Walkout Basement Baptism

[txdon]

Jim, being a flood victim, more than once, I can tell you because of shrinkage, and musty odor later, it is best to replace the carpet. Yank it out, put the furniture back and Superbowl party on, then Monday look for new carpet, or tile.

 

[blueriver]

Jim ... man thats bad luck ... I too think it may be best to get the carpet out... Well I guess it could have been worse, you could have been gone for a few days.

 

[jinman]

Jim, being a flood victim, more than once, I can tell you because of shrinkage, and musty odor later, it is best to replace the carpet. Yank it out, put the furniture back and Superbowl party on, then Monday look for new carpet, or tile.

Thanks for the advice Don. I really think the carpet should come out because I don't think we will ever get all the water any other way. The one thing I have going for me is that this carpet has no pad beneath it. It was also spotlessly clean since we don't have pets inside and we've been lucky to not have any spills. Even so, I will approach my insurance company about replacing the whole thing, especially with the delay in getting it dewatered completely.

 

[dave1949]

Sorry about your basement Jim. Only advice I can give is to put a shut-off valve somewhere freeze protected for those plumbing lines. If you have a cold snap, then you can shut off the supply and open the spigots to relieve pressure and drain what will drain. Leave them open until next use.

We use frost-proof outdoor spigots up north. The actual valve is about 12" in from the outdoor spigot. I still shut off the supply and leave the outdoor spigot open all winter though.

Good luck on getting your basement dried out, sorry about your Super Bowl party. Sounds like you were looking forward to having the kids over.
Dave.

 

[SandburRanch]

I have a similar situation with the laundry unit in the utility room. Water supply on the outside wall with insulation on the wrong side. I'm somewhat fortunate the pipes are poly and sometimes freeze but don't rupture. On the unfortunate side water won't run out of my basement like a walkout. I've never torn into the wall but it's so obvious the builder may as well written it on the wall with a felt tip pen.

I believe 90 percent of builders don't know any different and the other 90 percent don't give a dam.

 

[dave1949]

I have a similar situation with the laundry unit in the utility room. Water supply on the outside wall with insulation on the wrong side. I'm somewhat fortunate the pipes are poly and sometimes freeze but don't rupture. On the unfortunate side water won't run out of my basement like a walkout. I've never torn into the wall but it's so obvious the builder may as well written it on the wall with a felt tip pen.

I believe 90 percent of builders don't know any different and the other 90 percent don't give a dam.

Supposedly, PEX tubing will take some freezing without cracking. That's what I've heard anyways. I guess in a suspect/problem area, you could convert what you can get at to PEX.
Dave.

 

[20 20]

Sorry to here about that, I had a similar issue this morning with one of my water filters busting during the night, lucky for us it wasn't a horrible leak but still enough to cause some problems. The filter just cracked no reason, it's been working fine then pop????

Supposedly, PEX tubing will take some freezing without cracking. That's what I've heard anyways. I guess in a suspect/problem area, you could convert what you can get at to PEX.
Dave.

Dave I will swear by PEX piping especially during a freeze. I had a make shift line for years that ran from the well to our old trailer only 3-4" under ground ran it through a 4" pipe left both ends open because I figured it was temp and would need to get to it. It froze up solid every year I'd just take a hair dryer and stick it in one end of the 4"pipe and thaw it out. I watched that PEX swell and go back to shape many times and NEVER once had a leak . I'm not saying this was a good idea but it proved to me that PEX can take a heck of a beating and still hold it's own, try that with copper

 

[mikim]

Jim - we had 18" of water in our house in Angleton. I have to agree with Don - get rid of the carpet. You'll never get it dry enough that it won't smell with the least bit of humidity. Hope the furniture was solid wood or you can write it off also. Even if its solid wood it will need to be treated if you keep it. We used "Southpro" and I was happy with their response time and thoroughness. Saw their trucks in Cedar Rapids Iowa during their big flood a couple years ago (with a Houston phone # on the side) so I know they travel.

 

[sodamo]

Sorry to hear that. Many years ago, I remember taking that same cold wet step

Lot's of great advice. Dry out soonest to avoid problems and replace the carpet. Don't need a carpet to enjoy the game and your family.

 

[jinman]

Thanks everyone. I quit waiting on Servpro and called a local company. They were here in just over 1 hour and dewatering the carpet. I was really impressed with how well their machine worked. We still have to do some checking of the walls, but the glued down carpet is almost completely dry. They left drying fans running to do the final drying. The carpet seems to be no more wet than after a good cleaning. We will see how it goes on odor. If it doesn't seem to be okay, we'll get the carpet replaced.

All the furniture is up on blocks and the carpet is only slightly damp to the touch. I was truly impressed with how professional this crew of two guys was and how they worked well together. I'm glad to keep my business local. When/if Servpro ever calls me back, I'll tell them to cancel the order.

My capped pipe is holding fine and we have both hot and cold water as normal. From this, I think I learned that I'd like to have some additional cutoffs so I can isolate zones in my house. I have three main zones. Right now I can only turn off hot water and the main supply at the outlet of my pressure tank. I need more cutoffs. That's a project in my future.:thumbsup: