washer float stuck and flooded house

[lefties]

I had the washer flood house about 5 months back-filled ductwork with water etc,,didnt see a problem until last cpl months and floors are getting saggy. Called insurance co today to see what theyll cover,,can anybody advise me as to other probs that may arise,,other things ruined that i cant see? I remember a post by someone else regarding the same type prob on the old forums but cant find it. Also,,any special teqniques to dealing with the insurance companies? Thx-lefties

[Maureen]

Hi Lefties,

Have you had your heating ducts checked also? I'd also look for damage going up the walls, near the floors that were flooded.

Advice when dealing with insurance companies. First, read your policy real well. A lot of policies will not cover flooding or water damage. If yours does, then call the insurance company and start praying LOL! Your best bet is to educate yourself about the repairs. You already know that it's a labor intense job! Make sure the labor is properly accessed!

Maureen

[JD]

Hi lefties,

I have worked with insurance companies on damage just as you mentioned. The big question is whether you have a replacement cost policy or if you have an actual cash value (ACV) policy. If you have a replacement cost policy, you should be alright. Generally they will have a low first number that would be comparable to an ACV policy. Then you get real world bids from licensed contractors and then you tell the insurance adjuster which contractor you want to have do the work. As long as they are within reason and don't have a terrible reputation, you will usually get the contractor you choose for the amount of his bid. I have found that you always need to be assertive and persistent with insurance adjusters.

If you have an ACV policy, they will look at things like carpet, vinyl, wall coverings and estimate how much user life was used before the damage occurred. Also, it is important to let them know if you have upgraded vinyl or carpet quality. If you have a 6 year vinyl that is 3 years old, they may only pay you 60%-70% of the replacement cost. If it is 7-10 years old, they may only offer 20%. I see that some people will want to negotiate solely with the adjuster and try their best to get the best settlement they can, and then accept a check for the damage. That way they can really shop the work out hard to get the best price, do some if not all the work they can by themselves. Sometimes there just isn't enough cash on hand to pay the contractor for everything when you have to come up with the deductible and all the depreciated costs.

I know when talking to your adjuster, one thing is very important. The damage has to be caused by something sudden and accidental, which the float being stuck on a washing machine should qualify. What the adjuster doesw not want to see is damage that occurred over a long period of time or from obvious lack of maintenance.

The things I would be looking for if I was to bid your job is of course the floor, but be sure to check the heater, water heater compartments, closets and rooms next to rooms affected. Any hump, warping, discoloring of vinyl or musty smell in carpets should be included. You will want to be sure that all floor insulation that got wet is removed. This may include all insulation next to all duct work that had water in it. You want all ductwork to be sanitized, not just dry or wiped out. Check the bottoms of all walls for water stains and water damaged trim. They will usually offer priming and painting of the walls if that is alright with you. Having printed vinyl covered wall board replaced with comparable printed vinyl covered wall board is some of that gray area you have to fight, I mean negotiate for. The floor registers should probably be replaced, because they will probably rust real bad sooner or later. Anything that shows signs of the washer flood is fair game. The policy states to return the home to the condition it was in before the incident.

Hope this helps.

JD

[bubba_owner]

I just bought a double wide that I found out had flooded in the past. I started pulling up carpet and found bits and pieces of plywood that had been wedged into the pre-existing particle board flooring, I though the floors were uneven from frost heave. Shame on me for not inspecting further. It looks like the floor was replaced all along the water line area, there was plywood placed on top of sagging plywood.

This morning I got a huge surprise and not a good one. My mother said that the floor was sagging in the den. I start pulling that carpet up and there is a 3 inch by 8 foot section of sagging flooring that follows...you guessed it water line. jBut they tried to cover it up with a lot of wood filler/putty mixture that is just gross.

Get it fixed even if the insurance doesn't cover it. From the plumber I had come out this afternoon, there aren't any leaks NOW but there was a major line rupture several years ago that was just covered up and not fixed and I am going to have to pay more money just to fix their coverup. I also found out the den had burned in the past, so I don't even know if the repairs are up to code or not.

Bubba & Bubba Special Owner.

[Yanita]

Hi Lefties,

JD covered about everything, after you are done with your claim, if you do not have replacement coverage now would be the time to get it. I have found that most insurance companies do not just offer this, most you have to ask for it. It really does not cost that much extra, but well worth it in the long run!

Hopefully you have Mark's repair manuel, if not now is the perfect time to get it, this way you will know exactly how the repairs are to be done if you contract them out.
Wishing you well,

~Yanita~

[lefties]

Yup,,I have the manual-thx for all the replies and jd Thx for being so thorough,,just what I was looking for.

[lefties]

Now comes the part of dealing with them and being treated like Im a criminal"why didnt i report it before now blah blah blah-did i file police report etc.

[Robert]

Hi,

One other thing is to look down through ducts with mirror and bright light.

Look for any ANY openings, cracks, etc. in the duct.

MOST MH ducts have them (few are totally sealed and tight).

The water that ran into the duct will seep/flow through those openings and cracks and saturate your belly area insulation.

If this happens and is not dried out and wet insulation removed, you'll have mold/mildew problems in belly area.

Take care and best wishes,
Robert