topic Re: In area which flooded badly. Need advice. in Community Chat

In area which flooded badly. Need advice.

bonnielu — Thu, 24 May 2018 00:56:07 GMT

We made national news. Lots of flooding in our area...... extreme. We were away. Our neighbor had our key and using a fan dried out a small area in our basement that was wet. Carpet is now dry.

Question: Called insurance and they are willing to cover taking up old carpet and puting in new one. I WANT JUST TO HAVE MY CARPET CLEANED INSTEAD.

AM I MAKING A MISTAKE. Minor wetness and seem perfect now. I am wondering if I am still susceptible to mold.

Re: In area which flooded badly. Need advice.

SilleeMee — Thu, 24 May 2018 01:02:33 GMT

Yes and yes.

Re: In area which flooded badly. Need advice.

maestra — Thu, 24 May 2018 01:02:59 GMT

@bonnielu We live in Hurricane Alley and the big issue is MOLD!!! Once it gets into carpeting it can and will spread; very unhealthful.

I'd get that stuff out ASAP and have a flood restoration process done at least in the basement paid for by insurance.

Re: In area which flooded badly. Need advice.

bikerbabe — Thu, 24 May 2018 01:09:33 GMT

Yes. You are at risk for mold. Replace it, especially since they’ve already said they will cover it. It could get very expensive if you don’t and at that point you may have a fight with the insurance because you didn’t agree to replace the carpet to begin with.

Re: In area which flooded badly. Need advice.

OKPrincess — Thu, 24 May 2018 01:12:49 GMT

I would probably replace it because you don’t know what’s in the water. Is there a possibility of raw sewage? I’ve never been flooded but that would be a big concern. Sorry you’re going through lots of rain and flooding but so many too. Be careful.

Re: In area which flooded badly. Need advice.

GCR18 — Thu, 24 May 2018 01:39:50 GMT

Definitely have the carpet and padding replaced. When they remove the carpet, check that the floor is dry before they put down the new. It's what you can't see that's the problem. If the wall has drywall, check the drywall near the floor. We had a major flood at work years ago and it ended up being a nightmare.

Re: In area which flooded badly. Need advice.

riley1 — Thu, 24 May 2018 01:53:59 GMT

Yes. Take out the carpet and padding. Also, depending on how much water there was, you might want to remove a piece of the moulding and check the dry wall around the floor.

Re: In area which flooded badly. Need advice.

Scooby Doo — Thu, 24 May 2018 02:01:05 GMT

Yes, replace it. My basement had a flood at one time. The back of the carpet looked really nasty when they pulled it up, although the top looked sort of ok.

Re: In area which flooded badly. Need advice.

patbz — Thu, 24 May 2018 03:00:48 GMT

I once had a flood (broken pipe) within days of putting in New carpeting. USAA pulled up carpeting, cleaned it, dried it and reinstalled it. I have had two other floors (one frozen pipe) another in a fifth wheel that was flooded and not taken care of immediately (we weren't on-site when that happened). In latter two cases there was major damage amounting to many thousands of dollars (fifth wheel was totalled, house was $35,000 damage). I lived in Mojave desert when these incidents occurred so, long story made short, yes, occasionally flooded carpet can be rescued but it depends...

Re: In area which flooded badly. Need advice.

Kitlynn — Thu, 24 May 2018 03:48:42 GMT

There are a lot of hidden things that can pop up later even though the carpet appears to be dry. It is much better to have the carpet and pad replaced and also be sure to have the floor really cleaned for mold before the new stuff goes down. It might seem like a hassle at first but in the long run you will be glad you had it done.

Re: In area which flooded badly. Need advice.

Mominohio — Thu, 24 May 2018 04:01:35 GMT

Just a little input from my experiences.

Consider what your deductible is, and what replacement is going to cost before you file a claim.

It may not be worth the ding on your insurance, and you might want to pay for it yourself. I called my insurance company twice in one year for information about damages we had, and never did actually file a claim or get a single dollar, but my rates went up and when I called around to look for another company, I was told I was uninsurable. I was dumbfounded. I have to assume both were in response to my inquiries and opening a claim that never was filed.

If there was enough water to get the carpet wet, are you sure the walls are ok? Check that before you commit to anything one way or the other.

Re: In area which flooded badly. Need advice.

kivah — Thu, 24 May 2018 04:34:50 GMT

Water damage is one of the WORST - definitely replace the carpet. Also, ur walls need to be inspected by the insurance co. for MOLD. Like someone on here said - the slab needs to be dry before installing the padding/carpet. I dealt with this 3-1/2 yrs ago when water from the outside pipe flowed into my downstairs bathroom, bedroom, laundry room and family room. Several walls had to be cut from the floor - up a couple of feet. I had a Restoration Co. do the work - and if u don't know who to call, get a referral from the insurance company. The first plumber I called didn't have a clue. This is major work - and I was completely traumatized. A plumber told me that plants clogged the drain pipe in my front yard - but my gardener said he didn't that was the problem. We do have bad sewers here - so that might be it.

Re: In area which flooded badly. Need advice.

KitTkat — Thu, 24 May 2018 04:36:55 GMT

@bonnielu

i made national news in 2007 because of a severe flood. Had 14 inches of water in the house. Everything had to be replaced. I was told by contractors that even a little bit of water causes problems and that the walls, carpeting, anything that the water touched needed to he replaced. Flood water is NOT clean or sanitary. You have no idea what could have absorbed into your carpet. It's expensive, but it's also safest to replace it. I wish you all the best in your recovery and I'm thankful you didn't experience a worse event. I still have nightmares about my flood, it's just one of those horrible things that sticks in your mind forever.

Re: In area which flooded badly. Need advice.

CelticCrafter — Thu, 24 May 2018 10:39:52 GMT

A flood from rising water is not covered under your homeowner insurance. You need a separate policy for that.

A flood from a broken pipe would be covered under the homeowner policy.

Whether it's covered or not, I would take it all up and have it replaced.

Re: In area which flooded badly. Need advice.

CelticCrafter — Thu, 24 May 2018 10:45:54 GMT

@kivah wrote:
Water damage is one of the WORST - definitely replace the carpet. Also, ur walls need to be inspected by the insurance co. for MOLD. Like someone on here said - the slab needs to be dry before installing the padding/carpet. I dealt with this 3-1/2 yrs ago when water from the outside pipe flowed into my downstairs bathroom, bedroom, laundry room and family room. Several walls had to be cut from the floor - up a couple of feet. I had a Restoration Co. do the work - and if u don't know who to call, get a referral from the insurance company. The first plumber I called didn't have a clue. This is major work - and I was completely traumatized. A plumber told me that plants clogged the drain pipe in my front yard - but my gardener said he didn't that was the problem. We do have bad sewers here - so that might be it.

@kivah - it doesn't have to be plants. It could also be tree roots that clogged the drain, even tree roots from a neighbors property will find their way into the pipe. Had it happen here.

Re: In area which flooded badly. Need advice.

kivah — Thu, 24 May 2018 23:59:16 GMT

@CelticCrafter

Any kind of roots.

Cost me $3,000 and the insurance company $4,000.

There's a class action suit agains the builder of my tract which is 17 yrs old) - cheap plumbing, etc. It's been going on for 4 years - and there was a decision recently. I'll be collecting minimum $5,000 (the law firm didn't state the total amount in the letter I received). I also had a pipe burst in the wall between my laundry room and garage. Fortunately, some water went into the garage - not in my house. The plumber installed copper piping - cost me $1,600.

The builder was John Laing -- they built many houses in California. With all their lawsuits, they sold to a company in Qatar - middle east.

Re: In area which flooded badly. Need advice.

Nataliesgramma — Fri, 25 May 2018 10:13:43 GMT

I agree with the other posters.....replace the carpet...don't take a chance with mold...