i finally had an inspector look at my basement leakage propblem and he used thermal camera and moisture meter and showed me where all the water was behind the plaster walls. it was extensive (walls, ceilings).
a plumber came, opened the wall near the ceiling where the leak was supposed to be, and voila, it was there, a sloooooow drip on a couple of connections. however, he thought the problem was too big for him to take care off. This was supposed to be a master plumber.
i finally found a plumber that i thought could tackle the problem. he replaced hot water & cold water pipes in the ceiling going to the adjacent bathroom. the third day at 4 pm when he thought he was finished, he had two leaks, blamed it on “bad” parts and replaced them, and then kept saying how he lost a lot of money on this deal…
I contacted insurance company for moisture mitigaten and they placed two dehumidifiers plus two fans in the bedroom/closed/bathroom area, and one fan outside this area in an adjacent closet.
After four days, the moisture meters showed NO reduction of moisture. the dehumidifiers produce so much heat that the room is over 80 degree, my study above the room is 84 while the a/c is running, showing 78 on the first floor.
Now they propose to remove the plaster that is not drying. the plaster is on solid block walls, so i suspect that the walls are loaded with moisture. how long will it take to dry out without removing the plaster? it is old-fashioned plaster on metal lath (built in ’39). they want to come and inspect the equipment every day although it is not making much headway. i really don’t want to wait for these people every day, at their convenience…so should i have them remove the plaster and put new plaster up? that sounds excessive to me…could it just take its time and dry out with a/c running and my regular dehumidifier running? i don’t have anyone sleeping in this space so i could afford to let it dry out slowly but the insurance company tells me it might result in mold…
any suggestions? tomorrow the plaster guy is coming to give me his input…
Replies
The first thing I would do is insist on a pressure test of the plumbing system to ensure it is not leaking. It is highly likely in my opinion that where there is one leak there are more, plus sometimes repairs made by less than proficient thorough plumbers may cause even more leaks.
Once you are certain you have removed all sources of moisture into the area (could there be any other sources of moisture besides the leaky plumbing?) it is just a matter of heat, airflow (fans), and time before it is all dry again. With the added drying power of the dehumidifiers it should be less than a week to see substantial drying. Give it a coupla days.
the plumbing lines were in the ceiling near the wall, so the small leak that was still leaking after we removed the plaster had been dripping who knows how long before i noticed the crackes in the plaster. we replaced the two water lines going through the bedroom ceiling to the bathroom through the bathroom ceiling. also, the joints to the risers were replaced. but i am with you, i am wondering how well the plumbing was done since the plumber claimed he bad two "bad" parts. the shut-off valve inside the house did not hold completely, so he finally turned off the water in the street. he should have done that right away. if the pipes were not completely dry they don't hold the solder well...he accused me mid-day of having opened a faucet upstairs...because he had too much water in the lines...
the plaster is cracked on the inside of the bedroom and on the other side of the block wall on the stair side, so i am wondering how wet the block wall could be? it's about 8" thick. no studs. just plaster on metal lath. the wall near the stairs had the mahagony trim bend away from the wall. they are not using a dehumidifier on the stair side, they think the two inside the bedroom would dry that out. i personally doubt that...especially now since the walls inside the bedroom have not dried.
Plaster can absorb A LOT of water. It takes weeks to dry out fresh plaster, and even once it's "dry" it will be giving off a lot of water for another year or so. Even "drywall" does this to some extent -- a recently constructed house will always be fairly humid for the first several months.And of course concrete can absorb a lot of moisture as well.So it's certainly plausible that the moisture level you're experiencing is "normal", given how wet everything is. Whether it's advisable at this point to tear out the plaster vs waiting it out is for you to decide, though.
As I stood before the gates I realized that I never want to be as certain about anything as were the people who built this place. --Rabbi Sheila Peltz, on her visit to Auschwitz
thanks for your message. i tend to agree with you but they are trying to scare me because of possible mold formation.
someone else said mold forms on wood, not plaster...
i would be perfectly ok with waiting for some time to dry this out and then proceed with replastering...i will ask the plaster guy today for his opinion.
Yeah, most of the "mold" on masonry/plaster is efflorescence. The paint may mold, and if the plaster should contain horsehair or sawdust, that could mold, but not the plaster itself.
As I stood before the gates I realized that I never want to be as certain about anything as were the people who built this place. --Rabbi Sheila Peltz, on her visit to Auschwitz
How much of the basement wall is below grade?
Could ground moisture be contributing to the wetness?
Does the moisture meter show dampness on other walls of the basement?
Is the plaster painted and thus slowing drying to the inside?
If the moisture is limited to the area where the plumbing leaks were, then fixing the leaks will allow the walls to dry, albeit slowly if paint is inhibiting drying.
Replacing plaster seems extreme, although that's just what a plaster salesman may suggest. (Like, "Mr. Knee Surgeon, do you really think I need knee surgery?" "Definitely, my well-insured Patient Friend, most definitely. I'm here to help you.")
New plaster will , if anything, be wetter than the old, and you will still have the moisture-laden concrete as a substrate.
Bottom line: wait a few days and see if the dehumidifiers and fans produce a reduction in the moisture meter readings.
How much of the basement wall is below grade?
The basement is about 75% below grade.
the outside wall of the bedroom is NOT wet. it is the inside wall, in the middle of the house.
Could ground moisture be contributing to the wetness?
if that were so, the outside wall should be showing moisture but it does not.
Does the moisture meter show dampness on other walls of the basement?
only on the walls where the water trickled down.
Is the plaster painted and thus slowing drying to the inside?
yes, of course, the plaster is painted.
If the moisture is limited to the area where the plumbing leaks were, then fixing the leaks will allow the walls to dry, albeit slowly if paint is inhibiting drying.
I am being told if i don't dry this i may incur mold which the insurance company does not cover....
Replacing plaster seems extreme, although that's just what a plaster salesman may suggest. (Like, "Mr. Knee Surgeon, do you really think I need knee surgery?" "Definitely, my well-insured Patient Friend, most definitely. I'm here to help you.")
replacing plaster is suggested by the moisture removal team since it does not dry fast enough with the present method, and i am complaining that i should not have to be available to them checking the moisture equipment EVERY DAY. i do have other things to do than wait for them every day for an undeterminable time.
New plaster will , if anything, be wetter than the old, and you will still have the moisture-laden concrete as a substrate.
TRUE.
Bottom line: wait a few days and see if the dehumidifiers and fans produce a reduction in the moisture meter readings
The guy who will fix the plaster suggested that maybe the moisture readers of the moisture team are not reading it correctly...he will be here today to give me second opinion.