Advice needed for drying out after a flood.

A question about : Advice needed for drying out after a flood.

For an unknown amount of time the washing machine was emptying straight under the floor boards instead of to an outlet pips so we discovered a lake when we lifted them up. The problem has been fixed but water is soaking up through the foundations/walls so there is clearly a lot more to get out. From reading up I think we need a combination of heat/air circulation/dehumidifiers to solve the problem.

I would welcome any advice but especially these questions:

1) Does the dehumidifier provide heat as well or should that be from a separate machine/central heating?

2) The property is currently unoccupied so is cold given it is November. Is it worth leaving the central heating on all the time/part time/not at all?

3) How do we get the moisture out from under the floorboards? We have taken the odd one up here and there to allow air circulation - is that enough?

I'm guessing it will take a while to dry everything out so maybe it is wiser to buy rather then rent a dehumidifier. We have seen these 20l/day second hand ones for Ј200 on ebay. Thinking of getting one or two of them. Any thoughts if they are the right kind?

We are in East London. If anyone localish has all the equipment they would like to rent/sell then please get in touch.

Thanks in advance for any advice

Best answers:

• Doing a bit more reading about humidifiers it seems there are two types - compressor and desiccant. Desiccant used for colder temperatures and compressors when it is warmer. Since it is cold and approaching winter may be desiccant would be more appropriate but all the industrial dehumidifiers from hire firm look like compressor to me.
  I'll try and attach a few photos of the damp in the walls so if anybody could give their opinion on our problem being mild/average/severe it would be helpful. This is my first experience of dealing with damp.
• Do you have Insurance?
• Unfortunately it was done when tenants were in the property. Originally we thought the damp was from a leaky roof so when we got the builders in to fix that they also discovered the lake under the floorboards. They connected the washing machine properly and drained the water etc so all the problems are fixed but there is still water in the walls/foundations. Not sure if insurance will cover anything but we just want to get the damp/smell out and sell the property.
• Depending on your policy insurance should provide the dehumidifiers and fan heaters and will employ a professional company to manage the drying out. They will also redecorate and replace floorings. You probably should have called them at the time you discovered the flood.
• On my side, you should have called an expert and professional restoration services to do the drying out process in your flooded home. They have great and advanced equipment and methodologies for quick drying process in your home. So, next time, if unfortunate things mighty happen and it starts flooding in your home, you should call an expert service and let them do the job.