# PLS HELP.house flooded while on vacation



## rome (Sep 4, 2009)

we are in a total mess.our beautifuil house is 3 yrs old and while on a vacation last week got a call from neighbour that house is flooding.water was dripping from cieling of family room.oue entire 1 floor was flooded causing extensive damage.water was bursting thru a pipe beneath the jacuzszi tub.never seen any such leakage before.our family room dry wall collapsed and entire wooden floor & furnitre damaged.pls help as to why it happened.we are just devasatated.words cant explain that.


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## Nestor_Kelebay (Sep 4, 2009)

Do you have insurance on your house?  I'd talk to your insurance agent to see what he/she says.


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## glennjanie (Sep 5, 2009)

Welcome Rome:
Wow! I can relate to the agony of your situation. The best thing to do is dry up as much as you can, allow the rest to dry out naturally with some windows open. It is still a good time of the year to leave the windows open (score 1 for you there). After it is dried out well it will not look so bad.
Watch for mold and mildew; use fans to speed the drying. Some insulation may need to be removed because it holds the water, seems like forever.
A new drywall ceiling will not be a tremendous cost. I hope you can get the furniture cleaned up and dried out well. The wood floor may return to normal upon drying. Try to keep a positive outlook during this time and, in hindsight, It is a good idea to turn off the water main and disconnect the water heater when leaving for more than one day.
Glenn


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## Redwood (Sep 6, 2009)

Place a call to your insurance agent right away.

Chances are they have a vendor they use for water damage.
This is taken very seriously by insurance companies these days as proper drying prevents mold.


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## staeva (Nov 22, 2009)

rome said:


> we are in a total mess.our beautifuil house is 3 yrs old and while on a vacation last week got a call from neighbour that house is flooding.water was dripping from cieling of family room.oue entire 1 floor was flooded causing extensive damage.water was bursting thru a pipe beneath the jacuzszi tub.never seen any such leakage before.our family room dry wall collapsed and entire wooden floor & furnitre damaged.pls help as to why it happened.we are just devasatated.words cant explain that.



NO!  Do Not listen to these people.  Calling your insurance company without first hiring a public adjuster is the worst thing that you can do in this case.  Insurance companies are out for profit.  How do you think they keep their costs low?  By using a homeowner's lack of Insurance Policy knowledge to lowball and underpay claims.  

You need to document the damage to an alarming extent.  If you do not, you will never get through an argument with the Insurance adjuster over an item's price.

Also, do you know whether you have Flood insurance, because if you said the word "Flood" to your insurance company rep, they can deny you coverage for burst pipe damage.  Stating the incorrect peril (cause of damage) when notifying a claim is legal grounds for denial of payment.  Literally, calling an Accidental Discharge of water (which is what you actually have damage from) a Flood will nullify the claim unless you have flood insurance.

If you have NOT settled the claim yet, I know someone who works in your area who will get you a very large increase over your insurance company's offer.  They are trained to minimize the loss damage, and if you don't know how to prove that something is worth more under the guidelines of your policy, they will not hesitate to take advantage of you, and all the while you think they're being helpful simply because you're not even aware of the extent that they are underpaying you.

In all sincerity, I've been through this before, I was payed 5,000 dollars for a very similar situation.  I wasn't aware of a leak for over a week, and by the time I saw the damages, it was astounding.  The company told me that I had a limit of coverage for sum-pump failure which was 5,000.  This was true, and because I didn't know how to submit the proof to the company I lost roughly $15,000 that I was actually entitled to due to the fact that my claim SHOULD have been for an accidental discharge of water.  Luckily someone recommended this Public Adjuster to me, as I'm trying to do for you, and they were able to resolve the claim for the full amount of roughly $15,000.  The fee is nothing out of packet and more than well worth it to not have to be worried about dealing with legal situations when I was just trying to get my home back in order.  

Please believe me when I say that this is what you need.  Please call him, you will not regret it.

I just sent you a private message with his name and phone number.

Let me know how it turns out, please.


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## Redwood (Nov 22, 2009)

staeva said:


> NO!  Do Not listen to these people.  Calling your insurance company without first hiring a public adjuster is the worst thing that you can do in this case.  Insurance companies are out for profit.  How do you think they keep their costs low?  By using a homeowner's lack of Insurance Policy knowledge to lowball and underpay claims.
> 
> You need to document the damage to an alarming extent.  If you do not, you will never get through an argument with the Insurance adjuster over an item's price.
> 
> ...



This would be a case where it is not flood insurance you are dealing with and yes you should avoid the use of the word "Flood" as it may trigger the insurance rejection. Use instead pipe burst and water damage which should cause no problems without having the assistance of an ambulance chaser. I however, would immediately notify your homeowners carrier as they will typically have companies they send to take care of water damage and mold remediation.

Yes I would document the damage as he stated and if you at any time become unsatisfied with the response of your Homeowners insurance co. resort to a independent pubic adjuster.


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## Launchpad (Nov 27, 2009)

This is actually what I do for a living. So here is my two cents....

#1- Call your insuarance company immediatly. Do not call the PA first, call the insurance company so they can get a mitigation service out to you and get the potential problems contained ASAP. 

#2- If you want a PA, now is the time to call. More than likely you will have a deduction amount (Normally $1000 but the amount does vary) A PA is usually very good at nickle and diming an insurance company and will be able to probably save you most, if not all of your deductible. staeva is right that the insurance companies are out to make a profit, but the real profit is the house. Water damage becumes insanly more expensive day after day to fix. The insurance company wants the damage mitigated ASAP, as in yesterday because it saves them money. 

From what you have described it sounds like a typical $8,000 to $10,000 job. It aint cheap.

Just in case your insurance will not cover the loss, and because it is a DIY site, here is how to fix the problem and not get mold or lose any further material due to rot.

1. Fix the water loss (I know- Duh)

2. Cut and remove all wet drywall. If just the bottom of the drywall got wet, cut two feet up from the bottom of the drywall to allow air to circulate. Throw out any insulation that got moisture. Mold loves drywall and isulation like a fat kid loves cake. 

3. Remove your carpet and pad so you can get the sub floor dry. Since it was water from the supply line of your Jaquzzi and if you get to it within the first two or three days, the carpet can be saved. This would be considered "Clean" water.

4. Any floor that has a vapor barrior under it that got wet, has got to go. Laminate floor, Vinyl floor, etc.... The sub floor will not dry effectivly and you will get mold- quickly. and it will spread thru the house. 

5. Set up the drying process. Do not, I repeat do not open the windows. It will not dry faster and all your doing is setting yourself up for other issues. Close and seal off the rooms that were affected, even with plastic tarps. The tighter you make the room the better.

6. Set up a dehumidifier (The bigger the better) and as many fans as you can possibly find. Set up the fans so as to create a tornado like effect in the room (Circular air pattern). 

After a few days the rooms should be dry enough to start building it back. 

Hopefully your insurance company got you a mitigation company to do all this for ya....


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## lou19604 (Dec 21, 2009)

more then likely whoevr instaslled the jacuzzi didnt do a good job if the piping is pvc then they didnt glue it right if its copper then it wasnt sweated  right.
However  I WOULD GET AN ADJUSTER  and review the policy then i would ask a diffrent plumber to come in and inspect the work that was  done if need be you can sue the contractor that installed the jacuzzi


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