Mancave Rebuild after Sewer Flood

Onward,
Yes how many systems do we need?

like the junkies say all the time.... "Just ONE MORE...." :rolleyes::rflmao:


All jokes aside, I'm 45, and lifting 147 pound cabinets gets real old. If I can EVER get these McIntosh speakers refoamed and running, I think most of my stuff will come up for sale.

There's times when I think I could be completely satisfied with my little NHT Super Zeros and the matching amp/sub. I have those, collecting dust. When dialed in, they're phenomenal.
 
So sorry to hear about the flood Old Guy, hope your ADS L880 stack and the rest are ok after moving them, my cave is in the basement as well, no floods since being here since 1996. However, after installing pergo flooring and having my walls drywalled and electrically coded, my old water heater decided to go out in a big way, the whole basement was in 1 good inch of water, fortunately my cave had not been established yet.

Now everything is well above the "waterline".
Hope the restoration goes well.
 
So sorry to hear about the flood Old Guy, hope your ADS L880 stack and the rest are ok after moving them, my cave is in the basement as well, no floods since being here since 1996. However, after installing pergo flooring and having my walls drywalled and electrically coded, my old water heater decided to go out in a big way, the whole basement was in 1 good inch of water, fortunately my cave had not been established yet.

Now everything is well above the "waterline".
Hope the restoration goes well.

MJB,
Thanks. I got the powers strips unpluged first. Then moved stuff upstairs. Power strips won't be on floor from now on. Short could fry everything oncluding the Old Guy.
ADS were on cinder blocks.
Temporary tsunami formed in neighbor yards and overwelmed sewers. Meanwhile a retention pond near by had no water in it.
 
First off Old Guy8, sorry to hear about the flooding trouble and I hope the repairs go quickly. Secondly, no worries of flooding here but there is the water heater and washing machine. Right now all the gear is on a lowboy rack but upon hearing these stories, that will change soon. My speakers are Maggies so there isn't much I can do there but keep my fingers crossed.
 
First off Old Guy8, sorry to hear about the flooding trouble and I hope the repairs go quickly. Secondly, no worries of flooding here but there is the water heater and washing machine. Right now all the gear is on a lowboy rack but upon hearing these stories, that will change soon. My speakers are Maggies so there isn't much I can do there but keep my fingers crossed.

Rickey,
Thanks. Yes, lightning can strike anywhere. My neighbor is on his forth flood in five years. First supply pipe failed, Second sump pump shorted then two sewage backups.
There are water supply shutoff systems with smart electronics that can sense unusual water flow and shut off automaticly. I don't have one.
But mine was sewage.
 
You can buy washer hoses that are "fused" which means if it breaks or leaks the valve inside the hose will stop the water. Of course I have not put one on my washer but after reading this I will have to make a trip to a big box store this weekend.
 
I put braided stainless steel hoses on my washer when I noticed the old ones were oozing water. Better safe than sorry, but then something inside the washer could let go.
 
I put braided stainless steel hoses on my washer when I noticed the old ones were oozing water. Better safe than sorry, but then something inside the washer could let go.
Again there are washer water supply faucets that electrically open just when the washer is on. I dont have onethough.
 
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I need to get going on basement rebuild. Top pic was the bar / audio room. S shape bar had carpet wrap and floor was carpeted. 1500 sf total. I'm going to remove remainder of carpet backing and glue. Not going carpet again.
Bottom pic is carpet and glue on concrete. Anyone have experience removing large areas glue from concrete? Seen orbital machines with carbide inserts. Also glue softening solutions that are left on for hours and squeeged or shop vaced off.
 
Wow, bummer Old Guy. sorry,

I would just go to a flooring place and ask about removal of the old adhesive. I am sure there is a specific product.

Once it's off you could look into some of those great concrete floor finishes, that in addition to being cool looking, also would be pretty much bullet proof in the event something else happens.

The one thing I never understand is why there isn't typically a floor drain in laundry rooms which is where is seems 90% of these events occur. We had a washing machine overflow the top while filling (it just didn't stop filling) and ran down and in the floor of the laundry room is a AC vent! Right down the duct and into the AC unit below. Fortunately it wasn't on.
 
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Tv room, pool room and mancave, as they now are.
Finally working on basement rebuild again. Waited for roadwork/sewer pipes to be completed by district. And for me to get some motivation. My boss said it's time to start. Got my marching orders.
Will replace sewer backwater valve and add a transfer pump with a pit at floor drain as insurance.
Removed all drywall screws and nails. This week I rented a motorized floor scraper. Used to remove residual carpet backing off concrete. Took two days of fun. That left the glue which sticks with every step.
Next will be rental of a floor polisher with diamond grit inserts. Apply water to concrete and grind off glue.
Not sure of floor covering yet. Maybe snap together vinyl planking for most of basement. Its moisture resistant and can be cleaned in event.
Possibly will use a vinyl wainscoating raised 4 inches and 6 inch high vinyl floor molding. If wet, could be removed and cleaned.
 
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I have a 240 gallon freshwater aquarium that's the "railing" along my stairs to the grotto (cave). I had a couple screws-ups with overfilling it and water cascading down the foundation wall into the cave that terrified me. Somewhere I heard you could make a water alarm from a smoke alarm. I did, it works!

Open the alarm and find a way to run a zip cord from across the "test" button/switch down to the low spot where you need detection. Strip a couple inches off both ends, but stagger them. Spiral the first one up the insulation then bend the other inflated wire to just past the spiral and spiral that a ways up. Wrap this in a little cotton or paper towel and lay it down. The test circuit is high impedance. If the sensor gets damp, the alarm sounds.

My rope pulled elevator has a little trench-pit under the entry side in the floor so the rope can hang down a little and return up through the opposite front corner of the cab. The sensor is laid there with the alarm mounted to the "gantry" framing.
 
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I have question for opinions for inwall speaker wires. Nothing esoteric needed.

So I'm getting closer to getting walls finished. Before drywall goes up, I want to snake some wires inside wall for speakers. I want option of having a speaker on left side of first picture. Right speaker on right side along with gear racks on far right wall. I'm thinking a wallplate for banana connectors under stairs you can see between studs. Wire to go under stairs and behind back wall studs. Over doorway and down wall to second banana connector wallplate. This will just be for left speaker. What type of wire should I use within the wall between the wallplates? I normally use just stranded copper speaker wire between 8 and 14 gauge. I think 12 or 14 gauge will suit me for this lengh of run.
All three pics are audio room.
 

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I think the wall plates/bananas are ideal and it's a really good idea to get in now, before the drywall goes up.

Run a few pairs through each side, that way you have options and the ability to A/B speakers for comparos/shootouts.

Think about conduit for the speaker cable, then you could pull more through or upgrade it in the future? Leave a nylon pull in the conduit should you ever need it.

There's nothing classier than high quality bananas on wall mount plates and someone who has planned their listening space before the walls go up.

:)
 
I think the wall plates/bananas are ideal and it's a really good idea to get in now, before the drywall goes up.

Run a few pairs through each side, that way you have options and the ability to A/B speakers for comparos/shootouts.

Think about conduit for the speaker cable, then you could pull more through or upgrade it in the future? Leave a nylon pull in the conduit should you ever need it.

There's nothing classier than high quality bananas on wall mount plates and someone who has planned their listening space before the walls go up.

:)

John,
Good ideas, all. I have some clearance issues when thinking conduit. The 2x10 of staircase is 1/2" from concrete. And just under 1/2" between studs and concrete. Studs are undersize now. But not load bearing. Cutting holes in stairs IMO weaken too much. But two sets of wires and an addional pull rope are good ideas.IMG_20171118_160407.jpg
 
I'd think 12ga would be sufficient, for speaker wire.

One thing I've done is when I had to cut drywall to run wires in the past, I'd cut rectangles sized to house a 2 gang electrical box so I could run a snake, or get my hands in there.

After I'd finished- rather than putting in a drywall patch, I'd put in a low voltage ring and a painted plate.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/2-Gang-Low-Voltage-Mounting-Bracket-SC200RR/202077405

By doing this, it assured that I'd never have to get in there again.
 
I'm silly with running 75ohm coax and speaker wires all over so I have many options forever!
Looks like you have enough room behind the studs to stain wire.
I went with #10 zipcord, bought in bulk from Redco Audio
I opted to get blank chrome plates and mounted banana receptacles similar to these but high quality:
Redco DUAL BINDING
Soldered the wires.
No boxes-do later if necessary because all my plates are still fine and tight with just a small hole in the sheetrock to clear the back of the bananas, and two wood screws into the sheetrock.
It's so nice this way. For example, right here in the kitchen nook is the receiver/CD, squeezebox, etc.
Behind it a wall plate with TV cable and roof antenna connectors, and a plate for both speaker runs, which reappear 20' away where the speakers sit.
 
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if I may, and Im not being critical, but owning a constr company and all...

for the basement, any basement, above, below, mixed grade, you need to double sill each wall.

bottom sill needs to be treated lumber anchored into the concrete, then white wood and hang the drywall or shiplap or whatever to 1" above the floor and use base to cover the gap. use ONLY the newer mold resistant drywall and a good PVA primer. if you are building over exterior walls, scrape the crap out of whatever is there, and reseal with a good sealer coat like UGL (I call it uggle for grins). any wood trim needs to be painted and primed on ALL sides (basement, bathrooms etc)

if you are not into oil based primer, zinsser 123 is good, 2 coats, drys super fast and its latex/water based for fumage. if you have a drain in the floor and you are abandoning it, and it is part of the house trap system, there are rubber plugs you insert and tighten and they squeeze tight, then pour self leveling something over top (I use a henrys, 554 I think - properly prime it.) something to think about - when selecting a house in a development, find out from the twp where you sewer lines go, and the age, trees near by, subsidence etc. for as good as YOUR lines may be, if a line BELOW you plugs, the people ABOVE you pump crap (literally) by gravity past your trap - even if you have a one way, it only helps for a while. it will be bad

never use pergo or any laminate flooring for anything outside of a closet. dont care about the hype, they look like crap after a year and they feel like you are walking on cardboard. really, for a basement, you should tile it. basements are easy, glop down the mastic and go for it. or if you want to go smooth, pour the entire basement with self leveling and use something like the new armstrong 4mm thick interlocking vinyl tile. can get it in plank patterns or tile patterns, it has a huge warranty (ollies and sometimes big lots carry a competing 3.2mm brand, which has a 10yr warranty vs 40...get what you pay for.

carpet....cant bring myself to ever advise carpet for any portion anywhere near a below grade wall or mechanical things.

there is one more option - lowes and the depot are selling a 2x2 tile product that has channels - some sort of vinyl - underneath to channel a water mistake. of course, should a mistake happen, pull it up a bit and drop in a mold killer...its expensive and all but dark gray or sandstone colors have to be ordered in.

basements, by nature do not breathe and hence the strict FHA guidelines for living space during mortgage pre-qual. you can finish them but without a natural light source and fresh air and circulatory heating/cooling, they aint living space cuz they are deemed damp. and no amount of demhumidifers can help.

I am re-doing our basement now which is partial 3/4 below grade at one side and at grade the other. I had to redo the hvac lines, route water, change block glass for hung...the list goes on - all to create another 6-700ft FHA approved living space (needed cuz we are adding the tiny BR3 to the MBR to make a master suite with walk-in and 3/4 bath...but I digress)
 
if I may, and Im not being critical, but owning a constr company and all...

for the basement, any basement, above, below, mixed grade, you need to double sill each wall.

bottom sill needs to be treated lumber anchored into the concrete, then white wood and hang the drywall or shiplap or whatever to 1" above the floor and use base to cover the gap. use ONLY the newer mold resistant drywall and a good PVA primer. if you are building over exterior walls, scrape the crap out of whatever is there, and reseal with a good sealer coat like UGL (I call it uggle for grins). any wood trim needs to be painted and primed on ALL sides (basement, bathrooms etc)

if you are not into oil based primer, zinsser 123 is good, 2 coats, drys super fast and its latex/water based for fumage. if you have a drain in the floor and you are abandoning it, and it is part of the house trap system, there are rubber plugs you insert and tighten and they squeeze tight, then pour self leveling something over top (I use a henrys, 554 I think - properly prime it.) something to think about - when selecting a house in a development, find out from the twp where you sewer lines go, and the age, trees near by, subsidence etc. for as good as YOUR lines may be, if a line BELOW you plugs, the people ABOVE you pump crap (literally) by gravity past your trap - even if you have a one way, it only helps for a while. it will be bad

never use pergo or any laminate flooring for anything outside of a closet. dont care about the hype, they look like crap after a year and they feel like you are walking on cardboard. really, for a basement, you should tile it. basements are easy, glop down the mastic and go for it. or if you want to go smooth, pour the entire basement with self leveling and use something like the new armstrong 4mm thick interlocking vinyl tile. can get it in plank patterns or tile patterns, it has a huge warranty (ollies and sometimes big lots carry a competing 3.2mm brand, which has a 10yr warranty vs 40...get what you pay for.

carpet....cant bring myself to ever advise carpet for any portion anywhere near a below grade wall or mechanical things.

there is one more option - lowes and the depot are selling a 2x2 tile product that has channels - some sort of vinyl - underneath to channel a water mistake. of course, should a mistake happen, pull it up a bit and drop in a mold killer...its expensive and all but dark gray or sandstone colors have to be ordered in.

basements, by nature do not breathe and hence the strict FHA guidelines for living space during mortgage pre-qual. you can finish them but without a natural light source and fresh air and circulatory heating/cooling, they aint living space cuz they are deemed damp. and no amount of demhumidifers can help.

I am re-doing our basement now which is partial 3/4 below grade at one side and at grade the other. I had to redo the hvac lines, route water, change block glass for hung...the list goes on - all to create another 6-700ft FHA approved living space (needed cuz we are adding the tiny BR3 to the MBR to make a master suite with walk-in and 3/4 bath...but I digress)

quaddriver,
Thanks for your response. I've just this last week, had old bronze and cast iron backwater valve replaced with poly flapper with rubber seal design. Also added a secondary sump pit and pump close to the sewer floor drain. For if in backup event flow coming up drain or basement bathroom will be channels to this sump pit.
The basement is 1900 sf. I'm only remodeling half of it at this time for cost reasons. Walls will have cement board up 4" high. Then a 1/2" gap before drywall. Useing 6" high poly boards as floor molding except tile molding in bath. Useing vinyl plank interlocking flooring to replace the carpet that was lost. Outside of the doors/jams and studs, the rest should be water and muck resistant to a few inches depth. I live next to a creek so not every eventuality can be planned for. A fifty year flood is still a calamity.
My basement shares forced air heat and AC of upstairs. My dehumidifier does keep up with basement humidity in Summer.
Along with sewer backup insurance and FEMA backed flood insurance policies, this is our plan. We have weight how much $ to throw into the basement vs how much return it might bring when reselling in a still depressed local housing market.
 
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