Basement flood question re: drywall & insulation

[diybeginner]

I live in southern Wisconsin and just had 18" of backed up storm water in my basement (not sewage thankfully). Aside from all the appliances that need replacing I have a question about the drywall & insulation in the finished portion of the basement. The wet sheet rock had to be cut and pulled out about 30" from the floor. ALL the insulation that was behind all of the sheet rock was pulled out since the wet part had compressed and then the insulation above it fell lower into the wall cavity and also got wet. The remaining sheet rock & studs appears to be drying out quite well now.

This "finished" part of the basement is no longer directly heated from the furnace and is only used for storage. Would it be a problem to just replace the removed sheet rock without bothering to replace the insulation?

[HayZee518]

the integrity of the basement temperature would be in jepardy if you didn't replace the insulation.

[diybeginner]

That "room" is open to the rest of the basement which just has exposed cinderblock basement walls. At one time that room must have been used as some kind of rec room & had ducts from the furnace that heated it but those were removed when the first and second floors of the house were heat zoned 7 years ago. During winter it is the same temperature as the rest of the basement.

[pushkins]

As long as it's not heated or cooled you can simply replace the drywall, if this room has a door make sure you leave it open to the remainder of the basement to allow uniform air flow.
You might want to leave a small courtesy note on the inside of a closet down there reminding any future owners that no insulation is behind that drywall, Ive seen way too many times people seeing drywall and assuming that insulation is present.

[Drywall DIY Guy]

Basement Water Damage

Yes, you can leave uninsulated, although if you get another flood, you will have to tear out the drywall again regardless of whether or not you have insulation - otherwise you risk mold setting in. Personally, I would run a dehumidifier (or AC) and seal it off good in the summer if I were using it for storage - otherwise the cool surfaces could start condensing moisture. For info on repairing basement damaged drywall, see How To Repair Drywall With Water Damage or Mildew

[HandymanCincy]

Prevent Basement Flooding

One of things to consider while cleaning up from a basement that has flooded is prevention from the occurrence again. One of the main culprits in basement water is the sump. When sump pumps fail or the electricity goes out, water from a rain storm backs up and has no where to go. Battery backup sump pumps are a cheap insurance policy to eliminate this risk.