Flooding: Before & After
Restoring Vital Services — Flooded walls
One of the first things you should do when re-entering the house after a flood is open windows to allow air circulation. If fans and air handlers have been serviced and electricity has been restored, use them to move air through the house and improve drying conditions.
If a home has been flooded, even for a short period of time, the walls may be damaged. Many wall coverings will appear to have withstood the flood well, at least initially. Surfaces such as sheetrock and paneling that have not been flooded for long periods could weather the flood well. However, where the water remains for several days, there is a possibility that sheetrock will carry the water, through capillary action, up through the wall, in many instances to the ceiling, far above the level of flooding.
In the case of paneled walls that have been flooded for several days, the layers of paneling may separate. If the panel is made of pressed board, the entire panel may come apart as the water softens the glue. However, on most homes that have not been flooded for a long time, the primary concern will be removal of the wet insulation material from the walls and the drying that needs to take place once it is removed.
Fiberglass insulation holds water for a very long period of time. Walls that outwardly appear to dry have been opened as long as six months after a flood and the insulation was as wet as it was when it was first flooded. The water provides an ideal environment for decay-causing bacteria to grow in the wall. It may take several months or years, but these bacteria and the decay they cause may eventually cause structural damage.
Wet fiberglass insulation can also cause mildew and musty odors throughout the house.
Vinyl-covered wallpaper prevents the wall surface from drying since water can't escape through the impermeable surface. Bacteria may feed on the wet wallpaper paste and cause discoloration and deterioration between the wallpaper and the sheetrock.
Several of these effects may not be visible right after the flood, but steps need to be taken immediately to avoid severe problems later.
- First, open the wall to at least the level of the flooding. A circular saw can be used on sheetrock walls to cut in a straight line around the wall at the level of flooding. Be careful not to cut into electrical wiring.
- If the walls are paneled, remove the baseboard and pry the paneling loose. Prop the paneling away from the wall, remove the insulation and let the paneling dry in that position. This could eliminate the need for buying new paneling material.
- Remove the wet insulation from all walls. Then wash the walls thoroughly, using disinfectant. A three- gallon garden sprayer works well. One cup of household laundry chlorine bleach to a gallon of water can be used as a disinfectant.
- Spray the wall cavities thoroughly and allow the walls to stay open for a month to six weeks to allow thorough drying before re-insulation and covering.
- At this point, you may want to consider different materials for the wall, if there is a possibility of future flooding. A type of insulation and wall covering that will withstand flood waters without the need to open wall cavities afterward can be used.
- Another possibility is to replace flood damaged walls with a wainscoting, assuming the level of flooding is no higher than three or four feet above the floor.
Each home will require different techniques and procedures to restore it to a liveable condition.
Qualified workers to make these repairs may be hard to find at this time because of the large amount of work needed to be done immediately. Use caution in selecting workmen, and use only those who are experienced and reputable.