Category: Water

If you’re a property manager or rental listing agent, a nightmare scenario would be finding major damage to the property on the day you’re showing your available listing to a potential tenant. The same could be said if you’re a potential tenant having looked for weeks for the perfect place to make home for the foreseeable future. That’s exactly what happened in this case where the victims watched in horror as two hours was all it took for water damage to completely destroy this would-be home.

Dwelling:     Townhouse                   

 Category:     Water                   

 Location:     Whole House

Flower hung up the phone with a smile on her face. She had just booked a visit with what seemed like the perfect couple to rent her townhouse in Pembroke Pines. This was one of many units she owned and rented, and she prided herself on the discerning criteria she outlined before she’d even show a unit to someone wanted to rent from her. Only twice in 10 years of managing her own properties had she shown a property to someone that didn’t end up renting. She was a busy woman and taking the time to show a property required a valuable number of hours out of her day. If they don’t qualify or decide they don’t like something about the property she’s showing, it was time wasted for both parties. She knew her time was worth a lot and she assumed everyone else’s was too!

As Flower was forwarding her office line to her cell phone and preparing for the two hour drive from Stuart to Pembroke Pines, a wave of despair suddenly hit her about the upcoming visit. She paused and slowly sat back down as she tried to figure out what she was feeling and why. She pulled up her file on the potential residents and reviewed everything.

They were perfect on paper.

She then replayed the conversations she’d had with them over the past few days and couldn’t identify anything that should be setting off her internal alarm that had served her so well for so long. Outwardly shrugging it off, but still unable to shake the feeling internally, she gathered the rest of her things, locked the office and started her drive.

As was her custom, she spent most of the drive on the phone, following up with other potential leads or checking in on her current renters. She had a reputation for being a proactive property manager and landlord – a reputation that allowed her to rent out to higher-end tenants that expected a higher level of service. Still, that feeling of unease persisted. No matter what she did to distract herself, she couldn’t ignore that nagging feeling of impending doom.

When she was five minutes away from her destination, and an hour before her scheduled showing, she got a call from her handyman for all of her properties in Dade County. he’d been her guy for at least half of her time owning and managing properties.

“Hi Dave! What’s up?”

“Mrs. Flower, I just pulled up to the townhouse on 11th Street that you’re showing today. I got bad news – the toilet upstairs…it broke!”

“What do you mean it broke?”

“Water….everywhere. When I opened the door, I stepped into a big puddle of water. I heard water gushing from upstairs so I ran to the bathroom and saw the water spilling from the hose to the toilet. It’s turned off now, but it’s been flooding for a couple of hours it looks like!”

Suddenly, her feeling of despair made sense. She believed the universe possessed a cosmic power,not dissimilar to shock waves emitting from the blast of a bomb. They occurred during significant events in all of our lives, both the good and the bad. If we pay attention and really tune into the things in our lives that mean the most, we can feel them.

Her first career had crashed, hard – as had the rest of her life. Or so it seemed at the time. Her marriage had disintegrated in front of her eyes, and she didn’t even notice. Not that anyone was more at fault more than the other. It just happened because neither one of them were paying attention. When she noticed, it debilitated her. She spent nearly every waking hour consumed by self-doubt as a wife and mother. Things at work fell apart, quickly. She was a legal secretary at a mid-size law firm. The tasks of preparing case files, writing various correspondence to clients, lawyers and judges amidst a myriad of other jobs that were part of her job, became too much to handle. She didn’t blame them for letting her go.

Four months after involuntarily becoming a stay-at-home mom, she met a woman at Dunkin Donuts when she was getting coffee one  morning. Flower nearly ran into her, probably spilling coffee over both of them, had Sara not been paying attention and stepped out of the way.

“I’m so sorry!”

Sara smiled, “Don’t worry about it. I saw how indecisive you were about what kind of coffee to get and figured you were distracted. I’ve been there myself.”

Slightly taken aback, Flower asked, “Why do you think I’m distracted just because I had trouble picking coffee? I like different drinks based on my mood.”

“And what is your mood today?”

“I…I don’t know. I guess that’s why I got a plain black coffee.”

“Exactly. You’re unaware of YOU”,  she said, gently pointing her figure in my direction.

They’ve been best friends ever since. It was Sara who helped her down the path of enlightenment about how we’re all connected. Every human, animal and plant in the universe. Every decision a person makes in their life sends out a shock wave. Some are bigger than others, but they happen – impacting the lives of everything around us in some way. Pay attention, and we can feel them.

Flower was dialed in to the things that mattered to her. Herself and her family. She and Miguel wanted to retire and travel as soon as their youngest graduated college. They had 8 more years. Putting two kids through college and retiring at the age of 55 wasn’t cheap. Her career as landlord and property manager not only provided substantial income to contribute towards her future, but afforded her the ability to be present for the important events in her children’s and husband’s lives. Paying attention is what allowed her to feel the shock wave of the water flooding the property she was showing today.

The car behind her honked, snapping her back to the moment. As she started driving again, she asked, “How bad is it?”

“It’s bad ma’am. Everything is wet upstairs, and most everything downstairs. The ceiling is already starting to droop and break.”

“Crap”, she exclaimed. “I’ll be there in two minutes.”

Already the wheels were turning as her brain quickly ran through all the ways this was bad. The most obvious being the physical damage to the property, which sounded substantial despite not having anyone living there currently. At least the place was empty.

Then she thought about the lost revenue from however long it was before she could move someone in now that major repairs were going to have to be done.

“No sense stressing about it.”

As she pulled into the assigned parking for the corner unit townhouse she called her long-time insurance agent.

“Robin, this is Flower. I’ve got a major situation at the property on 11th Street in Pembroke Pines. I’m walking into the unit right now but my handyman told me that a water line broke in the upstairs bathroom. Can you help get the claim filed and get someone out here to help me?”

“No problem, Flower. I’ll have our restoration company call you when their on their way then call Citizens to file the claim.”

Robin, and the rest of the agents in the office, have used us for years. In fact, their marketing manager had just stopped in the week before. She quickly found his number and called him directly.

Conclusion: Twelve minutes after Flower hung up with Robin, our lead water team, Guns and 6-7, were headed towards Pembroke Pines. The source was identified as the connector for the water supply line to the toilet. The team used more equipment than suggested by IICRC standards, but doing so enabled us to save a significant portion of the drywall and ceiling. The extra equipment was used to funnel air into and dehumidify the narrow space between the first and second floors. Our marketing manager has passed along information to both Flower and the adjuster about the possibility of subrogation for this claim.

If you’ve had water damage caused by a water supply line in your home, read this article, “Water Supply Line Class Action Lawsuits for Leaks, Burst Lines“.

Ask  condo owners about their property managers or associations and you’ll likely get a few emotionally charged responses accompanied by stories how awful or wonderful they were during a catastrophe. In this case, the property manager seems to have been well-intentioned by calling their “go-to” restoration company when an owner recently had a flood on the second floor, but the results ended up costing the parties involved thousands of dollars in expenses that could have been avoided. This is the case of water damage restoration done completely wrong.

Dwelling:     Condo                   

 Category:     Water                   

 Location:     Kitchen, Dining Room, Living Room

What should have been a mildly annoying intrusion from an unwanted visitor for our unfortunate condo owner ended up leaving her with what could be many months of frustrating back and forth between two insurance carriers, a property manager and home owner’s association. Many of the headaches yet to be endured could have been avoided had we only been contacted sooner.

It all started when a couple of birds decided to make the victim’s attic their new home for the sake of hatching a couple of eggs. Any animals or pests nesting in the attic carry with them the potential for insects or diseases, requiring your home to be fumigated. Our condo owner got in touch with her property manager and advised them of the problem. The response was very quick, setting up an appointment for later that day. The maintenance supervisor for the property led the pest control specialists into the attic access. It didn’t take long to find the nest that had been built by the unwanted inhabitants, but it was after carefully navigating through the tight space. On the way back, the specialist tripped over the pipe for the sprinkler system that was covered up by insulation. We’re sure you can guess what happened next.

It only took a few minutes to locate the emergency shut off valve to that part of the system, but not before the broken pipe loosed enough water to create a pretty cool looking waterfall into the owner’s living room. The water ran along the ceiling to the crystal chandelier hanging in the dining room, creating a multitude of tiny rainbows as each drop of water fell to the floor.

The victim’s son, thinking quickly, grabbed a couple of large trash bins from their patio and placed them on top of the table. Within a minute, the water was shut off so the flow of water slowed to a trickle.

The maintenance supervisor immediately ran back to the victim’s unit to assess the damage, pulling out his cell phone as he ran. Upon seeing the cracked ceiling and water spreading all over the floor and furnishings inside the unit, he called the company with whom the association had a service contract. They showed up with equipment ready to remove the standing water and dry out anything that could be salvaged.

Or so the victim and her son thought.

The irritating inconvenience of birds making a home in their attic had quickly become an all out nightmare, and getting worse by the minute. The water damage company started haphazardly moving furniture around, leaving scrape marks across the floor, scratching the wooden coffee table and laying an expensive oriental run across the iron railing of the patio. After everything had been moved, the technicians then proceeded to knock holes every foot or so in the drywall above the baseboards around the room.

Helpful Tip: In most cases, condo associations are responsible for the drywall and anything behind the drywall in each unit. Texturing and painting the drywall fall to the homeowner. If you live in a condo, be sure to thoroughly read through the association responsibilities.

That was the case in this situation. So, the water damage company, under contract and contacted by property management employees, were tasked with ensuring the drywall got dried out. Little to no care was shown about the personal property damaged throughout this ordeal.

The following day, the water damage company came back to monitor the equipment and see how the dry out process was progressing. It was at this point the homeowner pointed out some of the damage that had been done to her furniture. She also pointed out that her rug was starting to smell and there was an orange, rust-like discoloration starting to appear on her rug.

“Ma’am, I’m going to be honest with you. You may want to call someone else out here. We were tasked with making sure the drywall was saved as our top priority.”

Taken aback by the brazenness with which the technician shrugged off the additional damage in her home, she immediately called her insurance agent. She quickly explained the situation to her agent and asked for guidance. Not surprised by the sequence of events, the agent advised our homeowner that most likely she would need to file a claim with her insurance, who would in turn go after the pest control company’s insurance for the damages. The first thing, however, was to get someone out there that could start the process of righting this disaster of a situation.

Enter Mammoth Restoration. Our lead water team, Rees and Six-seven, were dispatched to the scene. Having been briefed by our dispatcher, Jimmy, they guys knew they were walking into a bad situation with a frustrated homeowner. And it sounded like she had every reason to be upset, besides the obvious issue of a major leak in her home.

The first thing they noticed upon entering was how high the humidity was. The previous company had left 6 axial fans, which is appropriate for drying out a “top-down” flood, or one that leaks down from the ceiling or room above for the lay person. But what they didn’t do was direct the flow of air directly into the ceiling itself to facilitate drying out that space, nor did they leave a dehumidifier – an essential part of the drying out process.

Without a dehumidifier to absorb the excess moisture in the air being generated by the fans, the humidity just hangs in the air, like an invisible storm cloud inside the space. What’s worse is that it can spread to the unaffected areas of the house, in some cases, causing damage to prized possessions like this signed Mickey Mantel jersey that got ruined from an improper water damage dry out.

Despite their respective sizes, the 6’7″ giant and hulking 245 lb power lifter clamored up into the attic to assess the damage there, along with the wood flooring in the living and dining rooms inside the unit. The main issue that had not been addressed by the previous company, was the wet insulation in the attic. Wet insulation, along with the already humid environment of the attic space, creates the perfect breeding ground for mold.

Conclusion: After explaining the potential hazard with the wet insulation, the improper set-up and lack of correct equipment and what could be done to possibly save the wooden floors that had yet to be addressed, the victim desired to hire Mammoth right on the spot. The first restoration company was called in to remove their equipment. Rees and Six-seven placed a drying mat for the floor and set up the equipment to properly dry out and regulate the humidity inside the great room. They got the insulation removed from the attic and set up a tube using plastic sheeting that directed air directly into the attic space for proper dry out. The undamaged personal property was moved and contained and affected personal belongings were moved to our in-house storage facility for proper cleaning.

It’s not unusual for a family to sneak out of town for a little R&R during a weekend getaway. Make sure everything is turned off, all windows and doors are closed and locked, then take your pets to friends, family or a boarding facility. For most of us, this is as far as we go when preparing to leave our home for any stretch of time. Our latest victim learned the hard way that even a short, two-day absence can be enough time for water damage to destroy almost his entire home. This is the case of the homeowner who got a wet welcome home.

Dwelling:     Single Family                  

 Category:     Water Damage                   

 Location:     Whole House

Irony is a highly subjective topic. Being that as it may, we find it ironic whenever a catastrophe happens to someone who works within the insurance industry since most of our cases involve submitting claims to home insurance providers. The victim in this case happens to be an agent himself. He and his wife left town for only a couple of days but came back to an unwanted wet welcome.

The first sign that something was amiss was the steady drip of water coming from the ceiling in his kitchen. The victim immediately ran upstairs to inspect the room above the kitchen. As soon as he grabbed the banister to help turn the corner and keep his momentum he felt and heard the telltale “squish” of wet carpet under his feet. That slowed him for a brief second before he finished his ascent to the second floor. At the top of the stairs, he gathered his bearings and ended up facing the hall closet which housed the water heater. A pool of water was seeping out from underneath the closed door. Thinking quickly, he flung the door open and found the water valve to the offending appliance and turned the handle counter clockwise until it would turn no more.

Being an insurance agent and having helped his clients through similar situations, he knew that a mop and bucket wouldn’t be enough to get his two story house dried out. He called the emergency service number for Mammoth because he and the owner of Mammoth, Nate, have been longtime friends. He was put in touch with our lead water inspector, Maurice – Rees for short. There are those who call him “Guns” as opposed to his real name because he has trouble fitting through standard doors without having to turn sideways. He attributes his size to power lifting and has quite the entourage at all of the five or six gyms he visits regularly.

Rees arrived on-scene with his partner, Rob. Rob is 6’7″, which is what all of us at Mammoth and most of our customers call him – six-seven for short. As the victim opened the door his eyes widened as he looked up at the two hulking figures standing in his doorway.

With his customary politeness Rees said, “Good morning, Sir. We’re here from Mammoth. I spoke with you on the phone a bit ago.”

Still taking in the sheer size of the men in front of him, the victim, chuckling, asked, “What are you going to do, scare the water out of my house? It’s a good thing this leak isn’t coming from the attic. You boys are so big I don’t think you’d fit up there.”

“That’s what we’ll do if we have to”, Six-seven quipped. “That’s our secret…we show up and water just seeps into whatever hole in the ground it can find.”

The victim welcomed them in and walked them through his stages of discovery, giving Rees a visual of what he’d been told over the phone. Puddles of water covered the tile and wood flooring on the first floor and the paint on numerous walls was bubbling as often happens when it gets wet. They sloshed their way upstairs and the victim showed our water team where he’d shut off the line going to the water heater. Six-seven reached down and did a quick turn to make sure the water was all the way off. Rees saw immediately that the water tank was old and seemed as if it was the original one installed with the house. He knelt down after pulling his flashlight out and examined the area under the tank.

“Obviously this is the source and needs to be replaced. Unfortunately, it looks like there’s some significant damage to the flooring under the water heater that will require pulling up part of this floor and putting down a new one.”

Summary: Because the water heater was so old, it had actually rotted through. That, coupled with the cracked pan, is what led to the waterfall down the stairs and kitchen ceiling. While our team was removing the baseboards and casings around door frames to begin the dry-out process, it was discovered that water was still actively leaking from the water tank. The ball inside the shutoff valve was also broken. To make matters worse, the victim didn’t know where the water main to the house was located. In searching for it, it was discovered that the association had some new landscaping done awhile back. The crew doing the install had covered up the main shutoff to the house with plants and several inches of mulch. It took five hours and finding the original blueprints from the association before the water was completely shut off.

There are two major lessons to be learned from this unfortunate series of events. The first should be a no-brainer but we see it all the time: know where all of your water shutoff valves are located. Each water source (i.e. sinks, tubs, dishwasher, etc) has a water supply line with its own shutoff valve. There is also the main shutoff valve to the whole house. For single family homes, these are usually located outside. Condos and townhouses may have them inside the unit. The second lesson is that perhaps it’s not a bad idea to shut the water off to your house if you’re going to be gone overnight, and especially if you’ll be gone for a week or more.

If you’re unsure of where you shutoff valves are located, call Mammoth and request a courtesy walk-through. We’ll find the valves and mark them with bright red tags so that you can find them easily in the future should the need ever arise – all free of charge.