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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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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u/Hfftygdertg2 Feb 18 '20

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