Author Topic: wet carpet in basement  (Read 3775 times)

clarkfan1979

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wet carpet in basement
« on: July 13, 2014, 06:55:34 PM »
Lots of rain in Colorado yesterday. The main water line going out to the street was partially blocked and stormwater backed up a little in the basement. One of the bedrooms is in the basement with a drain. According to my tenant half of the bedroom carpet is totally soaked through. My plan is to send a carpet cleaning service to the house tomorrow to soak up all the water. I'm guessing it will cost me $150-$200, maybe cheaper. My tenant asked about possible mold. I'm not an expert, but I don't see it being possible if you get the water out in less than 36 hours. Don't carpet cleaning services get the carpet really wet when they do a wet clean? I remember them taking two days to dry when moving into a new apartment. Lastly, Colorado is very dry with very little mold problems.

Getting a new carpet in the bedroom would not be that much more expensive, probably $300. I wouldn't mind putting in new carpet if I thought it would help. However, I don't think it's an issue. Any advice? Am I missing something?
 

former player

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Re: wet carpet in basement
« Reply #1 on: July 14, 2014, 02:22:33 AM »
How clean was the water that backed up?

How can you ensure that the blockage doesn't reoccur, or that if it does reoccur there is no flooding in the basement?

Can you put down new flooring which will stand up to flooding better than carpet?

If you are concerned about damp/mold, either make sure that there is a lot of ventilation in the room (windows wide open) until it is bone dry, or hire a dehumidifier until it is bone dry.

Left

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Re: wet carpet in basement
« Reply #2 on: July 14, 2014, 04:49:14 AM »
are you sure it is from the drain and not water coming in through foundation? And why is there carpet in a room with a drain? Maybe get one of those plugs for the drain to stop it if they see it next time? Not a great fix but might help.

Get a dehumidifier running in there for a day or two should keep the mold from becoming a problem, if they let you since it is a bit loud and they are the ones that live there :S
Get a hardwood floor/tiles and put down a rug? The cleaning solution isn't the same as drain water so mold might be an issue :S And carpet cleaners don't normally soak the carpet for long, it gets sucked back out.

Not much other info than what former player said though. You could always invest in a good rug doctor vacuum and keep it for future use too. Good ones run about in the price range it takes to hire someone to clean it professionally, but being pros they might be a bit faster/through than a diy version on the first attempt

Have you thought about waterproof carpets? Parents switched to it about 10 years ago when the basement flooded. It's harder since there isn't the foam under it but that may have changed over the years. Think of the carpets in hotels as an example. I'm not sure if they work well to live in though since they aren't too soft walking barefoot on.

clarkfan1979

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Re: wet carpet in basement
« Reply #3 on: July 14, 2014, 05:38:09 AM »
I forgot to mention that I hired a plumber to clear the partially blocked drain. They said the blockage was due to tree roots and hair. I had this happened one time before but the blockage was kitchen grease. I have heard of trees roots before but never hair for the main line going out to the street. I think the tree roots were the main reason for the blockage and some hair probably got stuck because of the roots.

I will look into waterproof carpet if I end up replacing it. The tenant claims the storm water was clean. If it was sewer I am pretty sure that you would be able to smell it. It seems like a few people agree that it can be dried. If it doesn't fully dry I'm sure the tenant will let me know and I will replace it.

usmarine1975

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Re: wet carpet in basement
« Reply #4 on: July 14, 2014, 09:46:43 AM »
The simple answer is to ask your carpet cleaning guy what his thoughts are.  Granted you have to trust that he is being honest and only you can know that from your relationship with him.  I only work with contractors I can trust.  And once they burn me they are out the door.  You can also call other carpet cleaner's to get their opinion as well.  The biggest thing is getting it cleaned and dry.

clarkfan1979

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Re: wet carpet in basement
« Reply #5 on: July 14, 2014, 10:24:19 AM »
Thank you for all the help. Here is an update. I called Stanley Steamer to extract the water from the carpet. It was $211 to vacuum out the excess water from the carpet, pull the carpet back and remove the carpet pad and spray an anti-mold residue on the floor. They also run dehumidifiers and fans for two days to dry it out.

The $211 doesn't include reinstalling the carpet, which is fine. I have to pay someone else to do that and also buy a new pad. I asked Stanley if I needed to buy a new carpet and they said no. They said it will be clean and dry when it's all done. It doesn't seem like they have anything to gain from telling me that, so I was pleasantly surprised.

I wouldn't mind buying a new carpet for the bedroom. However, the carpeting would be a different color and wouldn't match the rest of the house.

clarkfan1979

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Re: wet carpet in basement
« Reply #6 on: July 19, 2014, 01:53:39 PM »
I also checked with my insurance agent about replacing the carpet. He said they follow the recommendation of the people doing the clean-up. If the clean-up people say that the carpeting must be replaced then they replace it. I'm not filing an insurance claim but I still wanted to ask what they would do in this situation if the cost was large enough to be a claim.

waltworks

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Re: wet carpet in basement
« Reply #7 on: July 19, 2014, 04:47:32 PM »
Your mold problem will be in the drywall/insulation/studs, if your basement has them. The carpet is not a big deal but if the insulation or drywall gets wet... you are hosed and you'll need to have it ripped out and replaced.

-W

clarkfan1979

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Re: wet carpet in basement
« Reply #8 on: July 24, 2014, 04:22:45 AM »
Your mold problem will be in the drywall/insulation/studs, if your basement has them. The carpet is not a big deal but if the insulation or drywall gets wet... you are hosed and you'll need to have it ripped out and replaced.

-W

I appreciate the advice, but I  don't think this is always the case. There was a famous flood in this town in 1998. When I bought the house in 2007 I could see a faint water line at about 18 inches high around the whole basement. During the inspection, I had the inspector check for mold and he didn't find any.

In the end, I ended up getting new carpet. The room is 200 sq. ft. and the cost is $752 for carpet, carpet pad and install. I'm going to have the plumber come over once a year to make sure there are no clogs in the pipes. That will cost me $110/year.   

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!