Out for a few more days

[dshreter]

Don't laugh but I took that to the next level and used a snow shovel! I was pushing tons of water toward the sump pump that was then sucking it out (inefficiently). I was happy about this solution until the amount of water multiplied by 10 and started to spread everywhere.

if it happens again, removing a toilet is the fastest way to move a LOT of water very quickly. The drain pipe is at floor level and gravity takes everything out to the sewer. Not the most convenient, but if you have standing water it’s a powerful option.

 

[Doodski]

if it happens again, removing a toilet is the fastest way to move a LOT of water very quickly. The drain pipe is at floor level and gravity takes everything out to the sewer. Not the most convenient, but if you have standing water it’s a powerful option.

Yessss... That's what we did in a flooded basement. 15 minutes and the plumbers slope of the floor carried everything out the drain pipe of the toilet. Excellent suggestion!

 

[Holmz]

A bit late now, but Borax is an anti mould agent. (the 20 mule team stuff.)
If it is already wet, then some of that applied prior to fans and dehumidifiers might help to prevent the onset of mould.

 

[pseudoid]

I was happy about this solution until the amount of water multiplied by 10 and started to spread everywhere.

So, your type of Nor-Cal water-wasters is the reason why we are trying to build desalianation plants down here in SoCal.

 

[amirm]

if it happens again, removing a toilet is the fastest way to move a LOT of water very quickly.

Thanks. I had not thought of that. Alas, we are on septic system which doesn't like all the rain we are having let alone have flood go to it. For this reason, at 1 in the morning in heavy rain, I was rummage for long hoses to get the water pumped outside of the house instead of letting it go to the tub and then to the septic. Last thing we needed was the septic system failing on top of this misery!

 

[Milesian]

Thanks. I had not thought of that. Alas, we are on septic system which doesn't like all the rain we are having let alone have flood go to it. For this reason, at 1 in the morning in heavy rain, I was rummage for long hoses to get the water pumped outside of the house instead of letting it go to the tub and then to the septic. Last thing we needed was the septic system failing on top of this misery!

Protecting your Septic system is a wise move. Finally had to replace the 40 year system on my last house in 2014. Cost me $25000 and a week of cutting and chipping 70 cedar trees. Being on a flood plain controlled by the local conservation authority upped the cost.

 

[capslock]

Sewers can be the source of flooding, especially if rainwater drains into the sewers. If parts of the sewer higher than you are overwhelmed and rainwater drains lower than you clogged, the mess will try to enter your house. We have one-way valves to prevent this but they have been known to fail in places.

 

[Count Arthur]

Here in the UK, quite a lot of houses are built on flood plains and pretty much every year there will be several news stories about places that have flooded when there's been heavy rain or a sudden downpour.

I've often wondered, especially in low lying locations where flooding is possible, why they don't build houses on stilts. I don't think it would add much to the cost of the house and it would still be massively inconvenient while flooded, but it would surely save a lot of effort and expense when it comes to cleaning up and repairing flood damage.

Some people have done it themselves:

Couple put their home on STILTS after facing severe flooding

Dawn and Sam Ray, of Walham, Gloucestershire, took occasional flooding for granted until their house close to the banks of the River Severn was flooded by 4ft 6in of water in 2007.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[stunta]

It is hard to quantify but climate change might be causing some new issues for a lot of us. For instance, here in Boston after sub-zero temperatures, today it is 40F and raining heavily. This is very unusual this time of year (peak winter). Because the ground is frozen, there is a lot of pooling in my backyard like I have never seen before. It is usually snow in January that melts over time. All this water is entering my basement and keeping my sump pump very busy. Overnight freezing temperatures will bring another round of issues with ice.

When we moved into this house (our first independent home), our neighbor (homeowner for 40 years) told me one thing that I will probably never forget - "you will always be battling with water and you will lose".

 

[capslock]

Wow, that is a lot easier to do with a baloon frame or similar timbered structure*. Their house, based on the pics in the daily fail, seems to be made of concrete "bricks". I assume the builders knocked down the house and rebuilt it, using some of the original materials.

I have seen houses bilt on stilts, e.g. the harbormaster's office and the sailing club in Wangerooge, Germany, but also vacation homes on Fire Island, NY.

* And I knew I had read an article about that last year - here it is:

In Charleston, S.C., Saving Historic Homes Means Hoisting Them in the Air (Published 2021)

A city known for extraordinary architecture is coming to terms with intensifying storms, a rising sea and streets that flood with distressing regularity.

www.nytimes.com

 

[oversky]

Thanks. Yes, learned about both on youtube and bought the unit but have not used it. Our theater is enclosed so I can run it there and close the door. But the rest of the downstairs is open to the upper floor. So I am not going to run it there unless we can leave the house and come back.

The density of ozone is heavier than the density of air (2.14 kg/m^3 vs 1.225 kg/m^3).
Therefore, it will fill the lower floor and expel air out.
Make sure you have enough fresh air blow into the lower floor before you go in.

 

[Weebster]

I hope and pray things turn around for you soon Amir. Dealing with water issues is terrible and can almost drain your soul, especially when it is tough to see an end in sight.

 

[Count Arthur]

Wow, that is a lot easier to do with a baloon frame or similar timbered structure*.

Regardless of construction I imagine it's a lot of work to convert an existing house, but it should be pretty straight forward to build them that way from the outset.

 

[don'ttrustauthority]

Ah, the sht life throws at you!

 

[Rick Sykora]

Don't laugh but I took that to the next level and used a snow shovel! I was pushing tons of water toward the sump pump that was then sucking it out (inefficiently). I was happy about this solution until the amount of water multiplied by 10 and started to spread everywhere.

Think your weather has arrived here. Here is when you need a snow shovel…

This is about a 20 inch drift. Prob about 16 inches on table and I live in secondary snow belt area! Lake effect slated to add some more tonight.

 

[Doodski]

Regardless of construction I imagine it's a lot of work to convert an existing house, but it should be pretty straight forward to build them that way from the outset.

In some ways it is easier to design and build a stilted house. If a draftsperson makes up the house build diagrams then a tradesman will follow them and build to suit. Not building rockets here. I designed a below ground house as my major project when I studied drafting and it required much more research, more sourcing appropriate materials for the specification and the water issues where alarming but could be managed. A stilted house could even be wood frame or a hybrid of steel columns and wood frame construction. Or go all out and build a concrete foundation and simply don't populate the basement.

 

[Count Arthur]

What flood?

 

[pseudoid]

We've had many types of cottage industries in US (probably elsewhere, too).
I don't think such biz-models had started with the Blockbusters of the DVD era, or tattoo shops, or bookstores...
But there is one 'cottage' industry that will never disappear, as long as people live in houses.
I am guessing that there are more "plumbing" businesses than any other type of independent "skilled" cottage industry.
I wanted to see if this observation can be backed-up with numbers of plumbers in comparison to not just house repair specialists (i.e.garage door fixers, fenestration peeps, etc.) but then, I remembered that I can't readily access the Yellow pages anymore either.
I live in terror about water-leaks as a home-owner and I cannot be the only one.

I am in the hope that the huge numbers of plumbers will be kept in check, when enough home-owners start incorporating Water Leak Sensors/Detectors (IoT?) all around their houses.
Such devices can be had for dirt cheap and certainly should be added to our "water damage insurance" stash like the sump-pumps, etc.
No! I am not practicing what I am preaching here... yet!

 

[capslock]

We've had many types of cottage industries in US (probably elsewhere, too).
I don't think such biz-models had started with the Blockbusters of the DVD era, or tattoo shops, or bookstores...
But there is one 'cottage' industry that will never disappear, as long as people live in houses.
I am guessing that there are more "plumbing" businesses than any other type of independent "skilled" cottage industry.
I wanted to see if this observation can be backed-up with numbers of plumbers in comparison to not just house repair specialists (i.e.garage door fixers, fenestration peeps, etc.) but then, I remembered that I can't readily access the Yellow pages anymore either.
I live in terror about water-leaks as a home-owner and I cannot be the only one.

I am in the hope that the huge numbers of plumbers will be kept in check, when enough home-owners start incorporating Water Leak Sensors/Detectors (IoT?) all around their houses.
Such devices can be had for dirt cheap and certainly should be added to our "water damage insurance" stash like the sump-pumps, etc.
No! I am not practicing what I am preaching here... yet!

No need for IoT. The simplest water detector is a microswitch held down by a strip of paper.

 

[krabapple]

That stinks, Amir. I know some of that drill...at our last place we spent $10K waterproofing below grade outside, and installing in-floor drainage + sensors and an extra sump pump, inside the basement. (it worked...)