Protect your cards from a flood!

[GehrigFan]

We all think it can't happen to us, but a word of warning to all. A couple nights ago, I awoke to my entire house flooded from a broken hot water pipe. It ran about 3-4 hours and soaked through every wall. There was one room saved because my house slopes about one inch from one corner to an opposite corner and that office happened to be where I was working on my best cards. However, my closet is where I stored all my sets, wax, autographs, etc. It was on the far side of the house yet got soaked completely. Everything on the floor (bottom boxes) was damaged - Mantle and DiMaggio autos, vintage sets, 1970's to modern wax packs and boxes, etc.

Please take this as a lesson and use plastic tubs for things on the floors, or else use 2x4's or something to set everything off the floor just a bit. You cannot imagine the damage caused simply by water soaking through the walls and how fast it happens.

Mark

[conor912]

Originally Posted by GehrigFan

We all think it can't happen to us, but a word of warning to all. A couple nights ago, I awoke to my entire house flooded from a broken hot water pipe. It ran about 3-4 hours and soaked through every wall. There was one room saved because my house slopes about one inch from one corner to an opposite corner and that office happened to be where I was working on my best cards. However, my closet is where I stored all my sets, wax, autographs, etc. It was on the far side of the house yet got soaked completely. Everything on the floor (bottom boxes) was damaged - Mantle and DiMaggio autos, vintage sets, 1970's to modern wax packs and boxes, etc.

Please take this as a lesson and use plastic tubs for things on the floors, or else use 2x4's or something to set everything off the floor just a bit. You cannot imagine the damage caused simply by water soaking through the walls and how fast it happens.

Mark

Sorry to hear that, Mark.

[ethicsprof]

sorry to hear of this most difficult disaster.
your advice is sound and helpful.

best,
barry

[The Nasty Nati]

That sounds awful! Hopefully your home insurance covers that, still I'm sure no money can replace all of the hard work and memories of getting all that memorabilia. I've been putting off getting rental insurance (mostly because my roommates have it already), but after hearing this story AND the fact that a water pipe actually broke in my kitchen last week, makes me realize I definitely need to get rental insurance ASAP...that and NYC landlord's are the pits.

[ccre]

Very sorry to hear about this!!

[thecatspajamas]

I feel your pain after having the downstairs of my home (where my office and most collectibles are located) flooded with about 6-8 inches of water a few years ago. Even seeing it coming (heavy rains and a landslide blocking the creek behind our home resulted in quickly rising waters for us and the neighbors) and frantically scrambling to get everything up off the ground and upstairs, not everything was saved. Even with shelving in the garage that kept the bottom layer of "stuff" about 3" off the floor, the water still got to it, and it is amazing how well cardboard, paper and other such items will absorb/wick water. I've since invested in large plastic tubs for most of the lower shelves, though thankfully there have been no further disasters (I'm sure there's a Murphy's Law that applies here).

For those who collect comic books, know that not all comic bags are waterproof, but many of them held up surprisingly well. I had several longboxes that were in standing water for the better part of a day. The ones that weren't bagged of course were reduced to pulp. Of the ones that were bagged, it was obvious the ones that didn't form a perfect seal, as one in every 8-10 comics was likewise turned to "soggy pulp in a bag." I don't know how toploaders and slabs would fare in a similar situation, but I wouldn't want to risk it

[ZachS]

Originally Posted by The Nasty Nati

I've been putting off getting rental insurance (mostly because my roommates have it already), but after hearing this story AND the fact that a water pipe actually broke in my kitchen last week, makes me realize I definitely need to get rental insurance ASAP...that and NYC landlord's are the pits.

DO IT. It's usually really cheap so there's no reason not to have it.

[JakeStahl'sGloveSHows]

So sorry that happened to you. But thank you for the warning. It made me realize that my office closet, where many items stored, shares a wall with a bathroom and has pipes running thru it....

[Brian Van Horn]

Mark,

Sorry to hear about your loss.

[conor912]

Originally Posted by ZachS

DO IT. It's usually really cheap so there's no reason not to have it.

+1

Renter's Ins. only covers your stuff (the owner's ins. covers the structure) so it's usually dirt cheap. Even living in San Francisco I think it was less than $1/day.

[mrvster]

I'm so sorry! nightmare

[the 'stache]

I'm so sorry this happened, Mark. I hope you had insurance for water damage.

[kmac32]

Sorry that happened to you. Living in the Socal desert we do not have flooding problems as a rule. We just have to worry about quakes and wild fires amd fortunately we are in the center of town so would have to be national news before a wildfire would get to my home. I guess there are always structural fires to worry about so I will cou t my blessings.

Kmac

[GehrigFan]

Thank you all for your kind thoughts. It will be some time before I get to go through all the memorabilia to determine damage. I'm glad it was flood and not fire, but I was just astonished how fast the water goes all through the house and how quickly cardboard boxes wick up the water. Within 30 minutes (it flooded about 3-4 hours) the water was at the far end of the house and water soaked about 6 inches up all the boxes. Tubs tubs tubs people! Worth the few dollars extra. And I am blessed that my prewar primary collection was unharmed, and especially that family photos and such were pretty much okay. Just hoping someone else can learn from this. Also, I regret holding off on CIA collectibles insurance. Here's hoping USAA covers it all!

[irishdenny]

Mark, Very Sorry to hear of your awful Day. Yeah, I have everything at home up off the ground and Most in tubs, Renters Ins to boot...

Now I just fear the Night Stalker!

[EvilKing00]

Sorry to hear that mark, and your right, plastic tubs or raising off the ground. Or even better just keeping them on a higher floor. I cant imagine how many people lost their cards in hurricane sandy

[glchen]

Sorry to hear about this, Mark. At least, it looks like your favorite stuff made it through.

[brob28]

Sorry to hear about thiss Mark & thank you for the warning,

[Jeffrompa]

Always sorry to hear when this happens . I have lost some stuff myself in floods including some rare WWI Canadian Army mags , Poor Richards Almanacs and a 1875 California Gild Edge Beer Cabinet . Sucks .

[GasHouseGang]

Originally Posted by kmac32

Sorry that happened to you. Living in the Socal desert we do not have flooding problems as a rule. We just have to worry about quakes and wild fires amd fortunately we are in the center of town so would have to be national news before a wildfire would get to my home. I guess there are always structural fires to worry about so I will cou t my blessings.

Kmac

I live in Southern California too, but don't think water can't get you. A friend of mine out here had a washer water hose break while he was gone for the weekend, and he came home to water running down his driveway! It trashed his entire downstairs and required replacing all the flooring and tearing out the bottom part of the downstairs drywall.