There May Be Light At The End Of The Horizon
Saturday, 20 April 2013 11:28![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dr_phil_physicsFlood Report
We've been in a steadily losing battle for some days now. For a basement that's never had a serious leak before, water has come in from all over. Some water came in under the back door. And the water table had to have come up to the level of the house because the little cracks in foundation were leaking.
The office carpet was saturated early on -- it connects to a low point with the furnace room floor, so as that flooded, under the wall the water went. Or maybe there was a source there. Many, many boxes and bags of stored papers and things are now awaiting disposal.
The "kitty room" has never had water. A little leaked in from the wall with the furnace room. But then a big wet spot appeared in the middle of the floor -- another under floor leak? And now both carpeted rooms are supersaturated.
Thursday I went out and got a second wet vac. TruValue of Allendale said they had just one, an 18 gallon ShopVac, but then called me right back and said they had one 5 gallon unit as well. I told them to hold the latter for me, but when I got there I looked at the big unit. So much better construction -- with wheels set with a "wide stance" so it can't fall over like the old 5 gallon unit can. AND it has a front drain so it squat over the sump pump and pee into it. No brainer to get it, an outdoor extension cord if we needed it, and a second pair of ear muffs for Mrs. Dr. Phil to use -- My shooting muffs have always been good for lawn mowers and using shopvacs indoors.
The deepest part of the water anywhere was maybe an inch. No more than ΒΌ" anywhere else. And several places never got wet. But something was filling the sump pump and Thursday and Friday it was going off every 15-20 minutes. Our estimate is that it triggers at 10 gallons. So we're still talking about a prodigious amount of water in a place where we silly humans don't think we'll ever see it.
But we weren't winning. Not even holding our own. Worried about the big accordion fold paper air filter on the furnace, which is on the bottom.
Still... one source of smell in the basement was an old cardboard set of drawers that my parents must have bought in the 50s. It got soaked and once it was put outside, things got a lot better.
Friday didn't add too much to the rain totals, but never have I had a day with 6 or 7 rounds of heavy graupel -- my favorite kind of snow. (grin) Graupel is fun -- it bounces -- and just doesn't add much water. Called into ServPro -- finally -- and left a message.
Left a 2nd message 22 hours later here on Saturday morning and got an almost immediate callback. AND they have a crew freed up for tomorrow morning at 9. To be able to clean out the junk and to get a decision to dry or pull the carpet by tomorrow is a huge relief.
More anon.
Dr. Phil
We've been in a steadily losing battle for some days now. For a basement that's never had a serious leak before, water has come in from all over. Some water came in under the back door. And the water table had to have come up to the level of the house because the little cracks in foundation were leaking.
The office carpet was saturated early on -- it connects to a low point with the furnace room floor, so as that flooded, under the wall the water went. Or maybe there was a source there. Many, many boxes and bags of stored papers and things are now awaiting disposal.
The "kitty room" has never had water. A little leaked in from the wall with the furnace room. But then a big wet spot appeared in the middle of the floor -- another under floor leak? And now both carpeted rooms are supersaturated.
Thursday I went out and got a second wet vac. TruValue of Allendale said they had just one, an 18 gallon ShopVac, but then called me right back and said they had one 5 gallon unit as well. I told them to hold the latter for me, but when I got there I looked at the big unit. So much better construction -- with wheels set with a "wide stance" so it can't fall over like the old 5 gallon unit can. AND it has a front drain so it squat over the sump pump and pee into it. No brainer to get it, an outdoor extension cord if we needed it, and a second pair of ear muffs for Mrs. Dr. Phil to use -- My shooting muffs have always been good for lawn mowers and using shopvacs indoors.
The deepest part of the water anywhere was maybe an inch. No more than ΒΌ" anywhere else. And several places never got wet. But something was filling the sump pump and Thursday and Friday it was going off every 15-20 minutes. Our estimate is that it triggers at 10 gallons. So we're still talking about a prodigious amount of water in a place where we silly humans don't think we'll ever see it.
But we weren't winning. Not even holding our own. Worried about the big accordion fold paper air filter on the furnace, which is on the bottom.
Still... one source of smell in the basement was an old cardboard set of drawers that my parents must have bought in the 50s. It got soaked and once it was put outside, things got a lot better.
Friday didn't add too much to the rain totals, but never have I had a day with 6 or 7 rounds of heavy graupel -- my favorite kind of snow. (grin) Graupel is fun -- it bounces -- and just doesn't add much water. Called into ServPro -- finally -- and left a message.
Left a 2nd message 22 hours later here on Saturday morning and got an almost immediate callback. AND they have a crew freed up for tomorrow morning at 9. To be able to clean out the junk and to get a decision to dry or pull the carpet by tomorrow is a huge relief.
More anon.
Dr. Phil
