Drying out the house

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I called my insurance company about the flood. It turns out I do have coverage for the damage. Yippie!! Even though it was my own ignorance that caused the problem, I'm getting help. The insurance guy tells me that I'm not the first person to have water damage and will not be the last. He gets calls like this at least once a month.


Right away the insurance guy calls the emergency response team to bring out some fans and dehumidifiers to dry out my house. I tell the insurance guy that I've already mopped up all the water; but, he reminds me that water left under the flooring causes mold. I hadn't even thought of that. I like that guy!





The emergency response guys and gals are already in the area working on homes that were flooded last month. They are here within 30 minutes with some fans and stuff to dry out my house.

As soon as a couple of the fans are turned on I can smell something odd. The team tells me the smell is what happens right before mold starts growing. Its a musty, dirt like smell.

The dehumidifier hoses are run to the sink so the water drains there.

The gals start taking pictures of the damage while the guys are bringing in more fans and setting them up.

These are industrial size blowers and dehumidifiers. I can mentally see the electric meter going at full speed. Mentally I see.... zip, zip, zip, zip as the meter turns round and round and little clock hands flying round and round. Then the circuit breaker trips. The lights go dark and the blowers are silent. Too much stuff running at the same time.

The guys look around and tell me that I need to turn off the sewing machine, the tv, the computer, the air conditioner, and the quilting machine so they can see if that works. It does. I'm told that I can use these for brief periods of time providing I turn off a couple of the blowers. But for the most part, the blowers should be on for four days and nights. The dehumidifiers should not be turned off.

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While the team was here one of the guys went into the basement and checked down there for me. It actually took two men to pry the access door open. The wood was swollen either from water or from the dampness. The basement is only damp but other wise not damaged. No raw sewage in my basement like the neighbors had in theirs. Whew! What a relief.

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The last thing the team did before leaving was spray a chemical to help prevent mold and make it smell better. Its smells sort of like an industrial strength febreeze. The furkid Dylan went into his crate and up onto a counter while the stuff dried. It's not harmful to pets but I'm not taking any chances with a chemical. I want to be sure he doesn't walk through it and then lick his paws. It could make him sick if he has an allergic reaction. That wouldn't be good.

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I won't be able to do any quilting for four days. I guess I'll just have to spend my time cleaning and organizing. Anything that doesn't use electricity. Hmm......

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Ok, times up, I need to turn off the computer.