21 May 2009

Safety First A Key To Floods And Leaky Roofs
... quick fixes can be costly

Home owners have been urged to put safety first when dealing with flooded homes or leaky roofs and to prepare for floods or storms in advance, by Archicentre, the building advisory service of the Royal Australian Institute of Architects.


Robert Caulfield

With continuing floods in Queensland and changes in weather patterns towards increased severity of storms and heavy rainfall, ongoing maintenance of homes is vital, especially with leaking roofs and guttering which can cause major safety issues where water comes in contact with electrical wiring or causes ceiling collapses.

Robert Caulfield, Managing Director of Archicentre said water damage in homes can be quite extensive requiring all particle board cupboards, doors and plaster work to be totally replaced especially where water penetrates the house and insulation becomes water logged.

"It is also important to recognise flood damaged buildings 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.

"Home owners should involve professional tradespersons to undertake roof repairs because of the dangers of falling off slippery damaged roofs."

THE ARCHICENTRE POST-FLOOD PROTECTION CHECKLIST

Contact your insurer before authorising 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 dry 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 laid 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:
    Robert Caulfield Managing Director Archicentre (03) 9819 4577 Mobile: 0412 381 306
    Ron Smith Corporate Media Communications Archicentre (03) 9818 5700 Mobile: 0417 329 201