7 April 2009

Flooded Queensland Homes to take Months to Dry Out
... quick fixes can be costly

Flooded homes in Queensland will take months to recover and home owners have been advised to allow their homes to completely dry out and delay renovation and redecoration until the building is substantially dry before replacing carpets and fittings to avoid future problems.

Ron Tanton

With some areas being reported as having up to 200mm of rain in two-and-a-half hours, home owners have also been warned to look for leaks in their roofs and involve professional tradespersons to undertake repairs because of the danger of people being on roofs. Archicentre, the building advisory service of the Australian Institute of Architects said water damage in homes can be quite extensive requiring all chipboard cupboards, doors and plaster work to be totally replaced. Ron Tanton, Queensland State Manager of Archicentre said that a flood damaged building could take months to dry out and the natural tendency for people to renovate and redecorate as quickly as possible can lead to mould growth and the work having to be repeated. THE ARCHICENTRE POST-FLOOD PROTECTION CHECKLIST Contact your insurer before authorizing repairs and check what you are covered for. But beware of finalising premature repair work as the problems may take a few weeks to fully present themselves and may include circumstances such as:

•   Plasterboard walls require time and patience before repainting. The outside walls probably feel dry, but inside the walls are wet and invite mould. If there's mould on the walls, use hypochlorite bleach to kill it. Then wait at least a week before painting.
  
  
•   Walls may contain fibreglass insulation batts inside that absorb large amounts of water and can spread more serious damage. Remove part of the plaster to see if batts are present and to ventilate and dry out the wall cavity and take any wet batts out. If left untouched, the dampness could destroy repaired wall and floor finishes.
  
  
•   Applied floor finishes like vinyl tiles, cork flooring and timber strip laid over concrete slabs may severely buckle and floors could take a few weeks to before they are ready to recover. For instance, with cork flooring the glue delaminates and when wet, it bubbles up.
  
  
•   Flooded concrete slabs need to be dried out thoroughly before laying carpet. This can take several weeks. New carpet on a wet slab will ultimately rot.
  
  
•   Additionally, particle board cabinets will expand and collapse after too long underwater. Don't waste money repairing cabinets that will need replacing in the longer term.
  
  
•  Make sure the under-floor space is well-ventilated. Timber floors could otherwise dry unevenly, and result in twisting and warping.
  
  
•  Following floods, large pools typically form under the house. These areas need to be re-graded to prevent long-term structural damage like rotted floor framing.
  
  
•   Be careful of power points and switches that collect mud and impurities. Ensure a licensed electrician checks these before reconnection of power.
  
  
•   Water can penetrate gas stoves and other appliances, flooding pilot lights and causing damage to interior pipes. A flooded house full of fumes is extremely volatile. Natural gas, compressed natural gas and propane gas should be checked by a licensed registered plumber.
  
  www.archicentre.com.au

Media Enquiries:
Ron Tanton State Manager Queensland Archicentre (07) 3846 4957 Mobile: 0421 598 233
Ron Smith Corporate Media Communications (03) 9818 5700 Mobile: 0417 329 201