Flood under the house... with extras.

[allanmartin]

Hello

Really hope that someone can help me! I have no idea how long for, but my drain from my kitchen sink which runs under my house has burst. All the water from the sink and the dishwasher has been running onto the earth under my house. We also have a waste disposal unit, so there was a lot of micro food particles. I have cleaned up as much as possible from under there, but it is very difficult to get everything. I spoke to a drain company, and they suggested bleaching everything. Done that twice. Spoke to another person who said put fans down to try and replace the air as much as possible. Done!... for 2 weeks now.

Its getting better and better, but I'm fearing that I'm just getting used to it. When I leave the house and come back, the damp smell really hits me when I get back.

Does anyone have a really good idea how to make this smell go away quicker? Also, should I be worried about anything else this problem might have caused?

Many many thanks.

 

[kevplumb]

decent dehumidifier

 

[roguetrader]

do you have airbricks serving the void under the floor? you need to get some air circulating under there.

 

[allanmartin]

Yeah - I tried that route too, but forgot to mention that the space I have to get under the floor is quite limited. The humidifers I have seen are too large to fit down there.

Al

 

[allanmartin]

Yes - there are vents under there which go outside front and back of the house!

I was thinking about renting a fume extractor and sucking air out the vent for a few days. Do you think that would help at all?

 

[kevplumb]

tent the dh over the inlet and the acess

thats all they do on site

and you also need to be sure you have air going in as posted

 

[JohnD]

If you have not got enough airbricks, put in some more, or hire a Core Drill which will make a very neat hole through a brick wall. That will dry it out and also take away the smelly air.

As for cleaning it, I would perhaps use a pressure washer or a hose as the bits of food will rot and stink, then either a Dirty Water pump (you can hire them) to suck out the water, or an Aquvac if there is only a couple of gallons at a time.

I don't believe bleach will help for long, because it will dry out, and you will still have grease and food particles down there rotting away.

Do you have oversite concrete or is it bare earth under the floor?

edited
you say it is earth, so you can shovel out the top dirty mud. In time worms and bacteria will eat what's left and it will stop smelling. You can lay dpm or concrete over the earth if you want and have enough room and determination.

 

[allanmartin]

Its not concrete, its earth. So it should rot away quick quickly right?

Who would I phone to come and deal with this properly for me? I don't think its a plumber is it?

Al

 

[roguetrader]

it really wouldnt hurt to knock a couple more bricks out if your that worried about it, stitch drill round the joint and take them out, then replace at a later date with a brick or another air brick. you should make sure you see it through properly as damp, stale air is a breeding ground for dry rot if left.

 

[kevplumb]

as an after thought get the drain replaced in solvent weld if you haven't already

 

[JohnD]

just thought - have you contacted your household insurance co?

 

[allanmartin]

I have not. I had a large claim two years ago, and it push my payments through the roof. I don't want to make a claim unless I really have to.

Any ideas who they would contact?

Al

 

[bengasman]

If it is just damp you are smelling, fear not, it will go away fairly quickly, especially if you add a few more ventilation openings as suggested.
If it is rotting food you smell, it will take a bit longer, but it will disappear too.
If you were not totally honest with us, and the smell comes from the traffic warden you killed and hid under the floor, the smell will linger a lot longer, but thousands of forum users will send you incense and perfume.

 

[allanmartin]

Ha ha... I have been honest, there is no traffic warden under the floor

Do you think it would be worth renting a fume extractor for a week and sucking air out. Would that speed up the process of getting rid of the smell?

Al

 

[kevplumb]

getting rid of the damp will go a long way