Topic: Flood

[Simon]

I did a silly thing last night.  Forgot I'd left a bath running and flooded the bathroom.  Managed to scoop some of the water up with a dustpan and mopped the rest up with towels.  Luckily it doesn't seem to have gone through to underneath as the bathroom flooring is that 'cushioned' lino stuff (not sure what it's called), which is sealed all the way round. 

The trouble is, it escaped under the bathroom door and about two or three square feet into the hall carpet.  I managed to dry off most of the carpet with towels, and went out and bought one of those Vax machines which sucked out quite a bit of moisture.  The carpet itself now seems mostly dry, but the underlay is still damp, and so is the concrete underneath.  Looking on the internet is a bit like looking up symptoms of health issues, as most things I've found seem to be warning of dire consequences should I not get the professionals in, and practically have the place rebuilt.  Do I need to worry or will it just dry out by itself in time?

[daveeb]

I did a silly thing last night.  Forgot I'd left a bath running and flooded the bathroom.  Managed to scoop some of the water up with a dustpan and mopped the rest up with towels.  Luckily it doesn't seem to have gone through to underneath as the bathroom flooring is that 'cushioned' lino stuff (not sure what it's called), which is sealed all the way round. 

The trouble is, it escaped under the bathroom door and about two or three square feet into the hall carpet.  I managed to dry off most of the carpet with towels, and went out and bought one of those Vax machines which sucked out quite a bit of moisture.  The carpet itself now seems mostly dry, but the underlay is still damp, and so is the concrete underneath.  Looking on the internet is a bit like looking up symptoms of health issues, as most things I've found seem to be warning of dire consequences should I not get the professionals in, and practically have the place rebuilt.  Do I need to worry or will it just dry out by itself in time?

I'd say crank the central heating up for a few days and you should be fine. Are you able to turn back the carpet in the affected area to let the moisture escape ?

[Simon]

I'd say crank the central heating up for a few days and you should be fine. Are you able to turn back the carpet in the affected area to let the moisture escape ?

Yes, I have turned back the carpet and underlay to expose the concrete, but I can't leave it like that all the time as I've got a lad with special needs and it's a trip hazard.  That said, he's out today so I do have the carpet turned back, but it's a question of only being able to do that when it's practical.  I may get a fan heater and try that when the carpet is up.  Unfortunately, it's in a hallway, and there's no windows in that part of the hall, otherwise I could have benefited from the sunshine.

[GillE]

Could you place an old tea towel between the carpet and an iron and gently steam the moisture away?  I've never tried to do it myself but perhaps it's worth a try? 

[Simon]

Thanks Gill.  The carpet itself is more or less dry now, but I pulled it up again today and discovered that the water had got into the bedroom as well.    I've had a couple of fan heaters directed at the concrete all day.  Only thing is, one of the heaters packed up after a few hours.  I probably shouldn't have plugged both into one extension lead, but unfortunately there isn't a mains plug socket where I need it.  Still, the other one is still going and although the room is baking hot, even with the window open, the underfloor seems to be drying out nicely.  I will need to replace the carpet tonight, but I'm going put newspaper between the concrete and the carpet - that way, if the newspaper stays dry, I'll know the concrete is dry, but if it gets damp, at least it will be soaking up the moisture from the concrete.  I'm hopeful that the water didn't get too deeply into the underfloor, and that things will be sorted in a couple of days.