Hi to all, My wife called me at work 2 days ago and said after a severe thuunderstorm our basement had water in it.I have found the cause but after 2 days of having fans on the carpet it is still not dry.The carpet is very short pile kinda like indoor outdoor stuff with a rubber back and is on a cement slab.We sucked up as much as possible with a rug shampoo machine and I cut back a piece of carpet from the orgin of leak to find it quite wet including the baseboard.With water under the rubber backing will it ever dry?Should mold be my most urgent concern?What kinda of mess will I be in trying to scrap the rubber backing up? Thanks in advance for any help Pwa
Posts by pwa
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Thanks for tips,I live in a small town and would be surprised to find someone with the equipment so pulling it may be my best bet.Whats really bugging me is the rubber backing thats really stuck to the cement maybe even with adhesive.After looking through the archives it look like I am in for alot of scrapping.Would'nt my premiums go up if I turn it into my insurance?
ok,Ill talk to my agent tomorrow and see what she says,and I am located in grangeville idaho.Thanks, Oh yea, I dont have much head room to spare but would there be some kind of insulation pad and would there be any benifit being a basement
Well my insurance deductible is 1000 and it doesnt appear that its gonna dry so I pulled up a couple yards to check it out.The carpet comes right up but the backing:no:.Its funny how you cant get something to stick like this when you try.Gotta go sharpen up some scrappers for tomorrow.Think I am going to go with carpet tiles.Thanks again for the help.Probably post for help when I get there
Yeah, the leak was from an over loaded downspout that was run into the ground with a gravel bed that was very close to foundation.The basement has always had the musty smell since I bought the house(8 yrs).I was thinking its because theres not a complete vapor barrier in the crawl space.Going by previous water stain maybe this has happen before,I thought maybe a water heater or pipe gave out in the past since this is the first time I have noticed a water problem.Hope it hasnt been going on less severe and unoticed,Think I will pull some base boards and maybe cut an inspection hole in drywall to whats back there? Thanks
yeah the foams not to bad,I got a couple good chisels that hold thier edge pretty.I'm not gonna win any races but its easy.I got a good look at the water damage after pulling off the partical board(instead of drywall)that was used.There is a 2x4 frame in front of the cement basement wall and it looks pretty good to me.No mold but the wood is discolored kinda blackish,its kinda soft but its still wet.yeah the partical board held up great in the water:whistling2: seems pretty stupid to me.
Good morning,The 2x4's for the frame work are sitting right on the floor, should there be some kind of barrier there to keep them from sucking moisture out of cement? Doesnt really matter,I wont be pulling them out if there ok.Will drywall adventually dry out or is it toast once it gets wet? Thanks for all the imput!!
Holly $%^%, How come everything has to be so complicated? I dont think I could have gotten a more comprehensive reply.I decided on sat not to deal with the insurance issue.I am glad the property loss was minimum.There was not standing water it just followed the wall down hill.The point of entry was where the partical board was located.It was bulit as you said and was only used to hide the basement wall,no insulation.I have removed that and the base boards along with all the carpet and scraped up half of the foam padding.Concentrating on the damp area and working out.As for the fans
they have been on since I found the water.I will call my plumber tomorrow and see if he has the equipment to dry it properly.I will try to get a friend help me post a picture,I am not the computer literate yet.Thank you for the response
they have been on since I found the water.I will call my plumber tomorrow and see if he has the equipment to dry it properly.I will try to get a friend help me post a picture,I am not the computer literate yet.Thank you for the responseHi to all, rented a dehumifier and it is helping for sure.I have removed evrything that felt damp and used a straight edge to cut the drywall about an 1 1/2 of the floor where it was touching or damp.In most places the baseboard touched the carpet.Theres no mold and it seems to be dryong out pretty well.The biggest problem I see right know is the frame work supporting the drywall. I am not sure how he did it yet but the bootom board that would be on the cement is suspened in most places except for blocks that hold it up.I know only treated wood should contact cement,There doesnt seem to be thought of moisture control in the construction.
Ignorance is bliss lets hope its not moldy too.I am going to handle this myself with the help of a couple carpenter friend.I will do all I can to prevent untreated wood from contacting the cement but I dont think its worth gutting the basement over.It has been like this for aleast eight years I know of.I would probably be crippled by now without my knee pads,great investment:yes:
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