Aftermath of a leak

 How long should it take the interior of a wall to fully dry out after a
leak?

We had a leak behind our washing machine - duration unknown - and the water
penetrated into a wall.  (Studs and wallboard on a concrete slab;
non-load-bearing.)

It took more than a week for the surface of the wallboard to dry out.

Now, 3 weeks later, I've removed some baseboards.  Inside, the bottom inch
of the wallboard has crumbled away, and the wood (the horizontal piece that
the studs attach to) is black and some of it is still damp.

I am of course alert to the possibility that there is another leak still
leaking.  But my questions are:

- Is it plausible that we're still dealing with water from the leak that
stopped, and that leaving the baseboards off, we can get it to dry out
completely?

- If so, would it be reasonable to simply spray lots of Lysol or something
on the wood and then install new baseboards?  Or is more extensive work
going to be needed?

A toxic mold test is being conducted.

I should add that this is my permanent home; I'm not just wanting to patch
it up good enough to resell.

Thanks!

  i noticed once in a house i looked at they had drywalled part of a damp
basement (duh) and along with the mold the house had a ongoing moisture
problem.  even though there was no standing water in the basement the
inside of the windows upstairs had condensation.  so i think it may be
that drywall can hold water.

if it were my house i'd rip the mess out and redo the wall, studs and
drywall seem a better investment than a mold test.  if you live in
manhattan this probably costs 50000 or so, but to me in the midwest
this seems like a cheap approach to put the matter to rest. the board
is black, sounds like mold to me, probably not toxic though can be a
legal issue if you try to sell.  even if it's not toxic unless there's
a complication i'd be inclined to reach for the crowbar.

 It turns out this is a matter for the homeowners' insurance.  I'm going to
call the agent tomorrow.

I'm doing a mold test.  Rather to my surprise, in the first 30 hours of
incubation, nothing has grown in the Petri dish.  Maybe the generous amounts
of Lysol that I applied a couple of weeks ago have actually killed it.  But
I understand about ripping out things if we don't know what's going on deep
within them!

The mold test costs only $10 for the culture medium and then, if mold grows,
$30 for the analysis.

 Ever notice that after a brief flood they tear out all the lower
drywall and replace it? You will have mold there. So much for the
testing, but you need to replace all the area drywall behind where it
was wet.

 Unfortunately since you have stated that the leak occurred over a period of
time, insurance will not cover the claim.  I would recommend that you revise
to just discovered that the washer was leaking and there is damage.

You do need to be aware that water claims, depending on the state you live
in, can lead to insurance cancellation.  In CA the Ins Commissioner is going
after "use it, lose it" insurance companies.  If you have already called, it
may be too late to stop.

--
Claudia
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"Age is...wisdom, if one has lived
one's life properly." --Miriam Makeba, singer

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