Hi, We are dealing with an issue similar to this one, only the HVAC closet is on the ground floor - the lines were cloged and the emergency line was also not working. The water not only backed up to the pan, but also drained into the pedestal box and one of the HVAC lines that hung below the unit. In our experience, it is never a good thing to have the AC off. Regardless of how dry it seems, mold can grow in humid areas. I would recommed you get the pan installed and have your HVAC guy out to keep it running. In the meantime, I agree with another posting on getting the dehumidifier in. Regarding the insurance company. They are basically trying to save the company money only and do not have your best interest at heart. I haven't heard of any insurance company painting whole rooms or casing not damaged by the incident. In your case, it might be better just to either do the rest yourself or have whomever painting finish the rest - via an additional quote - so you know exactly what they want to charge. I hope you get good sincere workers in there. On another note, the home we are working on also had window leaks. Everything went unchecked and the maintenance person that did painting and caulking simply covered and filled rot up. The house now has primary and secondary termite colonies, not something to take lightely and a true lesson for the absentee owners (vacation home). I would seriously think about visiting your vacant home periodically - make sure your windows are not leaking, weather stripping on doors is in good shape, your HVAC will need monitoring. You will also want to think about a few other things. When a house is vacant, the sewer line does not get flushed out - there's a trap (elbow) at each fixture - sink, toilet, tub, etc. I believe this would be the case with your own septic system, so please ignore if you are on some city or county sytem (unless someone corrects me there). To continue, your best bet is to flush the toilets and run water in your sinks and tubs - not for long, just a few seconds. It just simply puts water back in the elbow, preventing sewer gases from coming into the house. Prevention can go along way. As they say, "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" Good luck, I hope you can sell. Remember curb appeal also - make sure the yard is taken care of - it does go along way and when someone stops by if they see its taken care of outside, they will assume it has been inside. Small details will also get noticed. Go room by room and just check small details, do cabinet and regular doors hang and shut correctly, what about drawers - these are things that people will look at, minor yes but if they can't pull apart your house, it may satisfy them with what they see first hand. Another HVAC tip - even though the house is not getting used, make sure to change the filters. You could get the reusable ones or just use the paper ones. At our house we purchased reusable and vacum and then rinse the extra dust out (they have a plastic frame with washable screen). Check around the perimiter of your home outside also - keep it clear. If there's a moisture issue, try and get it diverted or fixed, termites love moisture. Well, hopefully I have been helpful. - Rachael

Hi, The gasket you describe is pretty standard it is placed between the tub and overflow pipe with the tappered side up. If the overflow doesn't leak when you run water into it then let sleeping dogs lay and rest easy if it leaks then change the gasket. Good Luck Woodbutcher

Purolite C-100E resin, you need a backwash rate of 3 gallons/minute/sqft at 40 deg F, 5 at 50 deg F, 5.8 at 68 deg F. This translates to 1.6 gpm at 40 deg F, 2.5 gpm at 50 deg F, 3.2 gpm at 68 deg F. At 2.4 GPM, you should be getting about 4.4 gpm/sqft. If you are only getting 33% bed expansion, either your water is warm or there is a clog somewhere and you are not actually getting the correct flow rate. Measure the temperature of the backwash water. If it is above 50 deg F then you need a larger DLFC. If it is below, then you likely have an obstruction somewhere.

I've never had to deal with septic so I'm not qualified to comment, other than to say showers, washing machines, and toilets put more flow into a septic system than a dw so I wouldn't suspect it's the culprit. There's just a couple other things you can try in order to narrow your search. Unscrew the cap from the airgap and put a small glass over it (a champagne flute works well) and run a drain cycle. The water should drain out as fast as it comes in and not build pressure in the glass. The other thing to try is fill the sink and then pull the stopper with the disposal running. The water should drain quickly, five gallons (assuming your sink holds that much) in about 17 seconds would indicate the disposal is draining properly.