how to repair water damage after flooded washer (Dallas, Fort Worth: HOA, insurance) - Texas (TX) - City-Data Forum

greenusa17 · 01-31-2017, 08:06 AM

Hope all are doing great! Thank you very much in advance.

Moving company installed washer in new house on 3rd floor. They confirmed that washer installation is complete without any issues.

They did not connect drainage pipe and left in on floor which I did not see.

I started washer yesterday and went to garage for 15 mins. I saw water coming out from light/ fan in garage ceiling, I went upstairs to check and found that washer was flooded, water traveled all over house and probably damaged.

1) What’s best way to solve the whole problem?
2) Who is responsible to pay and solve the issue right away? Moving company, Home Warranty Company, Home Insurance company, HOA OR anyone else?

Can you guys please share your knowledge on this?

We will sincerely appreciate all info.
Thank you very much

EDS_ · 01-31-2017, 08:29 AM

It's time to mitigate.
1. Sop up all the water you can with towels and what not.
2. Set up fans to blow air across impacted floors, ceilings, and walls. Leave them on for a couple of days. Turn on every ceiling fan you have as well.
3. Set your AC to a lower temperature than normal - maybe 67 or 68. It may seem counterintuitive but the yield is cold AC coils de-humidify the air which in short order will help dry out the spill.

In the scheme of things a washer running into the walls/floor for a bit isn't a massive leak.

*Be very careful with lights for a while...........leaks tend to flow into light fixtures below.

WorldKlas · 01-31-2017, 08:32 AM

Since you caught it right away, I am assuming you mopped up the water? Is there visable damage? If you were able to mop it up, likely you are OK. If you think a lot of water seeped thru to the ceiling below, then you'll need to open up a section of the ceiling and direct fans to the area to dry out very well before re-sealing.

I would start with the moving company if you purchased damage coverage. Go ahead and phone them to discuss. This is likely not enough damage to impact your Homeowners deductable. And you don't want to file a claim for water damage if its below your deductible because it will be a matter of record later when you try to sell the house. If your moving company doesn't help, call a drywall specialist and have them cut open the ceiling and then fan dry it for a few days and have them reseal it. Should be under $500 if its what I think needs to be done.

greenusa17 · 01-31-2017, 08:41 AM

I collected lots of water thru wet vacuum and suck lot of water and moisture through lots of towels. I put lots of heaters around all damp areas. My main concern is hidden damage inside walls, ceilings,etc. Can I continue using electricity in whole house? Any issue in using electricity like short circuit, etc?

pharpe · 01-31-2017, 10:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by greenusa17

I collected lots of water thru wet vacuum and suck lot of water and moisture through lots of towels. I put lots of heaters around all damp areas. My main concern is hidden damage inside walls, ceilings,etc. Can I continue using electricity in whole house? Any issue in using electricity like short circuit, etc?

Your main concern is getting it dried out as soon as possible to prevent mold. Get up any standing water, keep the air moving and the humidity down as much as possible. Electricity should an be an issue at this point. As long as there is no standing water its just an issue of letting things dry out.

Bad water and mold damage usually happens when leaks go unnoticed for a while creating long term damp areas. Sounds like you caught it quick so you should be fine. You may need to touch up some ceiling paint if it got stained. If you do use a stain blocking primer first. It will save you a lot time putting on additional coats.

EDS_ · 01-31-2017, 11:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by greenusa17

I collected lots of water thru wet vacuum and suck lot of water and moisture through lots of towels. I put lots of heaters around all damp areas. My main concern is hidden damage inside walls, ceilings,etc. Can I continue using electricity in whole house? Any issue in using electricity like short circuit, etc?

I'd remove the heaters.

greenusa17 · 01-31-2017, 12:03 PM

thanks a million for all responses! God Bless you all!!

Katana49 · 01-31-2017, 12:33 PM

It only leaked for 15 minutes but it went from the 3rd floor all the way down to the garage???

That sounds like a serious leak to have done that. You should call a remediation company to assess the damage, this is not something you want to screw up. If enough water leaked, you'll need to remove baseboards, punch holes in drywall, get dehumidifiers in there to dry up any water that made its way into the walls. If you don't, you risk a serious mold problem. Our house sprung a leak last year and flooded the downstairs. Did over $30k in damage. We called ServPro, they came out quickly and ripped out baseboards, ripped out carpet, etc. Set up over 20 fans and dehumidifiers.

Get a professional's opinion on this, otherwise what may be a slight problem now could escalate.

greenusa17 · 02-01-2017, 07:16 AM

I called restoration company. they put few fans and humidifiers

greenusa17 · 02-03-2017, 08:36 AM

I hired Trusted Home Restoration Company in Dallas, Fort Worth | Stanley Restoration. they just told me that house is dry now with no moisture, no mold. only pending issue now is water marks in 2 locations in ceiling and wall. they dont have time to fix these issues and told me to call other companies for that. can anyone recommend solution for this? Can I trust stanley's statement for no moisture, no mold? or do I need to do further testing?