**** this weather

[oldag]

Brick walls need weep holes at the bottom where the mortar meets the foundation. Every five or six feet is normal. Some builders fail to add these.

After the great drought a few years back, I am still not complaining about rain.

 

[karlac]

Concrete is porous and water wicks through it. Concrete on the inside of a building has plastic under it to prevent the concrete from wicking the water out of the ground and up to the floor surface.

There is usually no barrier on the outside of a residential slab as it takes very saturated ground to allow the concrete to wick enough water to cause damage on the inside of the house.

All concrete type products are porous, including brick, block, pavers, and Hardiplank siding.

^ This.

Things for the OP to check:

1.How high is the slab above grade? ( Drainage away from slab is VERY important)

2.Gutters and downspouts directed away from slab?
3.Any sign of cracks in slab? (sticky doors and windows in the house)

During heavy rain, water in the soil around the slab perimeter, and below the slab, will move right up cracks onto the floors, so if you have any indication of foundation problems, that is something you might want to have checked first.

An excellent product for sealing concrete is Red Gard ... about all we use these days for sealing concrete, also excellent of sealing cement backer-board in showers. In some locations Red Gard is used as shower pans.

 

[Mike1234567]

Damn, that sucks. I'm sorry. Please don't be offended but... lesson learned... inability to buy flood insurance (or some other kind) should have been your first hint to not buy. Insurance companies have this crap down pat and they know what isn't a good bet for them.

I bought a house in an area that is rated as having no to very low risk of flooding and as such was told that there were no NFIP policies available for the area. So with the storms over the last two days we have gotten so much water that it is seeping into my house through the foundation and has now soaked the carpet in multiple rooms of my house. Called my homeowners insurance agent and was told that since the water was a result of a storm it was considered rising flood waters and as such not covered by my policy. So now im going to need to find a way to pay to have my slab sealed and the flooring replaced in my house. This is not going to be cheap and as a disabled vet on a fixed income its going to be even harder to get taken care of. Anyone have any advice on how to start going about doing this.

 

[RetArmySgt]

The inability to buy flood insurance was because the NFIP and FEMA didnt see a risk of flood in the area so they did not have coverage for the area. You can now buy insurance for areas that are not a NFIP community, which I plan on doing (for less than $200 a year due to such low risk) but does me no good right now. Turns out that when this addon was built they didnt put down a moisture barrier or seal the slab and that is where the problem is coming from. The hydrostatic pressure in the soil has gotten high enough with all the recent rain to finally push the water through the porous slab.

 

[texas skeeter]

Well if you start some sort of "I need some Damn Help" fund, I'd seriously be willing to donate Sgt.

 

[RetArmySgt]

Well if you start some sort of "I need some Damn Help" fund, I'd seriously be willing to donate Sgt.

Very much appreciated, right now im still trying to figure in the total cost of each option that has been brought up by the local contractors. There is one that is a permanent fix that also prevents later slab damage but will have a lot of labor involved. Then there is one that will stop water from getting into the house but not keep it out of the slab. Either way Im going to have to refloor several rooms, should be able to save the flooring in a few of them.

 

[ed308]

Sorry to hear about your loss. Have you considered replacing the damaged flooring with tile? If you're going to be dealing with this problem again, tile can handle getting wet as long as it is properly bonded to the slab. Something to consider in our repair options.

Also, look closely at the NFIP policy. The NFIP policy is very specific about what is covered and when coverage applies to a loss. Seepage is coverage if related to flooding. However, just because you've got water seeping into your home doesn't necessarily mean the damage will be covered by a NFIP policy. The seepage has to be related to an event that meets the definition of a flood as defined by the NFIP policy. Overflowing rivers, creeks and streams that cause flood damage to your home are almost always covered. Local flooding cause by heavy rains would likely be covered if rising waters occurred to two or more properties. But water that seeps into your home from the slab because the soil around your home is saturated with water is likely not covered by the NFIP policy.

Here's the NFIP definition of a flood:
Flooding is defined by the National Flood Insurance Program as a general and temporary condition of partial or complete inundation of two or more acres of normally dry land area or two or more properties (at least one of which is your property) from: Overflow of inland waters, unusual and rapid accumulation or runoff of surface waters from any source, and mudflows.

Regarding seepage and whether it's covered by the NFIP, here's some important points:

Seepage Coverage:

Seepage resulting from flood waters, even when the actual flood waters haven’t entered your home, is covered by your standard flood insurance policy. There are a few items to note when trying to determine if your particular claim will be covered. These items may seem sort of obvious, but nonetheless, must be considered.

1. The “loss” suffered to your home must be within an area that meets the definition of a flood. Meaning a particularly heavy rain that may have only affected your home, but not been officially designated a flood, will not be covered.

2. The seepage or sewer backup must be a result of the flood. There may be instances where one or the other of these perils affects you, but were not caused directly from the flood. It may be rare…but it happens.

3. There is no coverage for your basement if it does not meet the definition of a basement based on the NFIP guidelines. So we’re clear here, the NFIP considers a basement to be a room or building area where the floor is BELOW GROUND LEVEL ON ALL SIDES.

What’s Covered in the Basement?
It’s important to remember that there are two types of flood insurance coverage. Put simply, they are “building property” and “personal property.”

Building Property
The building property flood policy will cover your basement for the boiler, furnace, or water heater, and also items such as unfinished drywall for walls and ceilings, floor, nonflammable insulation, stairways and staircases attached to the building and clean-up.

Notice that large electronic or gas “items” like the boiler, furnace and water heater are building property and not personal property. Keep in mind these items are necessary to “keep the house running.” We make this distinction because a few items on the property list below, counter intuitively, aren’t considered building property.

Personal Property
When it comes to personal property coverage for the basement, coverage includes air conditioning units, portable or window type, clothes washers and dryers, food freezers, other than walk in, and the food in any freezer.

Notice relatively large electronic items that are not deemed “necessary” to run the home (at least to the NFIP anyway), like window air conditioners and freezers, are listed as personal property and building property.

In other words, you need to buy both types of flood coverage to make sure you are fully
prepared for a flood.

What’s Not Covered in the Basement?
There are a few things you should move from the basement to higher ground during a flood. While these items ARE covered if they are not in the basement, you’d be out of luck if they are.
- Couches
– Chairs
– Televisions and other personal electronics
– Carpet
– Beds
– Other items not listed above are NOT covered in a basement.

I hope this help. Good luck.

​

 

[RetArmySgt]

I have created, as Skeeter put it, a "I need some Damn Help" fund. Here is the link.
Vet Underwater by James Holman - GoFundMe

 

[jrbfishn]

Got some commitments tight now, give me a week, see what I can do.
Wish you luck.

 

[kyletxria1911a1]

Pm me sir i have friends that maybe help

 

[ROGER4314]

Hurricane IKE took my roof on a direct hit. I lost my carpet in the mess and you MUST get that wet carpet & pad out of the house within a few days as the stink begins quickly.

I had every stitch of carpet removed and had ceramic tile installed. I will NEVER have carpet again! Except for the floor being cool in the winter (wear slippers) and dust, which previously settled into the carpet and now rolls into ghost turds, it is perfect! I dust mop the ghost turds and spot clean/mop dirty areas but it's as trouble free as anything that I've ever had! It was money well spent!

Flash

 

[ed308]

Shouldn't mentioned bamboo wood flooring. I've seen test of bamboo planks soaked in a bucket of water for a week and they weren't damage. Probably depends on whether the entire plank is bamboo. I'm not a fan of the look of bamboo, but good flooring choice in areas with water exposure.

 

[Recoil45]

I'd still be worried about mold growing under it.

 

[karlac]

I'd still be worried about mold growing under it.

IME, mold is usually not a problem with wood floors (although wood is cellulose, the food for mold), although cupping and warping may be, especially when not finished on all sides. It usually takes months of continuous moist conditions for wood to have mold problems, which is usually in the form of rot, and not usually harmful for humans.

Biggest source of mold problem in houses in the OP's area is drywall. Facing paper on drywall provides the cellulose and mold growth can happen in a matter of hours, which is why we now use cement board in all wet areas these days (kitchen back splash areas, shower walls and ceilings, etc.

 

[karlac]

Hurricane IKE took my roof on a direct hit. I lost my carpet in the mess and you MUST get that wet carpet & pad out of the house within a few days as the stink begins quickly.

I had every stitch of carpet removed and had ceramic tile installed. I will NEVER have carpet again! Except for the floor being cool in the winter (wear slippers) and dust, which previously settled into the carpet and now rolls into ghost turds, it is perfect! I dust mop the ghost turds and spot clean/mop dirty areas but it's as trouble free as anything that I've ever had! It was money well spent!

Putting tile down on floors that are subject to periodic moisture from floods/seepage is an excellent solution. It is also relatively cheap to replace/refinish the bottom 2 - 4' of drywall in a room, than it is to replace carpet and other flooring products that might contain cellulose in some form (backing) and/or subject to warping and cupping.

 

[Recoil45]

IME, mold is usually not a problem with wood floors (although wood is cellulose, the food for mold), although cupping and warping may be, especially when not finished on all sides. It usually takes months of continuous moist conditions for wood to have mold problems, which is usually in the form of rot, and not usually harmful for humans.

Biggest source of mold problem in houses in the OP's area is drywall. Facing paper on drywall provides the cellulose and mold growth can happen in a matter of hours, which is why we now use cement board in all wet areas these days (kitchen back splash areas, shower walls and ceilings, etc.

Agree on the drywall. Basements were common back home and getting an inch or two of water during big Hurricanes were common. Good contractors would stop the drywall 3" off the floor and hide the gap with 5" base moldings leaving it a 1/8" off the ground.

 

[orbitup]

The gofundme link in your sig doesn't work.

The one you posted does.

 

[ed308]

I'd still be worried about mold growing under it.

For mold to grow, it needs food, temp and moisture. Take anyone of those away and mold go dormant. With tile there's no food source. When you have a water leak and a tile floor, if the water is not contaminated you can dry it up and your GTG. But if dirty water from a flood or sewer, probably needs to be removed. Also, tile on a wood subfloor usually has to be removed since the subfloor becomes damaged.

 

[RetArmySgt]

Going to have to pull the flooring out tomorrow. The mold and mildew prevention spray didn't work and now it's causing the wife's allergies to act up.

 

[ROGER4314]

Be sure to take pictures before & after. Farmers INS took 6 friggin months (!) to settle my claim but that carpet had to GO! The tack strips will be getting rusty, so be careful!

I'm pretty sure that they delay claims so less money will disappear from their balance sheet all at once. If they drag their asses long enough, dispersal of funds is less destructive to their company. Their favorite ploy is "Tag Team Adjusters." You get ready to settle, then the claim is reassigned to another adjuster. You go back to the start line, again. They did that three times!

At least you have electricity. We had no water or electricity for about 10 days and it was impossible to get things dried out.

When I got my tile installed, I also got care products like a big squeegee, a good mop bucket and full sized mop for emergencies.

Flash