Burst pipe leaves sheetrock wet and carpet soaked
by
Nikki N
+1
I had a pipe burst in the closet where the hot water heater is located. There is about a 5' x 3' section of the sheet rock wall soaked, the carpet below the front of the closet is soaked and the carpet in the adjoining bedroom is soaked in a area of about 2' x 4'. I currently have a floor fan and dehumidifier running to help dry out. Will I need to replace the carpet or the Sheetrock that got wet? Thank you!
4 answers
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I would cut out the section of sheetrock that got wet, to make sure the studs (and insulation if any) dried out too. You don't want mold growing. You may have to pull the carpet up as well to get the padding up so it can dry. Mold has a way of growing quickly. Good luck.
Karin
on Apr 19, 2015
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Mine was a stopped up a/c drain and ceiling of my living room 16'x20'. Take out the wet sheetrock and spray the exposed area with straight bleach (may want to use one of those nice smelling brands). Patching the sheetrock back is a better idea than not removing it - black mold can be a real health hazard and keep you from selling the house later. On the carpet - pull up what you can but don't cut it - use anything to soak up water from padding (towels, newspaper) and put the fan directly blowing on the padding - it will take longer then you think to dry as the water/moisture will wick back from foundation underneath. Good luck.
Brenda Lawrence
on Apr 19, 2015
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Make sure you contact your homeowners or renters insurance company right away. They take the risk of mold from this sort of event very seriously, and if they are like mine, move right in with industrial strength fans, and finish with mold inspectors.
Mary Ker
on Apr 20, 2015
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Same thing happened to us. Insurance covered the cost of all repairs and replacement, minus deductible of course. We called a company that does water damage repair. THey pulled up part of the carpet and put in industrial fans to dry it all out, cut out bad walls, replaced them and fixed the pipe. They also found lots more damp and wet areas than we could see. Well worth the cost in my opinion. YES you have to replace the wall, and possibly the baseboards as well. You do not have to replace the carpet IF you take it up and dry it under the padding as well as between the padding and carpet and the carpet too. If you don't get everything bone dry, mold and mildew will set in within a few days or weeks. Then you must replace EVERYTHING and insuirance won't cover it at that point.
Cindy rongey
on Apr 20, 2015
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