Flood! What now?

[ClassAGeek]

I got a call last night from the CG where we left our MH between weekends. The CG staff had just found water 'pouring for your MH in every direction'. They turned off the water and gave me a call. Water have been flooding our MH for about 24 hours.

When I got there this morning, I found a bathroom faucet had been left on. The result: water collected inside the bathroom and flowed out through the coach and then drained though the driver side compartments. All carpets were saturated. All left side storage compartments had standing water. No electrical and electronic equipment were visibly damaged.

Throughout the day I used a shop vac to remove about 5 gallons of water from the carpets. No other standing water remains. I have 2 fans and 2 heaters running with all windows open, to help speed drying.

What Now?

What would you do now? Other than never being this stupid again(!), what's a good next step?

Would you make an insurance claim? Is there hidden damage that isn't obvious?

Is there any way to get the carpets up? I can't see an easy way to do it. What if I don't lift the carpets? Will they get mouldy?

I would appreciate any advice you have.

[doxiemom11]

DO NOT USE HEAT -- as suggested use your air conditioning. It will keep the area cool to prevent mold/mildew and pull moisture from the air to help dry things. This advise is given from previous experience handling insurance claims. In a home they often pull up the carpet and pad to let the underlayment dry. They throw out the pad - clean & treat the carpet with mildew retardent and reinstall the carpet over the new pad after all is dry.

[B_s_Bunch]

Had a similar problem once. Had a cleanup guy serve pro I believe. This guys vacuum nearly had the carpet dry by the time he was thru. Their vacuum is a lot stronger than what a shop vac is and it gets the water out along with the dirt. Had fans on for a week with windows open. He dried the basement also. Never knew it happened after a week of fans. Try them you will be glad you did. Good luck Larry

[ClassAGeek]

The consensus is to call my insurance co. Thanks for advice.

I have tested electrical and the slides. All are fine. There are no wires in the affected area.

I did one thing right: I always tip my coach ever so slighty to the left so the A/C drips on the driver's side and not on us. This meant that water poured out under the left slide more or less unobstructed.

I can see a possibility of some floor board bubbling. But I don't think water stood on the floor very long. It just flowed out the side (to the amazement of the CG staff who saw it). I have been meaning to replace the carpet with Allure. Now might be the time.

Oh yeah. I forgot to mention: My deductible is $1000.

Does that change anyone's opinion?

$1000 buys me new Allure flooring and I still have a couple of hundred left.


(and yes! I will remember to turn off the water from now on 😞 )

[Pogoil]

Never leave your RV with the water on. Always shut it off and you can never have this problem again.

Fans work much better than heaters to remove water. Leave windows open so the moisture can be forced open by the fans. Let them run many days after you think it is dry. Open all compartments and cabinets. Use as many fans as you can get.

Pogoil.

[rgatijnet1]

There are several National companies that deal with flood damage. They will probably load the coach with dehumidifiers to dry out things as quickly as possible and then take care of any mold that may creep in.
Your biggest problem may be the floor underlayment delaminating if plywood, or just coming apart if particle board.
AFTER everything has been dried out, check all of your electrical.
Shut off water OUTSIDE whenever leaving the coach, even if just for a meal at a restaurant. Leaks will always happen when you are gone.

[bsinmich]

Definitely call the ins. co. My niece let her 3 mo. old Grand Cherokee float down into the water at the launch ramp. My suggestion was to trade quick. The ins. co. had it fixed and she drove it to 170,000 miles with no problems and no rust either. Pros can do the job.

[Wally_Walleye]

Also try a dehumidifier. If you can find one to fit in your basement that will help pull moisture from under the floor. I feel for you. Our hot water heater ruptured a few years ago, we were there but watching TV with our feet up and didn't notice anything until the dogs started to get jumpy. If you have slides you may want to put them out and tilt the MH with the levelers to move any standing water that may be stuck in low places. Good Luck.

[Jack_Diane_Free]

Your biggest problem will now be mould. Yes I would contact insurance. We too also turn off all water even if going for a walk and make sure pump is off too. I have seen to many units with water pouring out of them over the years.

[msmith1199]

The good news is it was clean water. The bad news is even clean water gets into everything and can eventually cause mold and rot problems. I'd probably file the insurance claim and let them hire some pros to go in and make sure everything gets dried out. Also filing a claim protects you against future damage that may be found related to the water.

Although I assume you have no learned this, I never leave the water on when I leave my motorhome. I try not to even leave the water pump on if I remember. In this case a faucet got left on, but RV plumbing can easily break when left under pressure.

[M_GO_BLUE1]

Next time leave the grey tank valve open at all times (assuming you are hooked up to a sewer)...

...and as said give the insurance company a call first and there is most likely water damage in other places also

[workhardplayha1]

Don't run heater run the AC.

[2oldman]

Personally, I think your first call would be to your insurance company. They probably have a water damage expert to advise you.