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| Thread ID: 59729 | 2005-07-11 06:24:00 | dry wet carpet | heni72847 (1166) | PC World Chat |
| Post ID | Timestamp | Content | User | ||
| 371191 | 2005-07-11 11:40:00 | Heni, I was a qualified Wools of NZ Woolcare Technician in a previous life :) Do NOT use hot air. Dry carpet with cool air and use a dehumidifier to remove the moisture from the air. Hot air will cause cellulosic browning (brown out) and result in a lovely brown water mark. If the carpet is on underlay, then I'm afraid you'll have to lift it and remove it. Underlay acts like a sponge and you'll never suck the water up from under the carpet. The underlay can be dried by hanging over a fence in the sun. Hopefully your carpet is installed on smoothedge (carpet gripper). If so it is a simple matter of lifting the carpet in a corner and then peeling it up around the edges. If it is directly glued to the floor then you'll have to extract as much water as you can and use your dehumidifier. Closing off the affected room (if possible) will help the dehumidifier. BTW, leaving wet carpet down will result in a rather nasty smell in a few days and a nice mushroom crop in a week or two. Best to sort it right now. Good Luck!! |
Sb0h (3744) | ||
| 371192 | 2005-07-12 12:20:00 | yes..i can kinda..smell the ..er..werid smell.. um..might consider ripping up the carpet if it's necessary..seriously duno how though.. coz .. if things start growing..then..it can get rather serious.. about taking off the carpet..can i actually do it myself? or hav to pay someone to do it.. and is there a way to find what kind of wood is used underneath? |
heni72847 (1166) | ||
| 371193 | 2005-07-12 22:23:00 | about taking off the carpet..can i actually do it myself? or hav to pay someone to do it.. and is there a way to find what kind of wood is used underneath? If you are not insured you will have to assess the relative merits of taking it up yourself versus using professionals. Your net losses may be greater if you do it yourself though, so consider carefully. A full recarpet could be the outcome if you stuff it up. To find what wood is underneath, lift one corner of the carpet, or go look from underneath the house. I assume you are considering the option of abandoning carpet for a polyurethaned surface, and if so, I hope it isn't particleboard (how old is the house?) because that could be stuffed by now if you have left the wet carpet down while you decide what to do. Once the wood chips swell they break their glue bonds and the floor surface becomes soft and much weaker. You won't fall through it unless it gets wet on a regular basis, but you can no longer sand and seal it to an adequate finish or produce a durable surface. It is best to ask professionals when disasters happen, you could get lucky asking a computer forum for help, but the chances are not good. If you are a tenant, you had better let the landlord know, you may be liable for the cost of any repairs if the damage was caused by your negligence. You didn't say how it happened???? Cheers Billy 8-{) |
Billy T (70) | ||
| 371194 | 2005-07-12 22:44:00 | yes..i can kinda..smell the ..er..werid smell.. um..might consider ripping up the carpet if it's necessary..seriously duno how though.. coz .. if things start growing..then..it can get rather serious.. about taking off the carpet..can i actually do it myself? or hav to pay someone to do it.. and is there a way to find what kind of wood is used underneath? If the carpet has been put down with turn and tack method it is somewhat odious to do,but if on smoothedge then very easy,just push with your foot to-wards a corner and bobs your uncle. I told you some days ago what to do,so get on with it lad and no more procrastination. |
Cicero (40) | ||
| 371195 | 2005-07-13 02:55:00 | thanx for the replys been drying it out quiet a bit past few days already.. got a friend who's a builder to have a look he thinks the only way to dry it now is open window and dehumidifier.. it has gotten rather dry now..and smell gone a little..and no lifting the carpet is needed he said.. he's suggesting that it's not wood underneath..but just concreate and um..this house is just over a decade old i think probably 12-15 years old how..commercial dehumidifier..hirepool i guess.. |
heni72847 (1166) | ||
| 371196 | 2005-07-13 04:06:00 | thanx for the replys been drying it out quiet a bit past few days already . . got a friend who's a builder to have a look he thinks the only way to dry it now is open window and dehumidifier . . it has gotten rather dry now . . and smell gone a little . . and no lifting the carpet is needed he said . . he's suggesting that it's not wood underneath . . but just concreate and um . . this house is just over a decade old i think probably 12-15 years old how . . commercial dehumidifier . . hirepool i guess . . Your builder mate is right, open windows, etc, for airflow . Others who have given advice not to use heater are also right . Force drying will do more damage than good . You can hire air blowers that are specifically made for drying flooring/floors . Did you or your builder mate confirm that the carpet is laid over a slab, in all areas of the house? You need to actually look, your're going to have to lift the carpet to dry the underlay and carpet backing . If there is any particle board flooring, it will be stuffed in a relatively short period of time if it remains damp . Can you explain/describe the floor/subfloor construction a little more? You also need to be aware of the consequences of not treating the carpet and any other construction material appropriatly (if the carpet is wet, there will also be water under the bottom wall plates) . One consequence may be the growth of Stachybotrus atra, which is a sweet tooth fungi that just loves cellulose rich material, that is, carpet backing, Gib board paper and fibre cement sheet . Despite being a soft rot (like) species, this fungi' main claim to fame is the production of mycotoxins that can cause serious health issues in susceptible individuals . While there is much misinformation about so called toxic moalds, most of it scaremongering, you really don't want this one thriving in you home . BTW, ironically, S atra is usually safe while growing and therefore damp (I won't bother explaining) . I've never been affected by it but, people I know claim to have had severe health issues following contact . |
Murray P (44) | ||
| 371197 | 2005-07-14 03:19:00 | most of carpet pretty dry now but the smell is still there is there something to get rid of the smell? or do i only have to air out room and wait and evendually it will go away? |
heni72847 (1166) | ||
| 371198 | 2005-07-14 03:54:00 | What sort of smell, is it a slightly acrid sharp smell . If so it's probably the underlay degrading . If it's a musty smell, read my previous post . One way to help alleviate the smell is to ensure everything is properly dried . In either case, the issue is not remediated just because the surface of the carpet is superficially dry . Even if the fllor is a concrete slab, it can hold a great deal of excess moisture, it will hold that moisture for a very long time unless it is exposed to some form of ventilation, attemting air drying the slab through the carpet is not effecient . The concrete won't come to much harm, but any organic based or otherwise susceptible material will be most likely suffer harm, wall framing, MDF skirting, underlay and carpet being among a few . Have you got access to a moisture meter? |
Murray P (44) | ||
| 371199 | 2005-07-14 05:32:00 | moisture meter..no.. but my dehumidifier reading of relative humility has dropped but that's just for the air..above carpet and all..so.yea.. not good with describing smells..um.. smell kinda gone with all windows open.. but it just smells like..something wet and not dried for a few days..duh.. um..there is this bad odor to it um..the moisture meter what it exactly can it do should i go get one? |
heni72847 (1166) | ||
| 371200 | 2005-07-14 08:29:00 | Smell is an by-product of and therefore an indication of boidegeneration or chemical alteration (by bacteria, fungi & leaching), something is going on, you may not like what that is, but you don't know because you haven't looked (lifted carpet), at this early stage things may not be visible to the naked eye, but presence of excessive moisture will give you a pretty good idea . Get a moisture meter for a one off job? No, a decent one will empty a chunk out of your wallet . Does your builder mate have one or the local timber/builders suppliers? RH of the air while often a good indicator of problems is not necessarilly an indicator of moisture content in materials, especially ones not directly exposed to the air (ie, relying on diffusion) . |
Murray P (44) | ||
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