drying time

analogmusicman · 08-18-2011, 09:27 PM

so, my "fridge" sprung a leak. (actually the "ice-maker") which has been wetting the floor since last Christmas. (we noticed the carpet in the dining room felt damp)
finally had to take action this past week since my "assistant" got a shower as she passed the "fridge". so,I pulled out the "fridge" and yes,the water tube going to the ice-maker was rotted out so I replaced that.
now,the floor: pulled back the dining room carpet (it was soaked) and cut a 2'x2' hole in the kitchen floor to check the damage. everthing is wet and needs to be dried out. my question is "how long should that hole in the floor remain open to ensure everything is dried before I seal it up"?

tnx,

Ron6519 · 08-19-2011, 08:43 AM

The floor has been wet for 8 months. It will take a while to dry out. How long depends on how you're approaching the process.
Did you open the ceiling under the floor?
Are there fans going above and below?
Dehumidifier?
I'd give it at least a week, maybe more. I'd get a moisture meter and make sure it was dry before I buttoned it up.
They sell these water alarms that will let you know if there's a leak. Some are individual units, some are whole house systems that will actually turn the water off at the main if water hits the sensor. I put one in a customer's vacation house in upstate NY after frozen pipes burst and damaged the middle 1/3 of the house from top to bottom.
I liked it so much, I put one in my house. Cost about $900., but cheap insurance against $75,000 in water damage is there's an issue when you're on vacation or at work. Eight hours of gushing water can do some damage.