Flood caused by washer

[Nage Waza]

I came home to my mudroom and part of my basement flooded; it appears that the 'pipe' that the washing machine effluent pipe discharges into was plugged, I assume from ice due to cold temperatures.

I had to wipe up the water and dry off everything that got wet, including my breaker box (two breakers tripped) and my original NES Metroid instructions that were in mint condition. I still have the box and cartridge that were not stored together.

Any other things to do post flood?

Any tips on how to deal with the breaker box? I have a fan aimed on it and will leave it there for a few more hours.

I sprayed some anti bacterial spray on anything that is wet that is porous (wood on house frame, etc.).

What do I do about the drainage for the washer? Should this area not be insulated against freezing? I determined this was the cause of the flood because I pulled the washer away from the wall and this area was most wet. The baseboard was arching from the wall due to water (only area this occurred). I lowered a coat hanger down the pipe and pulled it out to find it was completely wet, indicating water blockage (just like checking your engine oil).

Thanks CP, stay dry!

[Nufy]

The plug is further down your pipe.

Might want to hit a rental place and get a 100ft snake.

If you reach the end of it and still nothing it may be on city property and they can deal with it.

If it is frozen you may want to suck as much out as possible with a shop vac or similar and pour some methyl hydrate down there to melt the ice.

Hot water may do in a pinch but you may have to clear it out a few times.


Good luck !!!

[Nage Waza]

I am going to try the hot water trick right now, it is going to be tough as it is a confined space.

[g_railed]

If you are in an older house you may have roots causing the blockage. I had the same problem about a month ago, flooded my basement too.

I called roto router and they fixed my problem the next day.

[Nage Waza]

Newer home, do you think it is possible the pipes downstream from my place are frozen?

[RyZ]

I used to do insurance restoration and I would say call in some professionals or, if you are comfortable with it, do a small tear out yourself. Tear out any wet drywall and floor coverings and set up multiple fans blowing on the area. Put a dehumidifier in the area if you can get one. You want to get this taken care of properly so mold doesn't start growing.

I've done jobs in houses before that had previous floods that were not taken care of properly and have had to change into a hazmat suit with a hepa filter equipped respirator once I've opened the walls and found large areas with black mold.

Also, don't use a heated fan. It sounds like a good idea but it is not. It will just cause mold to grow faster if the room hasn't been properly looked after post-flood.

[Boblobla]

Call the city first. I have found with clogs, they might come and fix it for free when you would have to pay a plumber. Can't hurt to try, the worst they can say is no, then you have to pay a plumber anyway.

[Nage Waza]

There is only about three square feet of wet drywall behind the washer and two more in the stairwell going downstairs. The basement is undeveloped, the water basically flowed into there. Do you think I need to cut out the small chunk of drywall?