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just what I needed, like a hole in my head!

tarafied1

tarafied1

Well-Known Member
Well, while I'm home I started on some thing on my honey-do list. One of them, see why the carpet is wet in the wet bar (that we have been using as storage). We had my Great Grandmothers bed, mattress and box springs and all the holiday decorations in there. On the other side of the wall is the utility room (water heater) with access from the garage. There was a sheving unit in there. I emptied both rooms. The utility room was paneled so I pulled that out and about crapped when I saw the water damage. A leaky shut-off valve insied the wall. Plastic! Called the home owners insurance agent. He said, "sudden and unexpected" is covered but because there is mold and long period of time it's a grey area! Great. Anyway, gutted out all the wet stuff, drywall, cabnet, etc. and trying to dry it out. May have to rip the wall studs out too. :rp
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Man, I feel for ya.

I purchased a new home last Dec, and the 2 times I've tried to make a claim on the home warranty policy, it was denied both times. Always seems like the insurance company has something in the small print that gives the insurance a way to deny coverage.

Good luck sorting out the mess.
 
:wtf There are just too many scam artists out there doing construction. Three valves in that small space....for what??? And then the wall was covered with no access panels :wtf :wtf :wtf
 
Three valves in that small space....for what???
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Yeah, I'm not sure what purpose they serve there either.


I purchased a new home last Dec, and the 2 times I've tried to make a claim on the home warranty policy, it was denied both times. Always seems like the insurance company has something in the small print that gives the insurance a way to deny coverage.
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I realize you're referencing your home's (worthless) warranty policy, but I thought I'd mention the below IRT filing small claims on a homeowners policy.

Be VERY careful when considering making a claim on your homeowners policy. It's an un-written rule that homeowners policies are really only there for "catastrophic loss". If you file a claim every time some minor damage occurs, you'll be quickly targeted for "termination" by your insurance company. You DO NOT want be in the predicamant of being dropped by your insurance company.... it will be very difficult to obtain another policy.... and if you are fortunate enough to find another company to insure you, based upon your new premiums you'll wish you'd never filed a claim to begin with.

Two claims within a two year period is usually all it takes for your policy to be cancelled. Insurance companies are just like any other business, they're in the business of making money, not losing it.

Talk to your insurance agent "off the record" about filing small claims on your homeowners policy and they'll likely tell you the same thing I am.
 
That royally sucks man. Good luck. It looks like the plumbing has been "pieced together" or something. Hope it all works out.
 
thanks for the advise Dave. I do not know why there are 3 or any for that matter in the wall where you can't get to them. I have no idea what they were doing unless they planned something else and didn't finish it. Anyway, my insurance agent said to talk with him when I'm all done with repairs and we can see what he might do. Right now I'm mostly worried about the mold, black mold can be really bad for you! Everything I've read about mold spores in porous material, like wood, is that bleach won't penetrate into the pours so you just feed the spores if you spray water/bleach mix.
 
Good gawd! Valves inside the wall? Doesn't everybody know they ALWAYS leak? Good luck man, you're gonna need it!

And here is where the $99 rule comes in; "if a contractor can do a really $hitty job for $99 and do it right for $100, they will cheap out". :dumas
 
"tarafied1" said:
Anyway, my insurance agent said to talk with him when I'm all done with repairs and we can see what he might do.
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WRONG!!! Get a contractor out there now and get an estimate. Then contact your agent. Know what it's gonna cost to get the job done and make him believe you're gonna file a claim. An issue like this is grounds for an HO claim. I agree with Dave that all the minor ones will flag you but HO ins is for a catastrophe or that rare couple thousand dollar claim. I would not do it after the fact. Take them a repair quote, make 'em think you're gonna file, and then see what the reimbursement will be for you to do it yourself. They'll get out cheaper paying you vs. a contractor but if the job is already done and they decide not to pay (no claim), what are you gonna do? You have two options. You fix it and don't worry about a claim or you proceed with the claim process. The "talking about it after you're done" is not an option. In a situation like this (could be pretty intensive) they are either gonna pay you for the materials or gonna pay a contractor.
 
Craig, That sucks. To me the picture looks like two of those valve may stick out of the wall. Is that the case? Possibly a laundry hook up? Looks like the gray one pointed down could be a shut off for a hose bid or some other connection? It is entirely possible that those valves were covered over sometime after the house was built?! Maybe the paneling was installed by a previous owner and construction was completed. Although some plumbers have forgot to cut access panels after completion. Its known to happen.

If you replace the valves, there is a few things i would do.

1 - Use only quarter turn ball valve type, without the drain pitcock. If the plumbing system needs drained down there are plenty other ways then worrying about a leaking pitcock it the future.

2 - The one valve is obviously IPS, as it is screwed together using 1/2 cpvc male adapters. Remove any and all IPS valves, and use specifically the glue type. This is a little bothersome at first, because the glue requires a dry time of 4 hours to be safe.

CPVC is a cheap easy way to install the plumbing system, but it does require some knowledge to be installed correctly. A lot of people just through it in, because its easy to use, and dont know that it needs things like expansion loops, adequate supports, and sufficient dry times. For these reasons, people tend to use Pex in todays market when copper is out of the question. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. Im a Licensed Master Plumber, and i've been doing plumbing for 15 years. Good luck with the insurance situation.
 
wow, thanks. There are two "shut-off" valves. one on either side of a valve you could hook a garden hose to. The garden hose valve was visable but the two others were not. These are all in line to the garden hose valve outside in the back of the house. I think you might be right about adding the paneling later although it matches the paneling in the garage. The utility room is mixed, paneling and dry wall. All three valves are plastic. The outside valve is one designed for freezing weather. They were "wrapped" and the wall was insulated. House was built in 69 or 70. No drian in the area. Water heater is just out of the picture. The lower pipe is the drain from the pressure relief valve on the water heater.
 
In that case, i would make sure one valve still controls the outside hose, and the other one is removed with a coupling and a piece of pipe installed in its place. If you dont use the one that sticks out of the wall, now is also the time to eliminate it as well.
 
Remember this mess? Well I finally started putting it back together. It was a "wet bar" room off of the family room in the basement and a utility room in the garage that shared a common wall. The common wall had the leaky pipe. I gutted both small rooms and closed both the doors (the access from the garage and access from the family room and ignored it. Well 8 months later, I decided to frame up the door way in the family room and make the utility room larger. I took out the dividing wall completely. I'm gonna put in a work bench and slop sink in the room. I got some work done today. I plan to finish the big stuff tomorrow.
 
Good progress. I like the seal it off and forget about it idea..... except if I did that, it would sit alot longer than 8 months......
 
"RyanG85" said:
Good progress. I like the seal it off and forget about it idea..... except if I did that, it would sit alot longer than 8 months......
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I planned to forget it, but my wife didn't!
 
well I got the drywall hung, did some pluming, wiring and insulation first. Now just tape and mud! Then add slop sink, build shelves and a work bench!
 
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