Water damage restoration in Manchester

The Merrimack and its tributaries, the Piscataquog River and Cohas Brook, drain the city. ^[1] The Amoskeag Manufacturing Company once ran the largest cotton textile plant in the world here, with canals feeding its mills. ^[3] Those canals were later filled in during urban renewal, and the Millyard now holds offices, campus space and apartments. ^[1]

The river has flooded badly. The 1936 flood destroyed the McGregor Bridge, ^[1] and in May 2006 the Merrimack rose around 10 feet above flood stage. ^[2] Properties near the river and its tributaries should look at official flood maps, and remember that a wet cellar may just as easily come from groundwater or a blocked drain.

When water crosses from one home to another, responsibilities overlap. An association's master policy may apply to the building and your own policy to your interior and belongings, while a landlord and tenant split things differently. Notify everyone early, and photograph your own space even if the leak began elsewhere.

Older brick buildings also dry on their own terms. Masonry holds moisture and gives it up slowly, and thick walls may hide old pipes. Converted mill spaces may have exposed timber and old floors that react slowly to wetting. Ask your contractor how they will check these and how they will keep dust and noise from affecting neighbors.

Manchester has its own city government, so repairs inside city limits go through city offices. Ask whether a permit is needed for anything beyond replacing finishes. Historic buildings or those in river flood zones may involve added review.

Down the Merrimack lies Nashua, and upstream is Concord. Bedford, Goffstown and Hooksett are also on the coverage list.

In May 2006 the Merrimack caused the most serious flooding in the state, reaching 10 feet above flood stage in Manchester, with dozens of homes flooded and electricity cut along several sections of the river. ^[2] Seventy years earlier, the 1936 flood had destroyed the McGregor Bridge and damaged mills and buildings. ^[1] Neither event needs to repeat exactly for the lesson to hold: low ground along the river and its tributaries can flood fast, and power can go with it.

Cohas Brook and the Piscataquog bring local variations. ^[1] A home near a tributary may be affected by rain that does not move the Merrimack much. In 2006 the Piscataquog was also gauged at the Goffstown dam, upstream of the city. ^[2] If you live along it, keep an eye on that river as well as the larger one, and find out where your property stands on official flood maps.

Manchester averages about 40 inches of precipitation over roughly 130 days a year, with a January mean of 25.6°F and a July mean of 73.8°F. ^[1] Those swings work on masonry, roof flashing and old window frames. Each cycle of freezing and thawing can open small gaps in mortar, and these then let in water during the next rain. Inside, you may see this as damp plaster along a brick wall, peeling paint under a window or a persistent stain with no plumbing nearby.

Summer humidity brings another issue. With 26 to 30 days at or above 90°F in a typical year, ^[1] warm wet air meets cold cellar walls and pipes, and water drips with no leak involved. Ask for humidity readings before assuming that a damp cellar in July is a plumbing fault. A dehumidifier with a drain hose, kept running through the warm months, often does more than repair work would.

Brady Sullivan opened its first Millyard apartments in 2013, and other mill buildings hold offices and campus space. ^[1] Big open floors, heavy timber, brick and modern sprinkler systems make these buildings quite different from a house. A failed sprinkler head or supply line can spread over a large area in minutes and pass down through floorboards to the unit below. Tenants should report leaks to building management at once, since management controls the shutoffs.

As a tenant or owner, your own job is your belongings and your records. Take photos, move items to dry ground and check whether renters or condo insurance applies. Thick timber and masonry dry slowly, so expect equipment to stay for a while. Building managers will normally choose the contractor for common areas, but you can still ask for moisture readings that affect your own space.

In older parts of cities, combined sewers can carry both stormwater and sewage. ^[6] When heavy rain overloads a system like this, a floor drain in a low cellar can back up. Water coming up through a drain should be treated as contaminated and handled through the sewage backup process. Contact the city's public works department if you suspect the main is involved, and keep notes on the date and time.

Check also where your downspouts discharge. In a dense neighborhood, roof water sent onto a narrow side yard may end up against your foundation or your neighbor's. Extending a downspout or fixing a low spot in the side yard can do as much for a damp cellar as anything inside. Ask the city before connecting anything to a storm drain or sewer line.

Back to all of New Hampshire. Nearby pages: Concord, Keene, Laconia, Lebanon and Hanover, Nashua, Portsmouth.

Related help for Manchester: water extraction, structural drying, sewage backup cleanup, fire damage restoration and smoke damage cleanup. First time dealing with this? Read the first hours after water damage.