Water, Part 3
Now that the water was no longer an issue, we focused on getting all the "stuff" out of the basement. Whether it was damaged by water or not, we needed it out. We needed to get rid of anything ruined and prevent anything else from becoming ruined. We also needed room to do some cleaning. Almost immediately we began smelling mold. There was always a musty smell down there, but we attributed it to having an 80 year old house with a Michigan basement. As we emptied the basement, we saw more and more evidence of previous water damage plus existing mold. Behind a set of Rubbermaid shelves we saw quite a bit of mold that had obviously been there a while. I later found out that it was caused by a faulty downspout outside causing water to run down the side of the house and seep into the basement.
Our next task was to take care of the mold. Given that the odor was pretty strong and it had made us both nauseous, we decided to call on an expert to assess the problem and run some cultures to determine what kind of mold we had. If it was toxic, they would clean it up. We blocked off the stairs to the basement to keep the cats out and waited for the day they could come.
I worked at home that day to meet the guy at noon. He spent a good half hour inspecting everything and talking about what he found. His verdict: common mold. We lucked out on a few accounts. First, we got rid of the water and anything plant-based (i.e., boxes) within the first 24 hours. Second, we have an almost entirely concrete basement, so no drywall, carpeting, etc. to act as a breeding ground. He did give us some advice, such as running a dehumidifier more often and even running one in the coal room. He said we really needed to get the gutters and downspouts taken care of so the water was pushed further away from the house. He also said that we should paint the walls of the basement with "floor" paint because it was thicker and would better handle moisture. I was very relieved. He didn't even charge me for his time since he didn't do any work. I tried to pay him, but he refused. He said he could run cultures, but he was very confident in what he saw.
So where was all this water coming from? We never had problems before. Given the clock-like precision of the water flow, we soon deduced that there was a leak outside the house. It had not rained in days. The snow was gone. It was even warm for a few days. So first I called our plumber and talked to a Structural Engineer. He said it could be a leak, but might be hard to find. He gave me some things to look for. He also outlined our options, most of which were quite expensive, but he did not seem eager to start digging up the yard unless we knew for sure what was going on.
Then we called the City to have someone come out and look. They tried to convince Jaime that the problem was inside, but after she answered all their questions they sent someone out. He looked around and also used a fancy device that uses sound to detect leaks underground. He did not find anything. He said to give it some time.
After the water guy and the mold guy, I wasn't so sure about the leak theory. Over the couple of days while this was going on, we did notice more and more areas around town that still had standing water. Plus, I realized that even though it was relatively warm outside, there was still likely a frost line a couple of feet underground. That layer of ice would cause all the water above it to go sideways towards open areas like basements rather than straight down. We decided to wait it out. It is hard to say, but I think the pump might finally be on a longer delay now, like 4-4.5 minutes. That is a good sign.
Today I started working on the mold itself. We bought PVC gloves, "N95" rated face masks, and goggles to keep me protected. I mixed up some bleach water and sprayed it on the walls. Then I scrubbed them with a nylon brush and wiped it all down with a sponge. It seems to be working, but will take some time yet.
We still have a long way to go, but we're at least going in a positive direction.
One bit of advice from the mold guy: Don't report mold to your insurance company. If you decide to make a claim, don't say the M-word. Say there is "water damage". If that happens to result in mold, that is a different story. Once you tell them there is mold, they pretty much don't have to pay.
Also, it varies by municipality, but did you know that generally the city's responsibility for water service ends with the easement? So the run through the yard to the house is your responsibility. Keep that in mind before reporting a potential issue. Talk to a licensed plumber first.
Our next task was to take care of the mold. Given that the odor was pretty strong and it had made us both nauseous, we decided to call on an expert to assess the problem and run some cultures to determine what kind of mold we had. If it was toxic, they would clean it up. We blocked off the stairs to the basement to keep the cats out and waited for the day they could come.
I worked at home that day to meet the guy at noon. He spent a good half hour inspecting everything and talking about what he found. His verdict: common mold. We lucked out on a few accounts. First, we got rid of the water and anything plant-based (i.e., boxes) within the first 24 hours. Second, we have an almost entirely concrete basement, so no drywall, carpeting, etc. to act as a breeding ground. He did give us some advice, such as running a dehumidifier more often and even running one in the coal room. He said we really needed to get the gutters and downspouts taken care of so the water was pushed further away from the house. He also said that we should paint the walls of the basement with "floor" paint because it was thicker and would better handle moisture. I was very relieved. He didn't even charge me for his time since he didn't do any work. I tried to pay him, but he refused. He said he could run cultures, but he was very confident in what he saw.
So where was all this water coming from? We never had problems before. Given the clock-like precision of the water flow, we soon deduced that there was a leak outside the house. It had not rained in days. The snow was gone. It was even warm for a few days. So first I called our plumber and talked to a Structural Engineer. He said it could be a leak, but might be hard to find. He gave me some things to look for. He also outlined our options, most of which were quite expensive, but he did not seem eager to start digging up the yard unless we knew for sure what was going on.
Then we called the City to have someone come out and look. They tried to convince Jaime that the problem was inside, but after she answered all their questions they sent someone out. He looked around and also used a fancy device that uses sound to detect leaks underground. He did not find anything. He said to give it some time.
After the water guy and the mold guy, I wasn't so sure about the leak theory. Over the couple of days while this was going on, we did notice more and more areas around town that still had standing water. Plus, I realized that even though it was relatively warm outside, there was still likely a frost line a couple of feet underground. That layer of ice would cause all the water above it to go sideways towards open areas like basements rather than straight down. We decided to wait it out. It is hard to say, but I think the pump might finally be on a longer delay now, like 4-4.5 minutes. That is a good sign.
Today I started working on the mold itself. We bought PVC gloves, "N95" rated face masks, and goggles to keep me protected. I mixed up some bleach water and sprayed it on the walls. Then I scrubbed them with a nylon brush and wiped it all down with a sponge. It seems to be working, but will take some time yet.
We still have a long way to go, but we're at least going in a positive direction.
One bit of advice from the mold guy: Don't report mold to your insurance company. If you decide to make a claim, don't say the M-word. Say there is "water damage". If that happens to result in mold, that is a different story. Once you tell them there is mold, they pretty much don't have to pay.
Also, it varies by municipality, but did you know that generally the city's responsibility for water service ends with the easement? So the run through the yard to the house is your responsibility. Keep that in mind before reporting a potential issue. Talk to a licensed plumber first.