Flooded floors require professional cleanup..... fact or fiction???

[Raceman]

So we go out for several hours and the washing machine is left running. (I've told her about a hundred times, NO washer/dryer/iron if we're not home)

We come back in and water is pouring out 2 of the overhead lights in the garage. Upstairs is soaked and the water is running down the stairs. Carpet everywhere is standing in water and sloshing when you walk. I thought the washer must've busted a hose, but it's got those braided stainless ones, and the water was coming over the top. I don't know what in the hell causes that.......... never have seen it before.

So anyway, does dryin' carpet with wetvack and airin' out and blowin' with fan fix it, or does it really have to be removed and have all the sheetrock below it removed to dry out like they claim on TV? I'm assuming the sheetrock has insulation above it too, since it's over a garage and under living area.

Always somethin' with a house.

[transomstand]

I'd be very concerned about mold. I think your gonna have to bite the bullet and do the big job. Should be able to claim it on your insurance.

[Forkin' Crazy]

I'd be concerned by mold too. Had a pipe bust at my Dad's office once, but it was short pile and had no padding. The padding is what I would worry about.

[AlaskaStreamin]

I'd guess the carpet / padding would dry out fine as it isn't that thick. The insulation in the ceiling is too thick and confined. I would pull down the drywall and insulation and the upstairs floor will dry from both sides. A dehumidifier would help if your area has high humidity. You could rent a carpet cleaner and shampoo the hell out of it. Mold should only grow if left wet for several days.
If water was coming over the top of the washer , I wonder if the float switch went ka-put.
Good luck. Shouldn't be that bad.

[JR IN JAX]

I would not call my Insurance company unless essential, since just a call, even with no payout will have your address entered into the CLUE database that is shared by all the insurance companies. It could make it difficult to get insurance or even sell your house.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fy1082
http://www.privacyrights.org/fs/fs26-CLUE.htm#3

[delawarerick]

I agree with Transomstand on this one. Ga has some humidity if it is like where my sister inlaw lives. The insurance will pay but you will pay in the end. It won't be cheap but mold is bad. I could not get rid of a cold when we first move down here come to find out the place we rented had water in the walls. Sorry to hear of your misfortune. Rick

[transomstand]

Don't know how old the washer is, but if it's fairly late model, I'd probably be all over the manufacturer about this. Those things should be almost fail safe. Even if you were home, and the laundry room was at the far end of the house, it could still cause major damage by the time you realized what was happening.

[sunapeeboater]

Raceman send pics of damage please. garage and inside of house. Is garage heated? do you have central ac in the house?

[transomstand]

do you have central ac in the house?

You must be new here

[sunapeeboater]

You must be new here

Fearly. I am a general contractor and ask with reason though

[Ziemer]

As others have mentioned, the sheetrock and insulation will just hold the moisture and allow mold to grow. What worse is that the floor/ceiling assembly is full closed and gets no air flow which makes it even worse. If you are hesistant to call the insurance company, give it a about a week and cut you an inspection hole in the drywall. You'll know pretty quick how extensive the damage is between the smell and sight of mold.

[Raceman]

Raceman send pics of damage please. garage and inside of house. Is garage heated? do you have central ac in the house?

Garage isn't heated/cooled, but it's directly under living area. There're 3 bays in the car side and 2 in the boat side. The car side got wet. It's finished in the ceiling and walls with stud walls and sheetrock. The boathouse side is just concrete block with open floor joists above.

Don't know how old the washer is, but if it's fairly late model, I'd probably be all over the manufacturer about this. Those things should be almost fail safe. Even if you were home, and the laundry room was at the far end of the house, it could still cause major damage by the time you realized what was happening.

I think it's probably about 3 or 4 yrs old......... can't remember exactly. This is actually in what we consider the guest house, but it's where we stay while there's a major renovation (that's been goin on for several years) in the main house. It's about 1800 sq ft of living area, and I'd say roughly a third of it is soakin', plus about a fourth of the garage area underneath has soakin' wet sheetrock. We ran a shop vac with automatic pump out through a waterhose for several hours in it today, and it's not sloshin', but still real wet. I guess I'll get somebody to pull carpet back tomorrow and see if it's got particle board or plywood under it. Built in the '80's I'm guessin' particle board, and that crap has NO tolerance for gettin' wet.

[sunapeeboater]

I would assume the house is not that old and you have plywood floors? The mold is only one problem here. I am sending you a guide that you should follow if you do not want to get your insurance invovled. My suggestion would be to call the insurance company because the only way you can have any security that you wont get mold growth and warped floors will be to remove drywall and insulation from garage cieling also remove carpet and pad to dry outside of house. You should be able to reinstall them if they are in good condition. run many faans at the wet floor after the listed items are removed. I would not waste any time getting started with this project either. Sorry

[CDave]

When hurricane Rita hit where I live everyone I know that sustained alot of water damage ripped out all their sheetrock, bleached the inner walls, dried everything out and then installed new sheetrock and carpet.
Sounds like you had some major flooding there. Professionals might be nessary to protect the investment that is your house.

[Raceman]

Don't know about plywood floors. House is about 23 years, guest house 4 or 5 years newer. Found some particle board in main house when replacing 8 sets of french doors with newer double pane clad outer. I'm bettin' on some particle board in both places.