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formerlymotherof3sons

HELP Major Water Leak

motherof3sons
10 years ago

Hello GW Friends,

I have been on a business trip this week and came home to a warped kitchen floor. At first we thought it could be humidity, but the air is on. DH went to the basement and found the ceiling dangling in a guest bedroom. We thought it was a faucet we turned on in the garage, but soon found it was actually the washer. Both faucets were leaking.

Nothing is irreparable, but it is frustrating to have a new home with damage already. My question to the the forum members, what should we do to lessen the water damage to the hardwood floor in the kitchen? We plan to take photos of the damage and tear down the ceiling to allow air in.

Any help you can offer is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Comments (8)

  • mydreamhome
    10 years ago

    So sorry to hear! No advice on the hardwoods--they may have to be replaced--but I do have some advice on calling your insurance company & washing machine hoses:

    According to Clark Howard, when something like this happens, call your insurance company and tell them you have a situation with home damage and that you need someone to come out. Do not mention what the problem/damage is and never say the word 'flood'. Have them come out and make their own determination on what the problem is. Most homeowners' plans don't cover flood damage so that's why you don't want to say 'flood'. And while you could say your home was "flooded" it really was not in the true sense of the word--this was not an act of God like the Mississippi overflowed it's banks.

    Here's a link to a discussion on the laundry forum about hoses for the washer. They recommend FloodChek hoses. My parents had their basement flood 2 times due to the faucet connection at the washer hoses. Seeking to prevent that from happening to me in our new build, I did some research and basically this thread sums it up. Once ordered, our hoses were here within 3-4 days.

    Ooooh! Just thought of something--who purchased & installed the hoses/plumbing for the washer? This is a new build and if the plumbing install or components were the problem, the builder and/or his subs could be on the hook for repair and replacement of all damages.

    Take lots of pics of damage and the area of origin.

    Hope this helps!

  • motherof3sons
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Thanks for your great reply! The leak is actually the faucets - where the "handle" turns on/ on both hot and cold. We thought it was the hose at first, but on further inspection it was the faucets. Back pressure??? Going to ask the question on the plumbing forum.

    Insurance company called and also calling plumbing company at 8:00 a.m. Oh wait, I have an emergency root canal at 8 a.m. Will have to wait an hour. What a way to start the holiday weekend!!!

  • worthy
    10 years ago

    Better than any hose are drain connected flood pans. Where I build, washing machines are required to be set in permanent pans connected to drains. Depending on how long the water was sitting on the wood, they may return to nearly the same level. If not, have an installer take a look to see if they can be sanded and refinished.

  • motherof3sons
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Thanks Worthy! Last time we had water damage on hardwood soap was involved and they did not go down. It ate the finish. Our then 10 year-old son wanted to help with dishes and put Dawn in the dishwasher. You can imagine the soap bubbles I encountered when I walked in front door. A sight I will never forget; no idea bubbles could travel 20+ feet,

  • kirkhall
    10 years ago

    Wow! Dawn in a DW. Just wow.

    Well, doesn't sound like you are a stranger to this.

    mydreamhome--on the floodchek hoses. How close can they "coil" to the wall? Or, did you get the adaptors too?

  • chiefneil
    10 years ago

    I had several water leaks in my new build. I didn't bother contacting the insurance company since my deductible is fairly high, like aroun 5k I think. And only one leak was my fault (old washing machine); the rest were covered by the builder.

    You'll want to call the builder to see if they'll fix the leak and cover repairs. You'll also want to call a water remediation company ASAP. They'll use a moisture meter to see how far the water has penetrated and set up some combination of fans and dehumidifiers to get the moisture out. They may also pull baseboards and such.

    If the wood was wet for a few days it'll probably settle down. If it was wet for longer than a week it may need to be replaced. Your cabinets might be damaged as well, so get them checked out by the water guys.

    I also installed floodcheck hoses after a washing machine leak. They're really nice hoses, but as someone else said a drainpan is really the best thing to have. BTW, I now always shut off the water now when we're away for more than a day. It's cheap peace of mind.

  • brickeyee
    10 years ago

    The wood will return to its initial dimensions (absent swelling so large it caused crush damage or splitting).

    You may not want to wait long enough though.

    It can take YEARS of air drying to get floors back to their initial moisture level.

  • motherof3sons
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Thanks to everyone for your comments. We have opened up the ceiling below and started removing the drywall in the walls. Lots of pictures and calls to the insurance company.