house flooded cause by water tank what damage will this have caused

mercedes125

We are in a new property and it has been flooded caused by a hot water tank falling off the wall upstairs this happend whilst we was out so not sure how long the water had been running all the carpets are saturated water has gone through all the ceilings downstairs down the walls its a right mess. We have got someone comming to have a look at it all from the building company but what i wanted to know is would we need to insist that they replaster where its damaged because it is quite bad and also replace the carpets i can,t see them drying out they are too wet and now smell, infact the whole house has got a horrible smell to it. Would there be any damage in years to come caused by it as well i wouldnt like it to fall on us, also the floors downstairs are concrete and upstairs are like a chip board.
Thanks

Mankysteve

Not sure about damage wise but I would also rent out an industrial dehumidifier one of the one normal ones wont be powerfully enuf.

HappyMJ

It's probably best to get some advice from a insurance loss assessor or claims management company to ensure the insurance company doesn't fix this cheaply.

My opinion is that the concrete will be fine it's only water. The chipboard might have expanded from the water and might never be the same again but it will dry out but I'd get it replaced.

wimbleQ

Hi

So sorry to hear about your flood - we had a similar thing but not so drastic. Would echo the above advice, let your insurers know and ask them to inspect thoroughly and get a quote from 2 or 3 reputable builders. We had a chipboard floor which had been tiled over and the tiles were lifting as the chipboard had soaked up flood water and expanded. The insurance company said all the old chipboard had to be removed and replaced. In my opinion you won't get the damp smell out of carpets so these probably will need to be replaced too.

We bought a dehumidifier from Screwfix (a large, industrial one) and the insurers paid for this as they said it was cheaper for them than if we had hired one. Don't forget to take your meter readings as you'll probably need to run the dehumidifier day and night for a while - the insurers should recompense your extra electricity costs for this.

Good luck sorting everything out.

jog

Sorry to hear about your flood.

A few years ago, I came home to find we had an upstairs pipe burst, the water had been flooding out for several hours. Our insurance company sent out dehumidifyers within 48hours to dry everything out, and were really helpful in advising us what to do. All the affected carpets had to be taken up, we had to have new ceilings and a lot of new decorating. The insurance company sent a loss adjuster to look at the damage and he was also helpful in advising us.

As others have said speak to your insurers and get them to speak to the builder, I'm afraid I'm very cynical, but I would want my insurers to advise what needed to be done, as the builders interest is going to be in saving himself money.

Hope you get it sorted

Jog

mercedes125

Thanks for all your reply,s, i will not be contacting my insurance as the builder has said that they will sort everything out or would it be best to contact them. Also we defenatly need some dehumifyers as there is condensation all over windows etc.

muskoka

i would be definitely use my insurance company for this - at least you have some comeback then if there are issues down the road

1984ReturnsForReal_2

Floorboards

Ceilings

Carpets

Plaster


Will all need to be replaced


Electric checked

& tank replumbed


Together with fixing the tank

dampdaveski

Mercedes,
Flood remediation / water damage to a property etc is an area I specialise in. Contact your insurance company IMMEDIATELY.!
If your 'builder' was decent he would have told you to contact them, as by the sound of it you have a justified claim, that's what insurance is there for.
If all your windows are steaming up, that is a sign that the building fabric is potentially saturated. What does this mean? It means you could be living in an enviroment that is dangerous to your health.
Get on the phone to your insurance company and start the ball rolling.

phill99

I run a maintenance company and do a lot of work for insurers. Your builder is TOTALLY WRONG. You must contact your insurers ASAP. They will send a loss assessor in and will appoint a Damage Limitation company that specialise in minimising the damage to the property by removing carpet, checking electrics and, more importantly, putting in dehumidifiers and heaters to start the drying process. Also they will issue a Cetificate of Dryness which will confirm that the moisture has been removed from the property and it is ok to commence renovation works. A builder will not be able to issue such a certificate and could cause long term problems if they commence work without the property being properly dry. Sorry but your builder is trying to pull the wool over your eyes and he knows it.