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Water, water everywhere

August 18th, 2010 · 12 Comments

We had a nice rain storm last night, but that’s not what this is about.

The connection to the downstairs toilet broke some time in the night, and we woke to standing water all over the lowest level of the house. The water is not above the top of the carpet, but walking on carpets leaves puddles. Family room, my office, guest room, laundry room and bathroom are soaked. Will probably have to replace all the carpet, moulding, and maybe drywall behind the baseboard.

We were tired of that carpet anyway…

Fortunately insurance will cover it, but it’s still a big hassle. Service Masters is coming in about 2 hours to begin the drying process. I’ll update here as we progress.

Tags: Family Updates

12 responses so far ↓

  • 1 Donna // Aug 18, 2010 at 1:44 pm

    Didn’t you have a water leak in your upstairs bathroom a few years ago that damaged the ceiling?

    Thank goodness for water pipe insurance (unlike Brian & Carrie’s flood a few years ago.) Don’t forget to take (and post) before and after pictures.

  • 2 Richard // Aug 18, 2010 at 2:00 pm

    Ouch! That’s a mess. Surely you could have found an easier way to get new carpet…..

    Was it a solid connection or one of the flex hoses? Did the pipe split or the fitting crack? Have you checked the water pressure in your house? It should be no more than 55-65 PSI.

  • 3 Mom // Aug 18, 2010 at 3:51 pm

    Brian and Carrie can emphasize with you over the inconvenience. Thankfully, you can get to the kitchen, living room and upstairs with no trouble. But your house with the TV in the family room quiet will surely be different.

  • 4 Daryl // Aug 18, 2010 at 4:53 pm

    I’ll say the family room is different! All the carpet in the downstairs has been ripped out, all our stuff stacked in the middle of the living room floor, and they are setting up fans.

    The “demo” people come tomorrow. That’s “demolition”, not “demonstration”. They have to cut into the walls along the baseboard to evaluate and dry it out.

    I have to say that so far Farmers has been great. They got people here very quickly, and they are working hard. Of course, minimizing the damage by quick action minimizes Farmer’s bill, so they’re not just being helpful to me. But it feels good to have things under control.

    And to answer Richard’s question — it was the plastic nut on the end of the line where it attaches to the toilet tank that broke.

  • 5 Donna // Aug 18, 2010 at 5:21 pm

    Wow! I less than 12 hours, you already have the carpet pulled up and demo scheduled? Are you going to pay some to upgrade the carpet, or go with whatever Farmer’s will pay for? Maybe it’s time also to get that new furniture you were thinking about.

    Oh, yeah, I bet you are going to have quite a water bill this month. At least that was one expense B&C didn’t have, but they had no insurance so it was small solace.

  • 6 Mom // Aug 18, 2010 at 5:22 pm

    Did any water get into the garage, or didn’t it go over the threshold? We always found Farmer’s to be very reliable. When you all were kids, and driving, we had a file so thick that it filled half a drawer. I am sure that Wanda would give them a thumbs-up. Jim Eager was always pleased to see us coming; it usually meant more money for him, but they were also quick to cover anything when needed.

  • 7 Don // Aug 18, 2010 at 6:56 pm

    Owwwie! Glad the insurance folks are getting right on it. Will this affect Betty and I staying on the 1st of Sept? If so it’s not a problem.

    Btw the hotel we decided to stay at for our anniversary had a buy 1 get the 2nd night for half price so Betty went ahead and did it. That means we only need a room for the 1st(of September).

  • 8 Daryl // Aug 19, 2010 at 8:30 am

    We are probably going to put wood floor in the family room and office, but carpet in the guest room. Tile in the bathroom and laundry room.

    We have been talking about replacing the floor down here for a while, so this isn’t all bad. And the insurance company will pay whatever it would cost to replace the carpet, but we can use the money for whatever kind of flooring we want, just making up any difference ourselves.

    Mom, the water didn’t go over the threshold into the garage, but it seeped through the drywall. The cement is wet out a few inches from the wall inside the garage.

    Don I don’t know. The adjuster will be here on Monday, August 23 after it is all dried out, and then she said it will take about a week to get the new floor ordered. I don’t know if we can start before that, or what. But even if the guest room is not ready, we have two empty bedrooms upstairs that you could use. Just don’t count on relaxing in the family room watching TV!

  • 9 Dale // Aug 19, 2010 at 6:26 pm

    What’s that? The water ruined your computers in the office? Guess the insurance company will just have to buy you new ones!

  • 10 Daryl // Aug 20, 2010 at 4:07 pm

    It’s even more of a mess around here. Walls have been cut open to dry the interior, and wet insulation dragged out of the outside walls. Fans and dehumidifiers are roaring away in every room.

    They said they will need to run through Saturday, but hopefully be done by Sunday. My computer room is a desk sitting in the middle of the bare-floored room, and fans roaring all around me. Fortunately they were able to leave the computer hooked up.

    I’m sure glad I have insurance!

  • 11 Don // Aug 21, 2010 at 7:49 am

    Update from us. We don’t want to get in the way and Betty isn’t good at stairs so we have found another place to stay on the 1st.

    We of course want to come by and see you and your new car during the stay. Perhaps someone will even have a family get together. That would be very cool.

  • 12 Donna // Aug 21, 2010 at 5:12 pm

    I saw it. Not so purty.