Hello AT,
We had a water leak from the fridge line that ran into the finished basement. A wide section of drywall got wet, to the point that the tape on the joints started to pull away. The carpet has been dried out and repaired, and we sucked up as much water as possible and used a drier on the room for 24 hrs.
However the drier was not supplied to us until after 3 days. Our house is still under warranty and the basement was only completed 90 days ago. The contractor wants to send the drywall company in to replace the tape on the joints but not remove the drywall where the water was. He said we did not need to worry about mold or the insulation.
Can you tell me if this is a good solution or should I push them to replace the drywall and insulation in that section?
Thank you, Alison
Link To All Good Questions
In my climate, that is a recipe for disaster! Unless the drywall was made to survive wetness (the green stuff, which I can't remember the name of) and even if it was, it sounds like the contracter is totally bullshiting you. I'd say you at least have to look behind part of it to see how much water got in. And honestly, I don't think replacing drywall is really that big of a deal, compared to the disaster of undetected mold and rot. If you feel like you need backup, can you call your house inspector and get a second opinion?
good luck!
trillium
Definitely get it replaced. Replacing drywall is not that big a deal, especially if it's a realatively small area. And take a good look at your warranty policy. (Speaking as a not yet licensed lawyer). You may also want to ask them to repaint for you as well - at least to use it as a bargaining chip.
just a precautionary tale -
a friend of mine had the same problem and after the cleanup provided by a 'professional flood cleanup' service provider, he just basically forgot about it. It's now less than 3 years later, and his children are both suffering from asthma and acute allergies, while his wife is plagued with headaches. He decided he has to move and started by ripping down the basement drywall, finding plenty of mold and mildew spots, plus rotting insulation. Even if you don't think there's mold now, there will be in the near future. I'd get it all ripped out and replaced - and I think I'd have the supporting materials tested for residual dampness, just to be sure. Call a mold guy to come in and check it out.
This sounds like a job for Holmes on Homes...
Seriously, replace the drywall and insulation.
I agree just about everyone: get both the drywall and insulation replaced.
Especially the insulation. Once you've got mold spores trapped inside a wall, there's no way to know it's there, until you get horrible allergies, asthma and other respiratory problems.
I'd also watch the carpet and the underlying padding. That's another prime place for mold growth.
We had a smaller water problem immediately after buying and before we secured home insurance. My insurance company said that they won't insure a home that's had water damage within a certain number of YEARS, under the rationale that mold/mildew/rot issues can take quite a while to show up.
Get it replaced!!
It can take as little as 24 hours for mold to begin growing on continuously wet organic materials.
Mold can cause allergic reactions, toxic reactions and infections.
Plus, your basement is new -- aren't you paying for something you know is mold free, among other things?
Good luck sorting this with your contractor -- many people don't subscribe to mold being an issue, so you may want to do some research and be armed before talking with him/her again.
If you're interested in household mold (including mold remediation), check out a freelance article I wrote earlier this year for THIS OLD HOUSE entitled "Mold!"
Lots of good suggestions from experts on the subject...
http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/interiors/gallery/0,25895,1562148-0,00.html
-D
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