Toilet overflowed and water got under the laminate. Mold?

Question

So I just bought a house, this is the 2nd month I have rented it. The renter called last night and said that the house was flooding, toilet in the master and AC drain in the garage both overflowed.

I called the former owner and he said remove the cap off the cleanout outside and plunge it. The renter did that and it cleared. I asked the owner if this happens often and he said it didn't but this is the fix when it does. He said if someone flushes something they are not supposed to it will cause this. Sounds to me like it is clogging beyond the cleanout, odd... The former owner said something about a "flap" that gets "stuck" or "clogged" not sure what that is about. This is a line that goes to a city sewer line that runs along the back fence in the neighbors yard.

Questions:1. I have never seen this happen on 4 other houses I have owned. Is this a common thing? Does something need to be done, or just tell them to be on the lookout, try to watch what gets flushed, and plunge it if it clogs again?

2. The water got under the laminate in the master. I think I will shop vac it heavily tonight when I go over there. If no other water is going to be present in the future should I just do that and leave it? My thinking is there will be no further water for mold to grow. Any thoughts on this?

3. The "flap" anyone know what that could be?Thanks in advance folks...

Cali Skier · Answer

Thanks Bruce and Jake. It's buried in the dirt in the back yard, planning to gravel around it with a valve box. It is required because the manhole covers are higher than the lowest drain in the house.

Jake Yusko · Answer

@Cali Skier

A dehumidifier works wonders for these types of situations. I have used them for these exact situations in finished basements before for water than got under freshly installed LVP. A day or two later and the water was totally gone.

Bruce Woodruff · Answer

Just locate it, dig it up and figure out why it is there....? Do you need it? Why?

Cali Skier · Answer

Thanks folks, I have found that it is a backflow valve burried in dirt and I am trying to figure out how to get it off.

David P. · Answer

Definitely get a few fans aimed at that region. Take a look after a few days and see if the laminate floor shows any buckling. If not, the water probably didn't get underneath. Otherwise depending how far it got and damages i would look into insurance claim. They will cover it for this situation and help with the remediation and sending someone to remove all damaged areas and set up fans all over.

Cali Skier · Answer

Thanks, should I try to pull up the laminate or just let it sit? I will get the mold killer spray as you suggested, but not sure how it would get under the laminate.

It would be a big job to pull the laminate I think. I would have to pull the baseboards to get to it, and it runs in the direction that the water flowed across it in the room so I would have to pull it from the sides of the room back to the middle where the doorway is. If it ran perpendicular to how you walk into the bathroom I could just pull it from that wall and it would be easer.

Bruce Woodruff · Answer

This should not happen often if at all....by any chance is this an older house with smaller main waste lines...? Definitely have a plumber take a look at it, it might be an easy fix..

You won't know about mold under the laminate for a while. I guess I'd shop vac and then spray it down with a product designed to kill mold, then cross your fingers and see what happens....

Note: If you test it for mold and it comes back positive, you're opening a whole other can of worms.....

Toilet overflowed and water got under the laminate. Mold?

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