leaking basement - thoughts?

[Hamilton Audio]

well, i'm peeved! we had a cold nite (about -8 c). I've got an extended outside hose-bibb that runs from the side of the house out and across (underneath the deck).

I guess a joint decided to let go sometime today, and proceeded to spray (full tilt) ALL DAY. It had to be after 0800, as I was still here and would have heard the water running in the basement. Came home about 0500 pm to the sound of rushing water!

The way the burst happened, it had completely inundated the underside area of the deck, and focussed itself against one section of the foundation. Needless to say some water made its way into the basement :-(

Not very much considering the amount of water that had been poured over the ground, but its still there. Directly below grade where the majority of the water was focussed. The foundation is block, so it likely found a crack in the joinery somewhere and started coming in.

Now the question - I've got it pretty well cleaned up (not much to clean up, actually). Should I be concerned about whats happened behind there? The house is a bilevel with the "ledge" all the way around the basement (which is fully finished). This incident happened in the bathroom down here.

any thoughts on next steps? I'm thinking about renting a large capacity dehumidifier and letting it run several days to pull up as much moisture as possible. What about the insulation behind the wall? Should I be concerned about the crack that let the water in? (its the first issue we've ever had here in 2 years) Recommended course of action?

grrrrr.....your help is greatly appreciated.

bmoney

[Art]

most dehumidifiers do not work well in a cold room. Check the one you are thinking of renting before you take it home. A fan may be just as good if you turn the heat on in the house and crack open some windows. That should make the humidity low in the house. If the sheet rock is not damaged I doubt there is much water in the insulation. Also remember water will go thru the basement slab into the earth.

[m Ransley]

You flooded call your insurance co. Buy a dehumidifier. and dry it quick, mold will grow

[Hamilton Audio]

hmmm...."duh" to the flooded part. its clear what happened (its really BAD when you don't know why its leaking, isn't it? ;)

I'm going to get a dehumidifier tomorrow. I was wondering about the possibility of mold growth....how to mitigate?? save for pulling the sheetrock down and replacing the insulation and vapour barrier?

is there an amount of water to "worry" about? that is, I shut the main tap off, killing the water source, and the leaking stopped immediately. It is now almost dry on its (own) - no more residual water coming down.

[Hamilton Audio]

seems kind of alarmist, don't you think? The amount of water that actually came into the house was negligible. I sucked it up with a steam-cleaner machine and the TOTAL amount was less than 500 ml.

I realize that moisture in a wall can = mold growth. which is why I'm asking ;) There is NO damage to anything here, not even the wallboard. In fact, it basically amounted to some water coming in from under the baseboard, and 97% of it contained on a tile bathroom floor.

so how do you know when to worry about things like this? to me, if it had done damage to something, i would already have removed the wallboard and insulation. but since its only a minor leak (and will NOT be recurring), where should I go with it?

b

[m Ransley]

An accurate humidistat will indicate what needs to be done. I thought you had a bigger leak at first. An accurate humidistat will guide you. Digitals are Ok Analog must be calibrated. Taylor states Twice a year . Taylor makes 95% of the consumer market .

[Hamilton Audio]

so what will a humidistat tell me? its now the next morning and having simply left the gas fireplace on down here last nite (maintaining about

21c), the carpet and wall are COMPLETELY dry. There is no hint of moisture or odour of any kind.

my big question is this - is there value in tearing down the one section of wallboard (which requires the removal of a vanity/sink) and checking out where the leak came in? again, this is the first time its ever leaked, and only because gallons and gallons of water was directed right at the foundation for HOURS.

thoughts?

[Childfree Scott]

I agree. Look for something called a "basement dehumidifier". If it's possible to heat the basement, then do that also.

[Art]

If the pipe comes out of the wall for the sink, see if you can inspect there with your finger making a small hole to feel the insulation. If dry, forget about it. The water probably just found one route straight down and did not spread out and soak the whole wall. i would keep it dry down there for several days witht he fire place.

[Hamilton Audio]

The drain pipe goes back there, but the hole they cut is pretty darned perfect. I can reach up underneath a little, and its dry. It would seem the work is not "leak" but rather "dribble".

when I removed the water source, it stopped leaking just about immediately. I vac'd up the residual water and it was readily apparent that the water came down in one spot. There is NO damage to the drywall whatsoever. In fact, having done nothing more than suck up the water, you can not tell anything has occurred.

The basement is heated as part of the house....the gas fireplace is just an accessory (which happens to throw off lots of heat ;) Overnite the carpet and immediate area dried right out.

I'm inclined to think that there is no further reason to worry - this was a freak happening and will likely not happen again. My thoughts on mold growth were abated by a home inspector I work with....his thoughts were if the wall was soaked, then i should definitely pull it down and replace. But for the small amount that came in, keep an eye on it in the spring, but don't bother with it.

btw, should I get brave and remove the sink/vanity and pull the wallboard down - what is the preferred method for repairing cracks in the block foundation?

b