Slight problem. (Water damage/House/Bad ass kids. lol) Help!

[Sikon]

Okay, so I have an issue. My 6-year-old who was supposed to be in bed. put the stopper in the sink and was playing in water. For whatever reason left the water on and flooded the bathroom, part of the hallway and part of his room. I was flooded enough to start leaking in the garage below his room. Roughly about half a gallon to a gallon was on the basement floor. 

Once we noticed the issue we immediately turned off and vacuumed up the water and everything we found that was wet. 

Now my question is, do I need to cut open the ceiling and walls and have them professionally dried out? - Can I leave it and let it dry? - Can I cut open the celling and let it dry out then redo the drywall? 

[Merlin007]

I've personally never had a water issue like that, I know many that have, but in my opinion, most likely sounds like you'll need to replace the drywall that got soaked from the water.  Drywall don't dry very well so you run the risk of mold if you don't remove it and get those areas dry.
If you have insulation in the ceiling or walls like pink fiberglass, that's like cotton candy and won't hold up to water.

Contractors that deal with this sort of thing usually use big blower fans to dry areas out and could tell you best what should be done so for the health of your family, I wouldn't take shortcuts here and make sure it's done the proper way.

[Labob]

8Drywall expands when it gets wet. So it loses its integrity.  Which means it will fall apart on its own if you do not remove it. Seeing as it is in your garage its the barrier between fumes from your garage into your kids room. Mold is created when something does not dry out quick enough. So by removing all the wet drywall you have a better chance to dry out what is behind it. Also spray what is behind the drywall with a diluted water bleach mix. Most insulation once wet collapses on its self and no longer does its job it goes too. Sorry. Use fans to help move the air around the spots that got wet. Pick yourself up a moisture meter.  

Wood Moisture Meter, Digital Handhold 2 Test Probe Pins LCD Wood Moisture Moisture Tester, Damp Detector Tester for Firewood Tree Paper/Walls Paper/Floor Carpet, Not Include Batteries (Black) https://a.co/d/daaAP0D

When the structure has a moisture reDing between say 8 and 12. You can reclose the walls and ceilings. I have to say no parking in the garage till the opening is sealed air tight. Good luck. It's not an expensive fix just a pain to do. 

 

[bds1961]

Cut some openings in the dry wall to get some air circulation through the cavities to help dry it out.  The longer it takes to dry out the greater chance of mold growth within the wall.  Once dry cut the drywall back to where any damage to it stops and replace the damaged sections 

[bds1961]

Cut some openings in the dry wall to get some air circulation through the cavities to help dry it out.  The longer it takes to dry out the greater chance of mold growth within the wall.  Once dry cut the drywall back to where any damage to it stops and replace the damaged sections 

Where in CA are you located at.   Depending on area molds can easily grow making it a bigger problem, this is mostly closer to the coastal areas. I live in the SF Bay Area and use to over see 10,000 units of apartments from Monterey CA to Seattle Washington.  Mold and water damage was always a problem. 

[Sikon]

Okay, so I let it sit over night sense I couldn’t see. So the water in the garage ceiling was leaking for about 5-10 minutes after turning the water off. It was leaking from the joints of the drywall and from the light fixture. 
 

I’ve started ripping it out. Some of the drywall is damp, some not. There is insulation in the ceiling. 
 

if I just cut it all out, generally how long does it take to dry. I live in Sacramento. Normally it’s pretty dry here. But we’ve had some overcast. So the humidity is at 67% today.

Also, will the walls upstairs need to be removed? There is slight water damage to the bottom of the baseboards.

[bds1961]

17 minutes ago, Sikon said:

Okay, so I let it sit over night sense I couldn’t see. So the water in the garage ceiling was leaking for about 5-10 minutes after turning the water off. It was leaking from the joints of the drywall and from the light fixture. 
 

I’ve started ripping it out. Some of the drywall is damp, some not. There is insulation in the ceiling. 
 

if I just cut it all out, generally how long does it take to dry. I live in Sacramento. Normally it’s pretty dry here. But we’ve had some overcast. So the humidity is at 67% today.

Also, will the walls upstairs need to be removed? There is slight water damage to the bottom of the baseboards.

In sac things dry out pretty quickly.  Pull the wet insulation out and it should dry out in a day or so. Got lucky with the seam opening up and letting the water pass through instead of spreading out till it found another way out

[Merlin007]

Regarding the upstair walls, remove the wet baseboard and if the drywall is wet behind it and soaked through, then I'd cut off the bottom 4-6", dry the area out, and replace.

[KaptCrunch]

open the walls and use baking soda to curb mold, after dried out then use a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter to clean up the baking soda then spray anti-mold paint on the effected areas or just cut out the damaged drywall. 

[PHUCKITMAN]

Remember this is your home, where your family lives and breathes. Water can be tricky in the fact that it seeks it's own level meaning it spreads in odd ways and when confined it will flow up meaning the drywall will be damp above the water line or stained area. A small flood needs to be handled the exact same way as a large one is but the smaller scale makes many think easy, quick, and cheap. I would suggest that you consider that Pro's usually cut as much drywall away for good access and to make reinstallation easier and you will get better results. Something no one has mentioned yet is priming and painting your new walls. That project may cost you more in time and money because of your wife is like mine all the walls must match 100% so no blending allowed. Good luck and also take away all sink stoppers for the next few years adult only tool.

[Labob]

8 hours ago, Sikon said:

Okay, so I let it sit over night sense I couldn’t see. So the water in the garage ceiling was leaking for about 5-10 minutes after turning the water off. It was leaking from the joints of the drywall and from the light fixture. 
 

I’ve started ripping it out. Some of the drywall is damp, some not. There is insulation in the ceiling. 
 

if I just cut it all out, generally how long does it take to dry. I live in Sacramento. Normally it’s pretty dry here. But we’ve had some overcast. So the humidity is at 67% today.

Also, will the walls upstairs need to be removed? There is slight water damage to the bottom of the baseboards.

Till the wood behind th ewalls has a moisture reading between 8 and 12 get the moisture meter. How long it takes is unimportant. It thakes til it reads those numbers. Loks of ait moving around the wet areas helps a ton. 

[lTplkey336]

Wouldnt hurt if you have a portable dehumidifier to run it in the garage . That will help take out the moisture  in the wood. They use bigger industrial ones in my area when there is a water problem in a house.

[SparksHunter]

Don't know if you own or rent, but I would have it professionally remediated. If you have insurance, let them pay for it!

[dawgy]

Usually you would cut two feet of the drywall from the floor that was wet I would cut a pretty large hole in your ceiling say 4x8 a whole sheet of drywall and then runs dehumidifier If your floor is tile I would only dry from underneath but if you have some sort of laminate or wood floors you should remove the flooring because water likes to hide in between subfloor and will create mold.. carpet can be pulled back until no visible signs of water running a dehumidifier is pretty much the only way you should trust drying process you will also want to to run fans and usually turn your heat up real high…