Could salty water from flood cause tile to crack or debond?
2 thoughts on “Could salty water from flood cause tile to crack or debond?”
Troy Burris says:
Water continued Seeping up through grout joints after a flood. 3 feet in my house of saltwater. There was cracking in grout some areas. Concerned we decided to remove tile. Tile was still fastened securely but concrete floor was still soaked and mold was underneath tile. Keep in mind this water smelled like raw sewage as we are close to a pump station. Did I make the right choice by removing tile and replacing or would it eventually cleared up?
Donato Pompo says:
Technically the salt water should not cause the tile to fail, but the salt water would leave a lot of minerals in the tile assembly that could precipitate efflorescence. Because the flood water could be contaminated, particularly considering the smell it likely would be considered a Category 3 water which is an unsanitary water, and if so then it was a good idea to replace the tile.
Water continued Seeping up through grout joints after a flood. 3 feet in my house of saltwater. There was cracking in grout some areas. Concerned we decided to remove tile. Tile was still fastened securely but concrete floor was still soaked and mold was underneath tile. Keep in mind this water smelled like raw sewage as we are close to a pump station. Did I make the right choice by removing tile and replacing or would it eventually cleared up?
Technically the salt water should not cause the tile to fail, but the salt water would leave a lot of minerals in the tile assembly that could precipitate efflorescence. Because the flood water could be contaminated, particularly considering the smell it likely would be considered a Category 3 water which is an unsanitary water, and if so then it was a good idea to replace the tile.