By Kip Aoki, Star-Bulletin
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"We brought in two 40-foot containers with drainage products, and it's all gone now," says Robert Bosley, president of Diamond Head Sprinkler Supply in Kakaako. The next container arrives in early December.
The heavy rains may have passed, but there are a couple of months left of the rainy season, and the best time to take care of problems is while the sun is out.
Many pieces can be used for drainage, including flexible corrugated piping that hooks onto your gutters and takes water out to the street. A stiff pipe can do the same thing in areas where flexible pipe won't work. There are also channel drains, large and small catch basins, atrium gates and pop-up emitters which discharge water onto the surface near street curbs or other water-safe areas.
"The worst situation is the home with a flat yard," says Bosley. "The water has no place to go. If you have a little slope, then gravity can take the water away (after it has been picked up in the catch basins or piping)."
If the yard is perfectly flat, you may have an expensive problem requiring a sump (large pit) box and mechanical pump. The cost could be $1,000, says Bosley. But he says most yards have some slope, so costs can be much lower, starting at $50 for materials.
On Monday, when the sun came out, his company finally got the chance to help an Aiea woman whose living room had been flooded for two weeks.
She has a typical problem: She lives on a slope with a retaining wall to hold back the earth. But when the earth gets wet, even a waterproofed wall can't contain the water, says Bosley.
"Waterproofing is a good idea; you should do that, but it can't get all of the water out of there. Water is a very abrasive product," says Bosley. To correct the problem, the company installed a 30-foot-long channel drain.
The Aiea woman also had a problem with a 10-foot-high retaining wall on the other side of the home which could not keep water out of the living room. Workers put in a large box drain connected to a pipe which took the water away and dumped it on the swimming pool deck.
If you want detailed technical information on flooding solutions architect Wayson Chong suggests getting a copy of a "Design Manual for Retrofitting Flood-prone Residential Structures", published by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The manual is available from FEMA at no cost by calling 1 (800) 480-2520.
The 263-page manual includes solutions such as raising the home, creating a levee of soil, building floodwalls, and using sealants if the structure is in good conditions. Most of these solutions are for severe flood problems. "The manual has very good illustrations and details," Chong said.
Homeowners should not rush the repair work. "If you have damage to your walls, you must cut the (interior) drywall out and let everything dry out," Chong said. "The electrical system must be inspected before you make repairs." A faulty electrical system could result in a fire later if not corrected, he said.
If you have a leaking roof, remember that re-roofing projects require good weather. However, emergency repairs can be made quickly, even in bad weather.
"Although you may want to just get the leak stopped, you should try to find your paperwork (your old contract) and see whether the guarantee is still in effect and then call that company," said Tim Lyons, executive director of the Hawaii Roofing Contractors Association.
"Although there may be a temptation to hire a new roofer, homeowners should be aware of the fact that the first roofer may cancel the warranty if another roofer does some work to that original contractors work. If your original roofer is out of business, you have no resource unless you can prove poor workmanship. In that case you may be able to go after the Contractors Recovery Fund. However, that requires a lawsuit and may take awhile."
Always use a licensed contractor because there are a lot of unscrupulous people preying on unsuspecting homeowners, Lyons said. If you want to check out a contractor, call the Hawaii Roofing Contractors Association at (808) 537-1224.
The building supply stores have certain products which will stop leaks even if the roof is wet. Eagle Hardware & Garden at Waikele reported recent big sales in roofing wet patches, which start at about $2.23 a gallon. Eagle also had brisk sales in shop vacs, from $39.97 to $99.99, and pumps, priced from $76.99 to $199.99 which get rid of excess water.
City Mill also reported selling the same things and also vinyl gutters, starting at $5.49; tarps, at $1.99; and safety walk units, at $4.99.
To correct doors which are stuck, there are two methods: using a plane to shave off some of the wood, or realign the door, says Chong.
Oftentimes it is an alignment problem, and homeowners can correct this by taking off the casing (frame) around the door which conceals the door jamb (side post) and shim spacer. A shim is a thin piece of wood used for filling and alignment.
"Make sure everything has dried out," says Chong says. "Take off the casing, remove the shims, and tap the frame back into plumb (perfectly vertical position). Use a level on the top and side of the door to check it. Then screw it back with new shims."
Serious problems definitely should be done by a licensed contractor, using a city building permit. If your home is on foundation posts (not a concrete slab), the floor under the door could be crooked if there is settlement of the ground, says Chong. In that case, you must jack up the home and get everything back into the correct position.