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If it's Springtime in Michigan.....

Posted: Fri May 20, 2011 1:54 pm
by VelvetGeorge
then you know I'm dealing with rain water trying to flood the shop. My headaches came later this year, but arrived none the less. Many day and many inches of rain have kept me busy trying to keep everything dry. Nothing was damaged fortunately, but I did install a new sump pump and drains. I was alarmed to find mold growing in several places, so I am attacking that now.

Regrettably, it is now Friday and I have not built an amp this week. This will push all my orders back 1 week, at least until I can catch up. I'm sincerely sorry for the delay.

At least the kids had fun playing in the new 1 foot deep pond that sprung up in the yard. :shock:

george

Re: If it's Springtime in Michigan.....

Posted: Fri May 20, 2011 5:56 pm
by page361
Hang in there! "May showers bring June profits" ...isn't that how that old saying goes? :)

Re: If it's Springtime in Michigan.....

Posted: Fri May 20, 2011 7:58 pm
by db_inst_amp
Water is the enemy. Gutters are always on my to do list. Such a pain man. I've been there; shop vac, dump, shop vac, dump. sux. Hope the sump works for you buddy.

Re: If it's Springtime in Michigan.....

Posted: Sat May 21, 2011 1:01 am
by OnTheFritz
Water in my basement as well. :? Not too bad on my end, but a pain nonetheless. Move shit around, dry musty stuff off, and wait for the dry dog days of summer. Ironically my front lawn looks like it needs water. :scratch:

Hang in there Geo, people know you're good on your word and reputation.

Re: If it's Springtime in Michigan.....

Posted: Sat May 21, 2011 1:16 am
by VelvetGeorge
Yeah, this blows. Found more mold than I expected. I need to move lots of stuff and clean thoroughly with this mold cleaner I bought. Then dry and ventilate completely, vacuum with a HEPA grade vacuum, patch the cracks with hydraulic cement and finally................paint with Drylok. I'm taking this mold situation very seriously, erring on the side overly cautious. But that means I'll lose a few more days to this.
Once fixed correctly it should be fine until well after I move the shop out.

george

Re: If it's Springtime in Michigan.....

Posted: Sat May 21, 2011 8:11 am
by db_inst_amp
Good luck George - What cleaner did you end up using?

I dealt with the same situation watching water pour through a block wall. That side of the house was right next to a leach field for a septic system. smell and nasty water.

Re: If it's Springtime in Michigan.....

Posted: Sun May 22, 2011 7:02 am
by 62sg
VG...if you don't have some already, get yourself a couple of dehumidifiers.

Re: If it's Springtime in Michigan.....

Posted: Sun May 22, 2011 8:45 am
by myfoot
62sg wrote:VG...if you don't have some already, get yourself a couple of dehumidifiers.
/\ This . I have mine running all the time and have a hose hooked up and draining right into the sump pit.

Re: If it's Springtime in Michigan.....

Posted: Sun May 22, 2011 11:25 pm
by VelvetGeorge
Definitley! Two right now. I've one for years, but it seems to be less effective than it used to be. I bought a new 70 pint unit. It claims to have the humidity down to 60%.

Overall, this issue has turned into a huge project. I started off over a week ago determined to upgrade the sump pump. Now it's after 11pm sunday night and I just finished air chiswling the old patches and finish off of one whole wall in the shop. I had to remove everything so I could refurbish the entire wall (which has leaked since we moved into this house in 1975) with hydraulic cement and then Drylok. It's unreal the stuff I'm finding. Grout completely disintegrated, parts of the foundation crumbling away....

I discovered more black mold too, which is what really escalated this project. I must address the mold. Which means keeping moisture out, which means properly fixing the foundation and maintaining the sump. Also, keeping the humidity low.

So, that's where I'm at now. Gonna start mixing concrete...

George