fishroom spill

Mr.Firemouth · 01/07/2007, 06:57 PM

Just the other day I posted on a thread about a fishroom build that I didn't install a floor drain in the fishroom. Call it Karma or Jinx. I was changing water today and was at the point of refilling. I just filled the 55 and was filling the 75 when I fell alseep in my chair.( I use on of those high back rolling office chairs from OfficeMax) When I woke up I was sitting in 2" of water!

I FREAKED!!!! I ran out of the room and hit the breakers and fell heading to the sink!(because I didn't install a sink in the fishroom either!!!) I turned off the water and grabbed the wet vac! After 2 dumps it was time for towels! The whole family helped with this one!!! You got to love how a 6 year old can get behind the tank!!!!

So how do you get the water out from under the baseboards and the stands?
LEAFBLOWER!!!!
Wow, there was alot of water!
Everything is dry now. Wall board is green board! Dehumidifier is on max!
Humidity on gauge is 50%. I would say the room is dry.

I just can't believe that I fell asleep sitting in front of the tank like that! At least I didn't get electrocuted!

I'm so proud of my family jumping in there and helping! They did a great job!

mpcart · 01/07/2007, 07:27 PM

Wow, sorry to hear that - I guess my thread did jinx you. Although, I'm feeling pretty good about my decision to put the sink and drain in.

When I flooded our living room with about 15 gallons of water all I did was pull up the carpet and pad and run some fans for a couple days. I didn't really worry about the small amount that got to the baseboards.

-Mike

PRESTO2345 · 01/07/2007, 07:30 PM

That really sucks!!!

Dert42 · 01/07/2007, 08:20 PM

you might want to consider removing the baseboards...

when our office flooded from a fire sprinkler, the professional water damage company took off all the baseboards and ran super de-humidfiers.
they said if you left the baseboards on the water would be stuck in there.

Mr.Firemouth · 01/07/2007, 08:51 PM

Yeah, That's why I blew the leafblower there until no more water came out and the wood was dry. I don't want any mold. Thank God it wasn't summertime! I would of had mold by morning with the heat and humidity. I learned the leaf blower trick about 10 years ago. It is like a super hair dryer. A tip to remember!

StephNewman · 01/07/2007, 09:08 PM

My sump cracked today, I'm not sure how many gallons I lost, I had about 5 ceiling tiles in the basement destroyed by the water, the water seemed to have seeped through the floor cracks. After getting the basement cleaned up, removing the tank from under the stand and wiping the stand down my last concern is the carpet and floor under the stand (all the water remained under the stand (not one wet spot on the main floor carpet around the stand. There is no way to move the stand to get under it, what should I do?

Mr.Firemouth · 01/08/2007, 08:14 AM

The carpet and padding have a high chance of molding. I remove mold for employment. I would drain the main tank into plastic trash cans and move the stand then remove the carpet and pad and either dry it out or replace.

You could also try to dry the carpet under the stand by heating the floor underneath. However water + heat = mold. I am not sure if the pad would dry or not. If it was me, I would probably move the tank repair the water damage carpet and set everything back up. That is why I try to set the tanks on ceramic floor tiles. The grout lines allow air to go under the stand base.

I have used 3/4" plywood and then ceramic floor tiles as a base for the stand to sit on. I really don't like tanks on carpet. The weight crushes the carpet and pad so if you move the tank a year later there is a spot/indent in the carpet and you can always see the stains after the tank is moved or taken down from spills.
Also, The pad almost always molds from spills after the carpet dries in homes with tanks on the carpet.

I used to run a maintenance company in Chicago years back before I moved here and seen alot of stuff from people and tanks.
I even saw a 240g make a 3rd story floor collapse 4 days after it was installed. A lfs owner sent me over there to see if there was anything I could do. I called him back and told him he was crazy! Everything was destroyed.

StephNewman · 01/08/2007, 09:12 PM

Mr.Firemouth- do you suggest cutting out the carpet where the stand is and placing the 3/4" plywood and tile flat on the wood flooring? Should I have the plywood and tiling larger than the stand surface or can I make it just smae size as stand so the carpet still comes up to stand. If Carpet should not surround stand how much plywood and tiling should I have extra from the stand?

Mr.Firemouth · 01/08/2007, 10:17 PM

PM sent

01/07/2007, 06:57 PM	#1
Mr.Firemouth Moved On Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: St.Louis area Posts: 180	fishroom spill Just the other day I posted on a thread about a fishroom build that I didn't install a floor drain in the fishroom. Call it Karma or Jinx. I was changing water today and was at the point of refilling. I just filled the 55 and was filling the 75 when I fell alseep in my chair.( I use on of those high back rolling office chairs from OfficeMax) When I woke up I was sitting in 2" of water! I FREAKED!!!! I ran out of the room and hit the breakers and fell heading to the sink!(because I didn't install a sink in the fishroom either!!!) I turned off the water and grabbed the wet vac! After 2 dumps it was time for towels! The whole family helped with this one!!! You got to love how a 6 year old can get behind the tank!!!! So how do you get the water out from under the baseboards and the stands? LEAFBLOWER!!!! Wow, there was alot of water! Everything is dry now. Wall board is green board! Dehumidifier is on max! Humidity on gauge is 50%. I would say the room is dry. I just can't believe that I fell asleep sitting in front of the tank like that! At least I didn't get electrocuted! I'm so proud of my family jumping in there and helping! They did a great job!

01/07/2007, 08:20 PM	#4
Dert42 Premium Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Wentzville, MO Posts: 1,356	you might want to consider removing the baseboards... when our office flooded from a fire sprinkler, the professional water damage company took off all the baseboards and ran super de-humidfiers. they said if you left the baseboards on the water would be stuck in there. __________________ if($saltwatertank =='yes') { $bankaccount--; } Current Tank Info: 175g bowfront, bunch of fish, bunch of coral and a 29g sump

01/07/2007, 07:27 PM	#2
mpcart Premium Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: O'Fallon, IL Posts: 1,373	Wow, sorry to hear that - I guess my thread did jinx you. Although, I'm feeling pretty good about my decision to put the sink and drain in. When I flooded our living room with about 15 gallons of water all I did was pull up the carpet and pad and run some fans for a couple days. I didn't really worry about the small amount that got to the baseboards. -Mike

01/07/2007, 07:30 PM	#3
PRESTO2345 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Aroma Park, IL Posts: 407	That really sucks!!!

01/07/2007, 08:51 PM	#5
Mr.Firemouth Moved On Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: St.Louis area Posts: 180	Yeah, That's why I blew the leafblower there until no more water came out and the wood was dry. I don't want any mold. Thank God it wasn't summertime! I would of had mold by morning with the heat and humidity. I learned the leaf blower trick about 10 years ago. It is like a super hair dryer. A tip to remember!

01/07/2007, 09:08 PM	#6
StephNewman Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Arnold, Mo Posts: 1,364	My sump cracked today, I'm not sure how many gallons I lost, I had about 5 ceiling tiles in the basement destroyed by the water, the water seemed to have seeped through the floor cracks. After getting the basement cleaned up, removing the tank from under the stand and wiping the stand down my last concern is the carpet and floor under the stand (all the water remained under the stand (not one wet spot on the main floor carpet around the stand. There is no way to move the stand to get under it, what should I do?

01/08/2007, 08:14 AM	#7
Mr.Firemouth Moved On Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: St.Louis area Posts: 180	The carpet and padding have a high chance of molding. I remove mold for employment. I would drain the main tank into plastic trash cans and move the stand then remove the carpet and pad and either dry it out or replace. You could also try to dry the carpet under the stand by heating the floor underneath. However water + heat = mold. I am not sure if the pad would dry or not. If it was me, I would probably move the tank repair the water damage carpet and set everything back up. That is why I try to set the tanks on ceramic floor tiles. The grout lines allow air to go under the stand base. I have used 3/4" plywood and then ceramic floor tiles as a base for the stand to sit on. I really don't like tanks on carpet. The weight crushes the carpet and pad so if you move the tank a year later there is a spot/indent in the carpet and you can always see the stains after the tank is moved or taken down from spills. Also, The pad almost always molds from spills after the carpet dries in homes with tanks on the carpet. I used to run a maintenance company in Chicago years back before I moved here and seen alot of stuff from people and tanks. I even saw a 240g make a 3rd story floor collapse 4 days after it was installed. A lfs owner sent me over there to see if there was anything I could do. I called him back and told him he was crazy! Everything was destroyed.

01/08/2007, 09:12 PM	#8
StephNewman Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Arnold, Mo Posts: 1,364	Mr.Firemouth- do you suggest cutting out the carpet where the stand is and placing the 3/4" plywood and tile flat on the wood flooring? Should I have the plywood and tiling larger than the stand surface or can I make it just smae size as stand so the carpet still comes up to stand. If Carpet should not surround stand how much plywood and tiling should I have extra from the stand?

01/08/2007, 10:17 PM	#9
Mr.Firemouth Moved On Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: St.Louis area Posts: 180	PM sent