Job completed for Refrigerator Ice Maker Leak Cleanup and Dehumidifier Drying

A Columbia, SC homeowner called Kingsley water damage & Fire cleanup after the refrigerator's ice maker line leaked a little every time the ice maker filled while the family was out of town. By the time they got home, the water had worked under the kitchen vinyl, into the hardwood floor in the hallway next to the kitchen and down into the crawlspace, where the wet insulation and framing had started to show microbial growth. The homeowners were filing an insurance claim, so they also needed an estimate, moisture logs and photos their insurance company could review.

Kingsley water damage & Fire cleanup started with a moisture inspection of the kitchen, hallway and crawlspace. The crew took humidity readings with a thermo-hygrometer, including a baseline in the unaffected foyer, set a dry standard from unaffected material in the same home and took moisture meter readings across the subfloor to map exactly where the water had traveled, photographing each area for the insurance claim. The highest readings were in the hallway subfloor under the hardwood, and the elevated readings near the kitchen sink were traced to a vent that had been closed off behind the cabinet toe kick.

In the crawlspace, the crew set up containment, removed and bagged the wet insulation, then HEPA vacuumed, cleaned and treated the framing before placing a dehumidifier and air movers inside the containment. Inside the home, the wet kitchen vinyl, toe kick, baseboard and trim were removed, along with the wet hardwood and trim in the hallway, so the subfloor could be HEPA vacuumed, cleaned, treated and dried with air movers. Because the open living area could not be closed off with containment, a second commercial dehumidifier was added in the living room beside the hallway to handle the extra air space. It sat on a drip tray with its drain line taped flat across the floor so it could run around the clock without putting the living room hardwood at risk.

The crew logged temperature, humidity and moisture readings on each visit until the kitchen, hallway and crawlspace all matched the dry standard, then removed the equipment and containment. The moisture logs, photos and estimate were provided for the insurance claim, and samples of the vinyl and hardwood were sent out so the replacement flooring could be matched during repairs. Homeowner takeaway: an ice maker line can drip every time it fills without anyone noticing, so check behind and under the refrigerator for dampness now and then, and turn off the main water valve before you leave town. If you have water damage in your Columbia home, call Kingsley water damage & Fire cleanup at 803-219-8873. Our team is available 24/7 for emergency water damage service.