The basement in my mother in law’s townhouse flooded. We’re having a french drain and sump pump put in. We took the wet carpet and pad out. My question is what do we do about the wet walls? As far as I can tell the water wasn’t deep enough to get past the plate and into the studs. We are worried about future mold and mildew problems. The house was sold and deal fell through.
thanks for your help.
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Replies
Was the flooding just water, or was there a sewer backup involved?
And are we talking about a finished basement, or just a block wall?
By "french drain"... are you speaking of floor drainage (a portion of the floor is cut out around the perimeter, the dirt is removed, and drain tile and gravel replaces the dirt... all leading to the sump)?
Edited 8/1/2004 6:47 pm ET by Rich from Columbus
Sorry, the basement is 20'x30' of which 20'x18' is studded, insulated and paneled, the unfinished section is where the water is coming in, up from under the pad and side wall. we have corrected the problem. My concern is any future mold problems the new owners may incure prompting a law suit.
Need to know what the source of the water was and how it was corrected to comment.
Different people use the term, "French drain" in various ways, and it is often a stop-gap measure, short of a real fix. Tell us more.
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how deep was the water in the basement?
Was the water abatement extended into the finished portion of the basement?
basically speaking, moisture and darkness will create the perfect environment for mold and mildew to grow. Get rid of all of the moisture... it is very difficult for mold/mildew to grow.
have you put multiple dehumidifiers into the space... and how long have they been running? Did the water get up to the framing... or was it just in the unfinished space? If it did reach the framing, has any of the paneling been effected by the water?
As part of the abatement, was the unfinished part of the basement sealed? Prior to the finished part of the basement being done... was the basement sealed?
I know.. lots of questions... but they can help to identify issues.
OK, the water came in the unfinished room and flowed into the finished room, soaking the carpet and pad. To the best of my knowledge the water was only 1/4 to 3/8" high at the most, it didnot flood the entire finished area. I think the 2x4 plate is all that got wet.
We cleaned and fixed the gutters and routed the water away from the house. We are having a drain dug around the perimeter of the unfinished area (where the water came in) and a sump pump instaled.
Again my concern is the wet 2x4 sill plate, and any studs that the water may have wicked up into. Do I need to remove the paneling, baseboard, chair rail etc. to get to the plate and studs to dry out and prime with Kils or some other mold inhibitor.
Keep in mind that this is worth what you poaid for it, and based on what you have said, It doesn't sound too terrible and you have provided a decnt drain to avoid recurrance.
You have remocved the carpet, the major means of holding the water.
The only water damage beyond that appears to be the bottom plate, and maybe a bit of SR.
You can and probably should use a dehumidifier in-situ until the ambient RH is about 40% or less
There is a fantastic mold and fungus inhibitor called Boron. It is a safe, inert element and molds and several wood eating bugs cannot tolerate it. It is marketed in various forms as Boracare products. Run your search button to fiond it. It can be applied asa a spray on gel mix or as rods ( I believe they are called IMpell rods) Since you want to avoid removing the SR to spray on the wood, You will probably want the rods.
You would drill holes in the wall at the plate level as their literature recommends, at certain intervals, and insert the rods.
Anytime that moisture is present in quantities sufficient to foster the growth of mold, it is also sufficient to induce the diffusion of the boron through the wood capillaries to retard that growth - preventive action.
Additionally, boron is perfectly safe for use around mammals, including humans.
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If you hire a professional water damage contractor, they will do pretty much what you can do yourself. Your object is two things to dry out: 1. get lots of air circulating to kick the moisture up, and 2. dehumidification. You probably need both to nip the problem of future mold off, pending the other posts about fixing the root problem and your french drain plan.
Big Box stores carry stanley squirrel-cage fans that blow on the plates for about $30 each, little yellow deals that have a handle. Probably use 2-3 and position them to blow at a shallow angle along the plates. Dehumidification you can achieve with a window air conditioner, they blow water out the coils so you need a piece of plastic to catch it and drip down into a container. 5-7 days like that will do what you need, a moisture meter can tell you precisely when done.
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