COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA _ DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

FLOOD RECOVERY: ADDING ENERGY EFFICIENCY

Building Shell Issues

Rebuilding a flooded house can be very expensive, so it is important to understand which items you must replace, which you can salvage and what you can do yourself.

First, estimate your construction and technical skills. This will tell you how much work you can do yourself without hiring contractors. Then, collect information on the extent of damage, how you would like to rebuild and your financial resources. Rebuilding can be an opportunity to upgrade your home as well.

To accomplish this inexpensively you need to know:

_ the degree of flood damage

_ the level of improvement you would like to reach during the rebuilding process

_ what you can do by yourself

_ what can be done only by professionals, and

_ which materials, if any, can be reused.

By carefully inspecting every part of your home and surrounding area, and by answering these questions, it should be possible for you to develop a work-program aimed at inexpensive rebuilding.

Air Leaks

Increasing a home's airtightness will lower its space heating and cooling requirements, allowing you to install a smaller, less expensive system.

Airtightness can be accomplished by using caulking and weatherstripping. While you are repairing, pinpoint where air is leaking into your home, then seal the leaks. Common leakage points include openings for plumbing and wiring, recessed lights, attic hatches, and the top of foundation walls.

Caulking can effectively seal smaller gaps (less than 1/4") but be sure to select a caulk that is suitable for the materials you are sealing. For larger gaps (1/4" to 1"), use an expanding foam, or a backer rod followed by caulk. If your windows and doors have been broken or damaged, now is an opportune time to upgrade their efficiencies.

A simple and quick way to cut down the heat loss from your existing windows is to seal around them with caulk. Doors should also be weatherstripped to make a tight seal when they are closed.

Windows

Windows account for as much as 25 percent of the heat loss in homes. If existing units are in good condition, you can improve their performance with weatherstripping and caulk. To double the efficiency of single-pane windows, install storm windows.

If your existing windows have been damaged or are in poor condition, consider replacing them with new, higher-efficiency units. Double-pane windows, incorporating low-emissivity coatings and gas-filling for greater insulation value, are the standard with many major window manufacturers. These units could cost about 25 percent more than a standard, double-glazed unit, but they are about twice as efficient, making the cost premium worthwhile.

Select wood, vinyl, or fiberglass frames rather than metal ones. Metals are poor insulators and can account for as much as 24 percent of a window's overall heat loss, and contribute to condensation problems. Some metal windows include a "thermal break" to avoid high heat loss. Be sure to ask for this feature if you decide to select metal windows.

And finally, windows that close against compression seals, such as casement and awning windows, tend to be more airtight than windows with sliding seals, such as double-hung and horizontal sliders.

Doors

Inspect exterior doors to be sure they are in good condition. Solid wooden doors that swell will tend to return to their original size when dry. Give them time to dry thoroughly before making adjustments. Check for warping or other structural damage if the doors have been exposed to flood water. Quality construction, proper fit, adequate weatherstripping, airtight jambs, and tight-fitting hardware are important to a door's efficiency. Obviously, any broken glass in the door should be replaced.

Sweeps installed on the bottoms of doors can also help to ensure a tight seal. If your door is not very airtight, consider installing a storm door to reduce heat loss, or replacing the door with a new, insulated model with good weatherstripping.

Many wood doors are made from hardboard or contain hardboard spacers. However, wood products such as hardboard, plywood and oriented-strand boards will not regain their original shape when dried after substantial wetting. Plywood and oriented-strand boards may delaminate. Hardboard swells when wet and can lose its strength. These products will have to be discarded and replaced.

Insulation

If flood water has reached the insulation of your walls, floors, or ceiling, you will need to replace it. While fiberglass insulation can be dried and reused with no loss of thermal performance, once any type of insulation has been exposed to flood water, the possibility for mold or mildew growth and the resultant potential indoor air quality problem exists. Therefore, flood-contaminated insulation should be replaced. Insulation is not the most expensive of materials and salvaging it is probably not worth the effort given the potential for problems.

Replacing your insulation provides an opportunity to select a product with a higher or R-value which will slow down the heat lost or gained within the house. For example, many homes with standard 2x4 framing have fibrous batts rated R-11. Within the same limited space, you can boost the insulating value to R-13 or R-15 by installing medium-or high-density fiberglass batts. Another option to increase your wall's R-value is to add insulating foam sheathing to the outside walls. While availability and cost of these materials may vary in different areas, they can be cost-effective especially where energy costs are high. Added insulation may allow you to downsize your heating or cooling systems, saving energy and money.

As you replace your insulation, you will discover that drywall and wood framing may also be wet. While you'll want to replace your insulation and drywall as soon as you can, be aware that it can take weeks or months for a house to completely dry out. The house must be completely dry before it is re-insulated to avoid later damage to building materials and serious health problems for your family that may develop if moisture, mold, and mildew are allowed to go untreated in your house.

Foundations

Wet or flooded foundations will be a continuous source of moisture, and can increase the time needed to dry the rest of the house. Homes with basements require special attention during the aftermath of a flood.

Do not be in too big a hurry to pump water out of your basement. Water in the ground outside your house is pushing hard against the outside of your basement walls. At the same time, the water inside your basement is pushing back. It is important to keep these two forces balanced as the water subsides. If the forces become unbalanced by pumping too rapidly, the basement floors or walls may crack.

It's important to keep basement floor drains open and clear as flood water recedes to allow the pressures from outside and inside the foundation walls to equalize.

Crawl spaces require special attention as well. First, remove and discard all wet insulation and plastic sheeting you find there. Next, dry out the crawl space using natural or powered ventilation such as a fan if necessary.

This may be a good time to check with local building officials to determine if your crawl space is adequately vented. Finally, crawl spaces should have continuous plastic ground covers installed once standing water has been drained or pumped out of the crawl space. Damp ground that is not covered will continue to be a major moisture source. Crawl spaces should be ventilated as much as possible to dry them out.

This fact sheet and related environmental information are available electronically via internet. Access the DEP-DCNR Web Site at http://www.dep.state.pa.us (choose information by Environmental Subject/choose Pollution Prevention and Compliance Assistance).

Adapted from a US Department of Energy Publication, "Rebuilding Your Flooded Home: Guidelines for Incorporating Energy Efficiency"

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

Tom Ridge, Governor

Department of Environmental Protection

James M. Seif, Secretary

0200 -FS-DEP1959 2/96

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