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Ceiling flooded. What next?

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  • May 30th, 2015 12:26 pm
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Deal Addict
Jan 13, 2007
4831 posts
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Ceiling flooded. What next?

A defective small pipe in the bath at second floor made some water to pour into the ceiling below and made its way out through drywall. I replaced the defective pipe and the water getting out the ceiling finally stopped. Now there are several wet spots and lines on the ceiling. No electrical cables nearby. At this point the only damage that I can see is the paint on the ceiling, unless I have to tear it off. Questions:
1) What shd I do next? Is there a chance for mold to develop inside the ceiling? Can I dry the water completely without removing the ceiling or parts of it? When can I try to re-paint the ceiling?
2) Before checking with insurance, is there a chance they'll cover the costs if it turns out that will be a lot more than I'm thinking now? If yes, what's the process to get the insurance involved and what shd I do before this?
19 replies
Deal Fanatic
Aug 29, 2011
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Definitely remove the soaked drywall. It may dry by itself over time but it won't look the same. And mold can start to develop in as soon as 48 hours.

Getting insurance involved will depend on your deductible and whether you're willing to file a claim for something seemingly this minor.
Deal Fanatic
Dec 5, 2009
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You're going to need to remove at least a section of drywall. It may dry on its own but won't look right. Unless you have popcorn ceiling and just re spray it.
Deal Addict
Jan 13, 2007
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mrweather wrote: Definitely remove the soaked drywall. It may dry by itself over time but it won't look the same. And mold can start to develop in as soon as 48 hours.

Getting insurance involved will depend on your deductible and whether you're willing to file a claim for something seemingly this minor.
Ouch. I was hoping to not get this answer. Removing parts of the ceiling looks like a major operation to me. Puncturing it in several places to make room for air to dry would not do the trick?
Deal Addict
Jan 13, 2007
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fdl wrote: You're going to need to remove at least a section of drywall. It may dry on its own but won't look right. Unless you have popcorn ceiling and just re spray it.
Actually I do have popcorn ceiling and if the only problem is the look I can just re-spray. Is this right?
Deal Fanatic
Dec 5, 2009
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arm2000 wrote: Actually I do have popcorn ceiling and if the only problem is the look I can just re-spray. Is this right?
I've seen it done before, by a professional (painter) and it looked Ok. I guess it depends how wet and damaged it is.

But either way I would want to be really sure it's dry up there. Maybe buy a moisture meter and keep testing it. Drywall takes a long time to dry.
Deal Fanatic
Dec 6, 2006
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It'll probably faster to just replace the drywall than waiting for it to dry, which will most likely not look good at the end.
Deal Guru
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Jan 11, 2004
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mark off an 8x10 area of the wet dry wall. thats the same size of one sheet of dry wall, replace that section.

next scrap off the entire ceiling of the popcorn, this a good time if you like to install pop lights to improve the area to make it look nice.
"When operating the viewfinder diopter control with your eye to the viewfinder, care should be taken not to put your finger in your eye accidentally."
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Feb 8, 2014
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Remove the drywall, drywall is not expensive and mold is worth preventing. A 4x8 sheet costs under $10, the installation is more cost unless you can DIY, but ideally you should remove drywall where its wet and put in a dehumidifier set at under 60%
In fact in Rand McNally they wear hats on their feet and hamburgers eat people
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Dec 16, 2007
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arm2000 wrote: Ouch. I was hoping to not get this answer. Removing parts of the ceiling looks like a major operation to me. Puncturing it in several places to make room for air to dry would not do the trick?
I would replace to avoid mold growth
Banned
Jan 16, 2015
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Mold does not grow that quickly. If you want to be special you can hoist a dehumidifier up there and dry it out. There maybe some water spots, yes paint them over, i would try that first.
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Dec 16, 2007
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Buccio wrote: Mold does not grow that quickly. If you want to be special you can hoist a dehumidifier up there and dry it out. There maybe some water spots, yes paint them over, i would try that first.
Mold can take as little as 3 days to form
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hitman_24 wrote: Mold can take as little as 3 days to form
Its shocking, not long ago he was claiming everything was mold, it almost sounded like the universe was made of mold instead of matter.
In fact in Rand McNally they wear hats on their feet and hamburgers eat people
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Jan 16, 2015
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Quentin must work for yellow pages as a delivery boy.

[QUOTE]Mold can take as little as 3 days to form [/QUOTE]

It could under the right conditions. But this is not it.
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Buccio wrote: Quentin must work for yellow pages as a delivery boy.
I missed that particular honour.
In fact in Rand McNally they wear hats on their feet and hamburgers eat people
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Dec 16, 2007
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Buccio wrote: Quentin must work for yellow pages as a delivery boy.



It could under the right conditions. But this is not it.
So what are these particular conditions? I've seen drywall paper mold within a week
Deal Fanatic
Dec 5, 2009
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Here come the mold police.

This morning I found some mold on some old food in my fridge. I've decided to sell the house.
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Jan 16, 2015
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fdl wrote: So what are these particular conditions? I've seen drywall paper mold within a week
It needs water or humility and it helps to be close something else moldy with mold spores, like a basement. Mold grows over time, weeks or months. Paper can get wet and then dry out no mold. As you say you can see mold or smell it so if the OP doesn't see it then why worry.
Deal Guru
Jun 11, 2005
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Painting over drywall that has been wet and dried really sucks. The paint won't adhere properly and will eventually peel or chip off in a short period of time. The best action is to replace the drywall and refinish it as necessary. This way you avoid the headaches in the long term and you'll be doing it right the one time
Deal Addict
Jan 13, 2007
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Thanks everybody. I just discovered the damages are bigger than I thought. At this point I decided to call the insurance which will send a contractor to asses the damages.

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