Burst water pipe saga

[PrincessY]

So we are still dealing with the effects of our burst pipe inside the wall, which happened 2 weeks ago.

Here's the exposed pipes in the hole in the wall. Nice and close to the electricity.


The carpet is torn out and you can see the water in the cement slab.


Rescue service company came and brought in drying fans and dehumidifiers. We had these on for 4 days and nights. They are loud! You can see that the DL map (1964) and Jim Shore and other DL figures are safe!


We are now waiting for our insurance claim rep to get back from vacation so we can get a settlement check. The adjuster was here doing his report a week ago Monday. Yes, we do enjoy living is complete disarray and stink while she lounges on a beach somewhere. How about passing your work on to someone else while you are gone?

[Sorcerer's Apprentice]

Re: Burst water pipe saga

Yikes, that sucks.

I remember very well 4 years ago the water heater burst on us, it was under the counter in the kitchen in the corner, found an inch of water on the kitchen floor in when I woke up. Ran out to shut of the main, then got on the phone to friends and relatives, then a few plumbers, insurance would cover it, but time was critical. Plumbers estimates were 1-2 thousand dollars! No WAY! So my father-in-law said "you can do this yourself". I would have had to rip the entire kitchen counters out and use another 40g size (really insufficient for family of four). or re-plumb everything through the kitchen wall and put a water heater outside (12 feet from where the old one is, I never removed it. It's still there) and build an enclosure. I drew it all out and figured out all the pipes and equipment I'd need. Good thing I spent all those years watching home improvement shows. I started this project at 8:00 am and finished soldering all the pipes by 3:00 pm, then we bought the 60 gal water heater, I turned the water back on around 9:00 pm had the mess cleaned up by 11:00 pm. (I built the enclosure over the next weekend, it was summer) I was shocked. I could not believe what I had just done. The whole thing cost around $500 including the water heater ($300), what an ordeal!

[kelly]

Re: Burst water pipe saga

thats aweful yvonne..

You figure they would have someone else to take over while the other person was on vaction

[goofygoof]

Re: Burst water pipe saga

I hope you're getting new carpet...and if the damages went into other rooms that you use a lot, you are supposed to have some ALE -Additional Living Expense benefits that cover your incurred expenses beyond what you would normally spend...

Also, it shouldn't take more than 3 days to dry out something like that, the water mitigation company should have taken that carpet out, I hope the did the pad at least!

And even if your Claim Rep is on vacation, they have back ups that should disburse any amount to you....you also have a right to choose your own contractor, so don't be settled on their initial assessment, you may be owed more!

Insurance companies should pay what they owe, and that is to put you back to where you were previous the loss, with like kind and quality.

Also, don't be afraid to claim personal property that was damaged and can deteriorate as a result of the water exposure (furniture).

Also check your policy under the conditions as it may be your responsibility to protect your property further damage. But you can't do this without getting some money first... Hopefully they won't include the mortgage company on the check...good luck if they include it.

Ask for hotel stay during repairs as the home is uninhabitable

[goofygoof]

Re: Burst water pipe saga

Yikes, that sucks.

I remember very well 4 years ago the water heater burst on us, it was under the counter in the kitchen in the corner, found an inch of water on the kitchen floor in when I woke up. Ran out to shut of the main, then got on the phone to friends and relatives, then a few plumbers, insurance would cover it, but time was critical. Plumbers estimates were 1-2 thousand dollars! No WAY! So my father-in-law said "you can do this yourself". I would have had to rip the entire kitchen counters out and use another 40g size (really insufficient for family of four). or re-plumb everything through the kitchen wall and put a water heater outside (12 feet from where the old one is, I never removed it. It's still there) and build an enclosure. I drew it all out and figured out all the pipes and equipment I'd need. Good thing I spent all those years watching home improvement shows. I started this project at 8:00 am and finished soldering all the pipes by 3:00 pm, then we bought the 60 gal water heater, I turned the water back on around 9:00 pm had the mess cleaned up by 11:00 pm. (I built the enclosure over the next weekend, it was summer) I was shocked. I could not believe what I had just done. The whole thing cost around $500 including the water heater ($300), what an ordeal!

I hope the insurance company paid you for what it would cost to repair/replace the damages..if not they made a big boo boo!!!

[QuietViolet]

Re: Burst water pipe saga

We had a slab leak under the house a couple of years ago.. it was under hardwood flooring so it all had to be pulled up, the repairs were made in the slab, and redone... it took forever and the insurance didn't cover it so my mom had to use a lot of her savings... sorry this happened to you..

[goofygoof]

Re: Burst water pipe saga

We had a slab leak under the house a couple of years ago.. it was under hardwood flooring so it all had to be pulled up, the repairs were made in the slab, and redone... it took forever and the insurance didn't cover it so my mom had to use a lot of her savings... sorry this happened to you..

There's case law on this.

If the location of the pipe burst was located in the slab, or the aggregate under it, then it SHOULD BE COVERED!

If the location of the pipe is under the aggregate and in dirt, then a majority of insurance policies don't cover it.

Access to the plumbing itself would not be covered though.

[goofygoof]

Re: Burst water pipe saga

Oh and...

You're going to see a MAJOR increase in your electric/water bill....the difference should also be covered by your insurance policy/claim.

[SCUBAbe]

Re: Burst water pipe saga

wow, that sucks. I hope the insurance comes through quickly and if the mortgage company gets involved they don't hold the funds up.

You're fireplace looks exactly like ours.

[aimster]

Re: Burst water pipe saga

That sucks!

Last week, my folks had a water leak in their basement. They got a plumber over pretty quick and he was there most of the day fixing it. Something got clogged pretty bad and he had to call in another guy with some special equipment to fix everything. My mom said it was a big mess. And it happened 2 days before my dad was having surgery! Yikes!

[PrincessY]

Re: Burst water pipe saga

I hope you're getting new carpet...and if the damages went into other rooms that you use a lot,

Also, it shouldn't take more than 3 days to dry out something like that, the water mitigation company should have taken that carpet out, I hope the did the pad at least!

Insurance companies should pay what they owe, and that is to put you back to where you were previous the loss, with like kind and quality.

Also, don't be afraid to claim personal property that was damaged and can deteriorate as a result of the water exposure (furniture).

We should have went to a hotel, since we were without water for nearly 24 hours, but we couldn't leave the cats and dog.

It did take 3 days to dry out, for the most part. There was just one wall that got pretty saturated that needed an extra day. He tore out all the soggy padding but left the carpet. He stuck a fan under the carpet to blow dry.

If the location of the pipe is under the aggregate and in dirt, then a majority of insurance policies don't cover it.

We heard that a LOT before they could get someone out to check the real problem.

You're going to see a MAJOR increase in your electric/water bill....the difference should also be covered by your insurance policy/claim.

They actually told us that they would pay for the electric bill, but I didn't even think of the water bill (duh).

Thanks for your help!

[knittingknerd]

Re: Burst water pipe saga

That whole thing is a mess. Sorry to see that mess right before the holidays.

[Joshrzmeup]

Re: Burst water pipe saga

We had something similar happen. Out here's it's known as the 'blue max' curse. It happened in the basement and so we had to fix that pipe then dig up the front yard to get at the blue max pipe and get that fixed. Our basement still smells even after humidifiers and such, although not as bad.

Sorry to see that happen to you.

[PrincessY]

Re: Burst water pipe saga

We are getting closer to the happy ending!

Here's the flooring being installed.


And here is Lilly waiting for it all to be over! (Like that nice crack in the slab? Typical earthquake country.)

[aashee]

Re: Burst water pipe saga

Good luck PrinY. Pain in the butt, huh?

[PrincessY]

Re: Burst water pipe saga

Total pain in the butt - nearly as bad as moving!!

[aashee]

Re: Burst water pipe saga

My Dad had to have giant fans running for 3 days straight. They were so loud!

[PrincessY]

Re: Burst water pipe saga

My Dad had to have giant fans running for 3 days straight. They were so loud!

Yeah, we did too.

[Aladdin]

Re: Burst water pipe saga

Sorry to hear about that. It's certainly not fun dealing
with this type of situation.

While I was on vacation, about 4 years ago, my upstair
bathroom toilet cracked. Flooded 2/3's of my house,
the family room immedialy below had part of the ceiling
collapse. UGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!