water damage?

[FishAddict]

any ideas on how to prevent water damage? a ten gallon of mine got cracked about an hour ago and i lost abut 4 gal. on the floor. it is a basement so it isnt as bad as it could be but it still leaked on carpet that has a pad under it so i was wondering if anyone had some helpful tips on how to get all the water out of the carpet to prevent mold in the future.

 

[QTOFFER]

I witnessed a dropped 5 gal water bottle once at work - completely soaked an 8 x 8 area!

For now, soak up as much water as you can with bath/beach towels. Keep changing the towels as they get wet.
Then dry the carpet as best you can by running fans, a space heater, and a dehumidifier - if you have all three appliances. If not, run as many of these as you have overnight.

Since it's in the basement, you might want to contact a professional. They will come in with strong fans and heaters. It shouldn't be expensive given the relatively small amount of water spilled, but it will certainly be lots less expensive than replacing the whole carpet should it grow mildew.

Good luck!

BTW, did the tank have fish? Were you able to relocate them?

 

[FishAddict]

it had some feeders and a crayfish. the crayfish is going to have to deal with living in a bucket for 24-48 hours and the feeders went into the cichlid and turtle tank. thanks for the help.

 

[happygirl65]

If you have or can rent a carpet shampooer they are made to extract a large amount of water....

I had a flood on my carpet once and the only way to prevent mold on the pad was to pull the carpet and pad up off the tack strip and put a large fan underneath it so it would dry completely.

With a 4 gallon leak, I would look into renting a carpet water extractor, or a "rug doctor" carpet shampooer at least. It would be well worth it if you are not able to pull up the carpet without extensive efforts.

Good luck!