r/HomeImprovement • u/HumanistPeach • Feb 17 '20

Contractors just flooded my upstairs while replacing water heater, it’s raining in my kitchen- what to expect next?

So our water heater died this weekend. The repair guys just came over today, and promptly flooded all the water that was inside the old broken water heater onto my upstairs floor (carpeted), and there was so much that it immediately started pouring from my kitchen ceiling out of two hanging light fixtures. It definitely spread quite a bit, because there are two patches in the drywall that were invisible before that are now obvious, and the seams of at least two sheets of drywall are showing/swollen with water. We’ve already put the business’s insurance in touch with our homeowner’s insurance, and my boyfriend does all the IT for this company, so I’m not worried about them trying to screw us over, I’m more just looking to see how long I should except repairs to take, what the potential repairs might be, etc. TYIA!

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4

u/nekomancey Feb 17 '20

This is going to be a very expensive repair job. Everything that was exposed to the water will need to be torn out and replaced due to dangerous mold concerns. Hope those guys are insured.

8

u/Hfftygdertg2 Feb 18 '20

Water doesn't instantly ruin everything it touches. Mold takes time to grow. Drywall is definitely ruined. But the framing and the subfloor are fine if they can dry out quickly (within a day or two, probably). Carpet and flooring flooring probably need to be removed to dry everything out. If the cabinets got wet they might or might not be damaged depending on the construction and how long they were wet.

2

u/HumanistPeach Feb 18 '20

No cabinet damage thank fuck!

-1

u/nekomancey Feb 18 '20

If water ran down the inside of a wall enough that it did something that makes you notice on the outside, it should be torn down and replaced. I've torn out walls after a second story flood. Mold can grow all over in a warm moist inside of a wall with no ventilation quite prodigiously.

That's just me, local building code for what HAS to be done will vary by location.

5

u/Hfftygdertg2 Feb 18 '20

Houses get rained on when they are built, before the roof goes on. It's not ideal. But it happens all the time.

If it was a roof leak that went undetected for a while I'd say definitely tear everything out. But clean water that is immediately noticed and quickly dried out is not a big deal. If the water can't be quickly dried out (a day or two would be quick enough) then that starts to be a problem.

2

u/nekomancey Feb 18 '20

True I guess, I've just seen some moldy disgusting messes in bathroom remodels. I'm a tile installer though not a GC. Only rooms I gut are bathrooms.

2

u/Hfftygdertg2 Feb 18 '20

A leaking shower enclosure or slow plumbing leak can definitely cause a ton of mold.

2

u/Mego1989 Feb 18 '20

Drywall needs to come off but the wall does not need to be torn down. Wood dries just fine.

1

u/nekomancey Feb 18 '20

Indeed I only meant the drywall not the studs. They might be load bearing you can't just rip em out anyway :)

5

u/HumanistPeach Feb 17 '20

They are- and their insurance is already talking to ours. My SO does all the IT for their company, so on top of the insurance, the company owner really a wants to make sure my bf isn’t mad at all

6

u/nekomancey Feb 17 '20

Good to hear.

3

u/BlueMagnet27 Feb 18 '20

Maybe a dumb question, but why does their insurance need to talk to yours? Seems like your insurance need not be involved at all.

8

u/HumanistPeach Feb 18 '20

Because the damage was caused by their professional negligence- they should have turned the water off at the street before beginning any work on the water heater.

5

u/BlueMagnet27 Feb 18 '20

That's why I was asking. Seemed like their insurance should pay for everything and wouldn't need to involve your insurance at all.

8

u/HumanistPeach Feb 18 '20

We called our home owner’s insurance as soon as it happened, they said they’d coordinate w/the contractor’s insurance and they should end up paying for everything, but we wanted to let ours know as we’ll just in case. Plus, this way it’s less paperwork for us

2

u/BlueMagnet27 Feb 18 '20

Ah, got it. Makes sense

4

u/[deleted] Feb 18 '20

Agree. Your rates will go up by making a claim. You didn’t cause it - their insurance needs to step up and he needs to pay deductible. Your insurance shouldn’t even be mentioned

2

u/HumanistPeach Feb 18 '20 edited Jan 18 '22

Too late, we called them as soon as it happened :/

Edit 1 year later: insurance rates did not increase! Even after the remediation for this leak found mold hidden away in an inaccessible area under our stairs and we had to have all our hardwood floors replaced!

Don’t be afraid to call your insurance people!

1

u/[deleted] Feb 18 '20

I would think you'd go after their bond first.