# Water between 1st story ceiling & 2nd story floor



## DIY_electric (Dec 8, 2012)

We had overflowing sink spill an unknown amount of water onto the upstairs bathroom floor. We are estimating 40-60 gallons of water spilled. The water went under the sink cabinet and in between the floor and ceiling. 

The attached pictures are after 5 hours of drying time running fans and dehumidifiers pointed at the ceiling and floor. 

I have poked small holes in the ceiling and no water came out so I am assuming that there is no water puddled up there. You can see in the pictures that the drywall tape has detached and fallen (i pulled it a little to get it down). 

My wife thinks we need to call in the national guard, tear down the house, and rebuild so that mold will not grow. I am more on the side of running some fans, maybe blowing some air between the floor and ceiling, and letting it dry. 

1) Think we should be concerned about mold? 
2) Should we call a water remediation company to do "water extraction"?
3) (Bonus unrelated question: does filing a water damage claim with the insurance increase home insurance premiums?)

:wink: :wallbash:


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## oh'mike (Sep 18, 2009)

Geeze--you should have poked holes right away in order to drain it---

Mold? Very unlikely---do run your air conditioner---that will pull the humidity out of the house--

You have enough damage there to qualify for an insurance claim,if you wish--

The repair? Pull off all loose tape---remove any drywall that has sagged or pulled loose from its screws--keep the fans going---when it's dry---

Check for sagging--remove any bagged drywall and replace---then retape--and coat--

Not the end of the world----


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## ToolSeeker (Sep 19, 2012)

DIY_electric said:


> We had overflowing sink spill an unknown amount of water onto the upstairs bathroom floor. We are estimating 40-60 gallons of water spilled. The water went under the sink cabinet and in between the floor and ceiling.
> 
> The attached pictures are after 5 hours of drying time running fans and dehumidifiers pointed at the ceiling and floor.
> 
> ...


Should you be concerned yes 
NO since you have to re-mud and tape open a couple of places along the seam 
and see how bad the drywall is saturated. Since you can only estimate the 
amount of water it may be a lot less.
Seems the worst case would be some new drywall on the ceiling. Get a couple estimates from drywall companies. Then decide if it's enough to file a claim.

Really seems 40 to 60 gallons you would have seen a lot more damage by now.


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## jeffnc (Apr 1, 2011)

Mold needs time to grow. Even if it does, it will die when it dries out. Best thing to do is remove 1 full sheet of drywall. That will allow the trapped airspace between the ceiling and floor to fully dry. But you probably don't even need to do that. Water soaks into drywall and wood and then dissipates over time. You can probably patch, water stain and paint. Your deductible will be at least $500 probably, and maybe $1,000. What you've got there doesn't look like more than $1,000 damage, maybe less.


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## DIY_electric (Dec 8, 2012)

A water remediation company came out and gave us an assessment of the damage. They said that the carpet/padding and subfloor are wet below the bathroom and into other rooms. They said if we don't dry it out that we will have mold within 72 hours and green mold within 7 days.

I guess we'll make a claim.


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## jeffnc (Apr 1, 2011)

Carpet/padding/subfloor won't dry on their own, so sounds like water remediation is the way to go. The drying charges will seem astronomical, but the equipment is a bit expensive and they also need to carry expensive mold insurance in some states.


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