thing. Whole first floor flooded.

We always shut off the water when on vacation. Had a friend, went away, water line from fridge leaked.

Certainly there are health concerns with mold, but I was surprised how quick, easy and relatively inexpensive it was to remediate.
When we remodeled, when they removed a 5 foot long section of a tile wall in our bathroom, they found that water had made its way behind the tile over the 35 years that the wall had been there. Apparently all it takes is a few hair line cracks in the grout. They sealed off the bathroom with plastic sheeting, and removed the molded wood. It was an outside wall, and they had to reframe the entire 5 foot section of wall including replacing two sheets of T-111 exterior siding. They treated the new framing, and the visibly unaffected joists under the shower with anti-mild/anti insect paint, for lack of a better term. It was just a reddish colored liquid. Took less than a day and cost $1,200.

We've been here 45 years, now I'm worried.