How I spent My 4th of July

[Pressman]

Wednesday night, about 2:30am something went bump in the night. I woke up thinking uh-oh, there is a 12 ga riot gun in the closet, but the ammo is in the basement. But all was quiet after that and I went back to sleep. When I got up at 4am (normal) I found this mess in the living room.

Turned out that the water drain pipe from the AC unit that is mounted in the attic had broken and flooded the ceiling till it gave way. Further investigation revealed that the AC was installed in 1988 and the type of PVC used then was susceptible to heat and would dry out and disintegrate. That is just what it did. The new PVC of today won't do this.

Stainmaster came and cleaned up the mess, the rockwool insulation pile was soaked and stained the carpet black so the carpet is removed. A large section of ceiling is removed to make repairs easier. The original, 1960, ceiling is sheetrock covered with metal lath and plaster.

The picture shows a small amount of this large room, all the furniture is going to have to come out for new flooring, the furniture needs shampooing, the curtains and drapes need cleaning. Everything was covered in rockwool dust making it hard to breath for over a day, even with a large exhaust fan running.

Now I am waiting for the Insurance company to get back to me.

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[skeettx]

YUK!!!!!
I will have to check my pipes
Thank you
Mike

[Bazoo]

Sorry for your aggravation, but look at the bright side, least it wasn't your press storage or reloading area!

[Bent Ramrod]

That is indeed bad, Pressman, sorry you had to go through it.

Of course, things like that always happen at the worst times. Middle of night, weekends, holidays, whenever everybody's away from work.

Don't know why people think sheetrock is something that can be used in any orientation besides vertical. The notion is a delusion and a snare; all it is is thin pasteboard and pressed chalk. It was used as the ceiling on my porch, but over the years the mud dauber wasps brought enough mud through the edges to weight the ceiling until it fell down with a crash, one Sunday. Must have been 20 lb of mud there, formed into ancient nests. At least there was no water leakage; I lucked out there.

Hope your insurance covers it without problems. A wise friend tells me that there are times in every homeowner's life when there's no other option but to check into a 4-star hotel, order room service, and let the experts deal with the problem. Haven't followed it myself (yet), but I can see the point.

[Hickory]

Plumbing is an invention of the devil.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Good Grief, that's awful

[Wis Tom]

Oh man, that there is a mess. Glad it wasn't located over the bedroom. Hoping for the best, for you, in dealing with the insurance.

[JBinMN]

Is it by chance that gray PVC pipe?

[Thundarstick]

Why anyone thinks having water in the attic is a grand idea is beyond my comprehension! My condenser is in the middle of a slab house, and uses a condensate pump to move that water out. It worries me all the time about the damage that could be done if (when) that pump fails! It's not hooked to the unit, but I do have it alarmed.

[xs11jack]

could you use copper tubing? Is schedule 40 OK? I think it can stand 200 degrees Fahrenheit. I don't know, I am out of my area of expertise. My major compliment in plumbing is flooding my aunt's bathroom and bedroom. My best bud told me when we got things under control that he had hired on as a beginner plumber and the first day on the job flooded an complete K-Mart store. I said that from now on you can do the work and I'll watch.
Ole Jack

[CastingFool]

That was quite a mess. Feb 1st we had a shower faucet fail. We had some really cold weather for our area, but the pipes did not freeze, inside wall, but the faucet sure cracked. So not as much mess as the op, but a mess nevertheless

[pworley1]

Sorry for the mess, glad it wasn't your bedroom or loading area.

[reloader28]

Sorry about your house.
But heres a dumb question. Why is your gun in your closet and the ammo in the basement. That makes it nothing more than an unhandy club. If it had been an actual intruder you would now be a statistic. Just something to think about

[NyFirefighter357]

The piping was probably the off white CPVC it gets brittle over time. All appliances/mechanical equipment need annual checks just for reason as this.

[NyFirefighter357]

Why anyone thinks having water in the attic is a grand idea is beyond my comprehension! My condenser is in the middle of a slab house, and uses a condensate pump to move that water out. It worries me all the time about the damage that could be done if (when) that pump fails! It's not hooked to the unit, but I do have it alarmed.

Your condensate pump should be wired to your your a/c unit on the float switch. It's easy to do and can be done by yourself, it's low voltage and breaks the call from the t-stat to the a/c unit.

[LUBEDUDE]

What a nightmare! So sorry to hear about this Ken. Doesn’t this make the third water issue with the house within the last 18 months? Sure hope that it is the last.

[bedbugbilly]

Sounds like your day wet about like mine . . . I had to prepare for a colonoscopy the first thing on Friday morning. :-)

Sorry for your mess . . . never fun when things like that happen and I imagine it won't be much fun dealing with the insurance adjuster either

[RED BEAR]

Sorry about your house.
But heres a dumb question. Why is your gun in your closet and the ammo in the basement. That makes it nothing more than an unhandy club. If it had been an actual intruder you would now be a statistic. Just something to think about

Yep we have no kids in house so i can lay my hand on a loaded gun at all times. Now if grandkids come over everything gets locked up. Started doing this after some fool just walked in wanting to buy drugs he was so drunk and or high didn't even know where he was but he did get a ride in a police car.

[Pressman]

What a nightmare! So sorry to hear about this Ken. Doesn’t this make the third water issue with the house within the last 18 months? Sure hope that it is the last.

This is actually the fourth. The electronic brain for the boiler failed completely, only it was late May with temperatures in the 40's at night, flood avoided.

[Pressman]

The piping was probably the off white CPVC it gets brittle over time. All appliances/mechanical equipment need annual checks just for reason as this.

Yes, you are correct. The pipe was so brittle I could squeeze it and crush it. I am checking the rest of the house to see if there is any more of it.

[Pressman]

The insurance adjuster stopped by yesterday with the news that they will cover the ceiling and the carpet, only they won't allow any value to the carpet so in reality they allow no money for carpet.
I am left with an expensive removal and replacement at my expense.
Also no coverage for plumbing repairs, drapes, cleaning.

I am still fuming

[1911sw45]

Oh I bet you are fuming.

[Smoke4320]

I would be fighting that. If you don't mind what insurance company so I (and maybe others here) can avoid using them

OH PS black mold is the magic word for coverage

[Pressman]

Smoke, what I have learned from this is get full replacement household coverage. It is more costly premium wise but prevents surprises of this type.
I had a big claim in 2018 when the upstairs boiler pipes burst and flooded everything below. No issues with how that was settled.

[1911sw45]

That’s why your having problems now pressman. I would not be surprised if they don’t drop your insurance coverage. With the claims you have had lately.

[Pressman]

That’s why your having problems now pressman. I would not be surprised if they don’t drop your insurance coverage. With the claims you have had lately.

That thought has crossed my mind. And is why I didn't report the flood of '19 this past February.

I really don't want the hassle of switching companies, or doing without as the house is paid for.

[1911sw45]

I can understand that.

[Pressman]

I got home yesterday afternoon to find water running out of the front entryway light. I shut down the AC and spent a hot night. Got up this morning with the entryway ceiling on the floor. Call the plumbers again. This time they found a hole rusted through the condenser shell allowing water to run out rather then out the drain.

A new AC is on order for $$$$. $$$$ that would be better invested in old reloading tools and guns. Carpenter showed up as I was shoveling out the entryway. Looks like the insurance check won't be big enough to cover it all. He's going to try to pry more money out of them.
There still a big mess of insulation in the attic that needs to come down, not looking forward to it.