Basement flooded need advice

[Slysc]

Last week my basement flooded. The sump pump failed and I had about 2 inches of water everywhere. I pulled up the carpet and threw it out. It seems to be drying out but there is still damp drywall on most of the walls about a foot from the floor. I have a cap on my insurance of $5000 and I have a $1000 deductable. They said they would give me the $4000. I got a quote from a company that cleans up messes like this and this is what they said:

3 dehumidifiers for 3 days - $1125
13 fans for 3 days - $1170
Apply Anti-microbial (mold killer) - $500
Content manipulation and misc. labor - $560

That doesn't include any work on my drywall. So i'm wondering, should I take the $4000 and buy a couple dehumidifiers and just hope it drys out and doesn't mold and have a bunch of money left over to replace the drywall and other stuff that got ruined or should I just pay the clean up company?
Does that seem like a fair quote? Has anybody gone through this before?

[eli66048]

I'd cut that bottom wet part of the drywall off to let that dry out underneath. Then dehumidify it for awhile. The faster the better to keep down the mold. Anyone there allergic to it?
Danny

[Slysc]

I dont know if anyone is allergic. I got 9 kids, one of them is bound to be.:rolleyes:

[Ira R.]

Back around 1999 or so, we had a pipe burst while we were on vacation. Five days later there was 3 feet of water in the basement. I have a lovely picture of the first thing we saw when we finally peaked down the stairs; the dehumidifier floating by. :p Really.

Anyway. Use the company to get everything clean and aired out. Trust me on that. The stink will be with you forever otherwise. In fact, I would start ripping down the dry wall so when they do come in there is no moisture being held in those walls. No point in cleaning everything up and then leaving moisture in the room.

You really do need to clear out as much of that as you can. We were lucky (if you can call having to file a $30,000 claim for damaged stuff alone lucky) in that we had enough insurance to rip the walls out, clean the room, and start fresh.

And as a fireman from way back in a different life, let me tell you that the moisture can be more damaging then the liquid over long periods of time. Especially with little kids in the home. They don't need to be breathing whatever that stuff generates in the long run. You can always put down new carpet or install new sheetrock and paint. Let the pros do what they do best - make the room livable again.

Anyway, that's my two cents worth.

Ira

[SuperCharged91]

Pay to have it done right with 9kids you do not want to risk having mold we had that happend here once company missed a spot and could not find the mold whole family was sick for a month but we did get some nice compensation not worth it though

[littleboylan]

Dan, I would do like Danny said and cut the bottom 2 foot off that drywall, and re-hang it. If you can fab up a turbo, you oughta be able to do a little drywall :D

Ive had water come into my basement twice, and I put two box fans and a de-humidifier down there immediately, and mopped any standing water to the sump pump, and all is fine, no mold or anything. Only thing different is my basement is not finished.

Just use your best judgement, if you feel its beyond your means, better leave it to the pros.

Mike Boylan

[Ira R.]

Mike's right. I didn't ask but 3 feet of water in a finished basement versus 2 inches of water in an unfinished basement is a big difference. I also don't know how big an area we are talking about. A 10x12 enclosed room is very different from a 12x20 room with 3 windows and a source of continious fresh air.

Just make sure you get behind the sheetrock, double check to make sure the studs aren't holding water and make your decision from there.

Just because I would err on the side of caution doesn't mean it's applicable to your particular situation.

Ira