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DocAir Articles
Recovering from the Flood of 2010
What Every Homeowner Needs to Know
by Barry C. Westbrook, CIH, PE (KY)
Torrential rains devastated thousands of middle Tennessee homes during the first
week of May. Within days, unscrupulous contractors had descended on hapless
homeowners to provide overpriced and, many times, unnecessary services.
There is a tremendous amount of restoration work to be done, and we need to make
sure that the available resources are utilized, not squandered. Here is what
homeowners need to know:
- Do I need special equipment to dry my house?
Effective drying requires one thing: lots of dry air. The drying process is
speeded up by keeping air flowing across the wet surface. If water has gotten
into wall cavities, you can dry them out quickly by doing the following:
- Seal up the house, keeping the doors and windows closed
- Turn on the air conditioner and set the temperature to 68º so that it continues
to run.
- Install a dehumidifier in the wet area.
- Open all cabinet doors and elevate cardboard boxes above the floor. Make sure
that there are no sealed cavities where moisture could be trapped.
- Install fans to keep air circulating. ThIf you have no electrical power to operate dehumidifiers and air conditioners,
open windows and let air flow freely through the house. This will keep
evaporating moisture from condensing on ceilings and other surfaces not exposed
to the flood waters.
- Do I need to tear out the walls?
If water has reached three or more feet above floor level, remove a strip of drywall along the floor to allow the wall cavity to dry more rapidly. Remove the first four feet of drywall up to the tape joint and replace the lower wall section once the cavity has dried.
- How do I dry out my crawl space?
If water has flooded your vented crawl space, it should not be a problem if the water did not reach the floor joists. As long as the vents are open, the humidity in the crawl space will be essentially the same as that of the outside air. You may allow the water to subside naturally or have it pumped out depending on your degree of patience. Some homeowners may take this opportunity to apply an antifungal treatment to the floor joists and sub floors.
Keep in mind. Things will look much differently once the building has dried out.
Create the optimum drying conditions and give your home a chance to get back to
normal. Most importantly, only work with remediation contractors that justify
their recommendations on the basis of building science, not scare tactics.
If you have questions or need assistance, or know someone who needs help, feel
free to contact Barry at bwestbrook@docair.com or call DocAir at 615-373-2498.
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