Older Springfield houses dry differently because their walls, cellars and drain connections hold water longer than newer construction. Plaster and lath, stone or block cellar walls, floor drains and old pipe all trap moisture where a newer house would shed it. Drying takes more checking, and demolition can disturb asbestos or lead, so the first steps are to shut off the water and get a crew on the phone before anything is torn out.
Key takeaways
- Springfield reached more than 82,000 people in the 1960 census and has lost population since, so many houses in the older neighborhoods were built for a larger city and are still standing.
- Plaster on lath soaks up water and holds it in the wall cavity, so a wall can look dry on the surface while the space behind it is still wet.
- Parts of Springfield run a combined sewer that carries stormwater and sewage in one pipe, so a heavy rain can push water back through a basement floor drain.
- Houses built before 1978 fall under the EPA lead renovation rule, and older joint compound, textured ceilings and floor tile can contain asbestos, so testing comes before demolition.
- Ohio does not license mold remediation the way some states do, so ask any company which industry standard it works to.
- A standard homeowners policy generally does not cover flood or sewer backup, so check your policy and ask your agent early.
Why do older Springfield houses dry differently?
Many houses in the older parts of Springfield were built for a city much larger than the one that exists today, and they are still in use. Their materials and construction hold water in places a newer house does not, so drying takes longer and needs more checking. Expect slower progress and more readings before the job is finished.
Springfield reached more than 82,000 people in the 1960 census and has lost population since then. The houses in the older neighborhoods were put up for that bigger city, and most of them are still standing, with the original walls, cellars and drains. That history is the reason the same storm can do different damage on different streets.
Older houses generally have no vapor barrier under the floors or behind the walls. Moisture that gets into a cavity has more room to move sideways and downward, and it can keep migrating after the visible water is gone. A wet stone or block cellar wall can keep releasing water into the room for days, so a basement that looks dry on the first afternoon may not be dry at all. The crew measures the materials rather than trusting the look of the floor.
What happens to plaster, lath and stone walls after water gets in?
Plaster on wood or metal lath absorbs water and holds it against the framing, so the damage often runs farther than the stain. Long wetting can make plaster bulge, crack or pull away from the lath. Finding the wet area is the first job, and it is done with instruments rather than guesses.
Water wicks up into plaster and stays there. A wall can dry at the paint and still hold moisture in the cavity behind it, and that is where mold starts if the room stays humid. Stone and block walls behave similarly at the base, where water rises and sits in the masonry. The damage is often higher on the wall than the water line on the floor suggests.
The crew uses moisture meters and thermal imaging to map the wet area, then decides where to open the wall. Plaster is cut in small sections, not stripped room by room, and where it can be saved it is dried in place with air movers and dehumidifiers. The readings are repeated until the materials reach dry before the drying equipment comes out. The crew can give you those readings and photos to share with your insurer. For more on the drying itself, see structural drying.
How do the cellar and the sewer connection fail in an older house?
Many older cellars have stone or block walls and a floor drain. In the older parts of the city, a combined sewer carries stormwater and sewage together, so a long heavy rain can back water up through the floor drain. Blockages in the old clay lateral from the house to the street are a separate problem.
Water entering through the foundation, through a window well or along a stone wall collects on the cellar floor and finds the lowest point, usually the floor drain or the sump pit. When the sewer is surcharged in a storm, the floor drain can run the wrong way and put sewage on the floor. That is a contaminated event, and children and pets should stay out of the room until it has been cleaned and dried.
The original clay laterals run from the house to the street. They can crack, settle or collect roots, and a blockage there looks the same from inside as a storm backup. Who pays and who repairs depends on where the blockage is, so report the backup to the city and ask them to check the main before the cleanup starts. The guide on who pays for a sewer backup in Springfield walks through that question in more detail. The crew can clean and dry the cellar, but it does not clear or replace the lateral.
What do old pipes add to the job?
Cast-iron drain stacks and older supply lines are heavy, hard to see into, and often joined in ways that leak over time. Fixing them is plumbing work, and in Clark County that permit runs through the health district rather than a city building department. A plumber should confirm a leak has stopped before the drying starts.
Cast-iron drain stacks run inside walls and through floors, so a leak at a joint can soak a wall for a long time before anyone sees it. Old supply lines can have the same problem at fittings and at the points where they were patched. Freezing adds another risk: the normal first 32 degrees in fall at Springfield is 19 October, according to the National Weather Service, and an unheated cellar or an exposed run of old pipe is where a burst is most likely. The drying work cannot finish while the source is still running.
In Clark County, plumbing permitting and inspection are handled by the Clark County Combined Health District, with the work carried out through Union County's online permitting system. Plumbing inspection is reached at 937-390-5600. Plumbing is a licensed trade in Ohio, and the state board licenses commercial plumbing contractors while residential work is handled locally. Ask any company which license or registration it holds and check that with the office that issued it. The crew handles the water, the drying and the repairs that follow, and the plumber handles the pipe.
Should an older house be tested for asbestos or lead before work starts?
Yes, when a house was built before 1978 or still has older materials, because cutting into it can release lead paint dust or asbestos fibers. Ohio EPA administers asbestos in renovation and demolition, and the EPA lead Renovation, Repair and Painting rule applies to pre-1978 houses. Check with Ohio EPA and your county health district about who administers the lead rules where your house is.
Asbestos was common in houses of the pre-1980s period and can be found in joint compound, textured ceilings, old floor tile, and pipe and boiler insulation. None of these look different from materials that are safe, so a sample test is the only reliable answer. Lead paint can be under several layers of newer paint on trim, doors and window sashes. Flood cuts, plaster removal and subfloor work all disturb these materials, which is why the testing decision comes before the demolition decision.
Ask the crew how it handles a material that might contain lead or asbestos, and whether it will test before cutting. Keep the work area closed off, keep children and pets out of it, and do not dry-sand or scrape old paint in the meantime. The Ohio Department of Health licenses lead work, and its Healthy Homes program is the place to start for questions about lead. If a test comes back positive, the abatement is a separate specialist job and is not something a drying crew should attempt.
How is mold handled in a house this old?
Mold grows wherever water sits long enough, and it grows fastest in wall cavities and cellars that stay damp. Ohio does not license mold remediation the way some states do, so the useful question is which standard a company follows. The fastest way to limit mold is to dry the house quickly and thoroughly.
The Ohio Department of Health says mold will continue to grow as long as it has a source of water, which is why drying speed matters more than anything done after the surface looks clean. Mold can trigger allergy and asthma symptoms in some people, and that is the honest reason to take it seriously. The industry references are the ANSI/IICRC S500 standard for water damage restoration and the S520 standard for mold remediation, along with EPA mold guidance. IICRC is a non-government industry body that certifies individual technicians, and you are entitled to ask which certifications the crew holds.
If mold is already growing, the job may need containment so spores do not spread to other rooms during removal. That changes the scope and the price, and the crew should explain it before starting. The guide on mold after water damage under Ohio rules covers what to ask and what to expect. Nobody can promise a mold-free result, and a company that does is not describing the work honestly.
What should you do in the first hour, and what does your insurer need?
Shut off the water at the main if you can do it safely, stay out of standing water near outlets, the furnace or the electrical panel, and photograph everything before anything is moved. Call your insurer early. A standard homeowners policy generally responds to sudden and accidental water damage but generally does not cover flood or sewer and drain backup.
Start with the water source. Turn off the supply at the main or the fixture if you can reach it without standing in water, and unplug electrical equipment in the wet area only if you can do it safely. Keep children and pets out of the room if the water came from a sewer or septic backup, since it should be treated as contaminated. Photograph the damage, including the floor drain, the wall where the water rose and any standing water, before the first bucket comes out.
Insurance decisions belong to your insurer under your own policy. The Ohio Department of Insurance lists sewer backup and basement leaks among the typical homeowners exclusions, and gradual leaks usually need an added endorsement. Flood is a separate policy through the National Flood Insurance Program or a private insurer, and septic failure is a question for your agent. Complaints about an insurer go to the Ohio Department of Insurance. Phones are answered 24/7, and a crew is dispatched as soon as one is available, though no arrival time can be promised. For urgent water removal, see emergency water removal.
Frequently asked questions
Will a crew have to tear out my plaster walls?
Not always. The crew uses moisture meters and thermal imaging to find where the water actually went, and it opens only the sections that hold moisture. Where plaster can be saved, it is dried in place with air movers and dehumidifiers and checked until the readings are dry. Removal is a decision made on site after the wall has been measured, and the price is confirmed on site before any work begins.
Does my homeowners insurance cover a sewer backup into my basement?
A standard homeowners policy generally does not cover sewer and drain backup, and that coverage is usually added by endorsement. Whether your policy includes it depends on your own policy language, so check it or ask your agent. The crew can document the damage with photos and moisture readings for your claim, but the coverage decision belongs to your insurer. Complaints about how an insurer handles a claim go to the Ohio Department of Insurance.
Is it safe to stay in the house while the water is being removed?
Stay out of standing water, especially near outlets, the furnace and the electrical panel. If the water came from a sewer or septic backup, treat it as contaminated and keep children and pets out of the affected rooms. Ventilate the area if you can do so safely, and do not enter a basement if the water is above the level where you can see the floor. The crew can tell you which rooms are safe during the drying.
Do I need to test for lead or asbestos before the crew cuts into the walls?
If your house was built before 1978, or has older joint compound, textured ceilings, floor tile or pipe insulation, testing before demolition is the safer course. Ohio EPA administers asbestos in renovation and demolition, and the EPA lead Renovation, Repair and Painting rule applies to pre-1978 houses. Ask the crew how it handles suspect materials, and check with Ohio EPA and your county health district about the lead rules where you live.
Who fixes the old clay sewer line or the cast-iron drain pipe?
The pipe is plumbing work and is not part of the drying job. In Clark County, plumbing permits and inspections are handled through the Clark County Combined Health District, with the permit work carried out through Union County's online system. Plumbing inspection is reached at 937-390-5600. A plumber should confirm the leak or blockage has been fixed before the drying starts, so the cleanup is not repeated.
How quickly can a crew come after I call?
Phones are answered 24/7, and a crew is dispatched as soon as one is available. No arrival time can be promised, because it depends on the number of jobs and the access to your house. Starting the water shutoff and photographs before the crew arrives keeps the job moving. Drying fast is what limits mold, so the sooner the water is removed, the better the outcome.
Sources
- Wikipedia
- Ohio EPA
- National Weather Service Wilmington
- Ohio Department of Health
- Ohio Department of Insurance
This guide is general information for Clark County homeowners, not a substitute for an on-site inspection. Prices are estimates. See our disclaimer.