I have oak flooring with 1 x 6 pine subfloor and a tar paper vapor barrier in between. A fish tank accident put about 20 gallons on my dining room floor and, consequently, in the basement. Woodshop in disarray, wailing of souls, gnashing of teeth. I mopped, vacuumed and towelled up as much as possible, cut slits in the tar paper and collected the water (no fish) in buckets. I have an oscillating fan in the basement, pointed at the subfloor. I have a dehumidifier in the basement, a ceiling fan in the dining room, and the central AC on, letting it cycle normally at 70 degrees. An area about the width of the dining room by 4 feet is starting to show some cup in the boards, 2 days later. One of the HVAC air returns is in the dining room floor, exposing the edges of some of the effected floor boards. I have just started covering that in hopes that the suction, albeit small, will pull some air between the floor and subfloor. I am not entirely sold on this idea.
Is there anything else I should be doing? How likely is it that I will need to refinish the floor? That I will develop unsightly gaps between my boards? What are my odds of growing an interesting biological experiment within my dining room floor? Never try this at (your own) home kids.
Scott
Replies
WHAT ABOUT THE FISH???????????
Seems that you did all you could have done at the time and then some.
Will you have to refinish, time will tell but you seem to have acted quick enough.
Now what about them there fish?
Gabe
Heat lamps would be another possibility (or big mirrors to direct in the sunlight :-) ). But be really careful with heat lamps. If they tip over and touch something, they can start a fire.
Personally, I wouldn't do any more than you have (if that much).
I would guess (and hope) that the cupping you are seeing is a transient effect. Because one side of the floorboards got wetter than the other. As things equilibrate and generally dry out, they'll most likely settle down. I've seen house where bad crawlspace moisture would seasonally cause cupping (enough to tip the piano!) and then settle down again in the dry season.
Yes, what happened to the fish?
David Thomas Overlooking Cook Inlet in Kenai, Alaska
To all those expressing their concern for the fish - Most stayed in the 2" of water that saw fit to remain in the tank. I know of only 1 fish that went for a ride in the siphon tube, found that one on my workbench :( The tank is now empty and stored for the summer. The fish are out back in the pond. They are fancy guppies, so any loses are quickly replaced.
Not that you probably hav'nt considered it already but your homeowners insurance should cover the damage if you have to refinish or replace, just a reminder.
Doug
Oh Pleeeze....
Damn fish were only worth $1.98 each and why would you want to refinish them?
Gabe
Gabe
It depends on how you refinish the fish.
I find that removing the old skin and aplying a new one made with a corn meal batter is very nice. Then you apply hot oil to set the new finish.
Bill,
I find it too painful to apply the hot oil and prefer to dip the fish into it to ensure a proper refinish that will last to the end of the meal.
Gabe
Instead of re-finishing them, how about covering them up with some fishscale siding???
Health nuts are going to feel stupid someday, lying in hospitals dying of nothing.
Naw, you'd have to use expensive stainless steel nails so that they wouldn't rust.
Hot dipped is still the best.
Gabe
I saw a guy on TV pound a nail into a fish just the other day! OK...it wasn't a nail....it was an air needle....you know....like for blowing up a basketball.
And this wasn't "fish torture TV" either. The guy was a fish commission dude......this was at some fishing tourny........he was letting the "air" outta the fishes ballast chamber. Said the nitrogen that balances them at whatever depth they were caught get's trapped in...puffs then up...and doesn't dissipate quick enough to let them swim back down deep when released.
He showed the exact spot to do it....picked a few scales off.....then just popped the needle in...and you could hear the gas escaping! After a little bit....it was done....he pulled the needle out and let the fish swim away.
I have never heard of such a thing. But I never fished a tournament either. Looked very odd...but the fish seemed happy...and I guess that's all the matters! Hate to have a gassy fish on my hands. Jeff "That's like hypnotizing chickens........."
Jeff,
Do you remember the kind of fish it was?
Typically largemouth bass out here are caught in less than a few feet of water and smallies are in less than 15 ft.
Walleyes will be deep sometimes and so will lakers but I've never seen anything like you describe.
interesting.....
Gabe
it was some kinda bass. Couldn't tell wide or small as the camera was on it's side...where the hole was poked.
Looked like something you'd go to jail for! Jeff Genius has it's limits.....but stupidity knows no bounds
If you're still set on having a fish tank in the dining room, it might be time to consider a REALLY BIG ONE with a solid stand to cover up your messed up floor. Then if it happens again, so what? Then right before you sell the house, you pull up the floor and put in wall to wall carpet.
If you're sick of fish, maybe an area rug is in order. Formal dining rooms typically have an oriental rug. Contemporary, with a fish tank on top, would do nicely with a sea grass rug! How perfect!
And I can imagine plenty of ways to get 20 gallons of water on the floor without draining the level enough to effect your fish. How big an aquarium is it? Was it a pump or filter failure? Salt or fresh?
Either way, I'm sorry about the flood. That's a real bummer. Do you think your drying efforts might be compromised by the evaporation from the tank now? My husband's 70 gallon in the damp basement is a big source of moisture, and exasperation for me, I can tell you. It's fighting it out with the dehumidifier 24 hours a day. I thought I was clever to just pour the water out of the dehumidifier back into the tank, but he made me stop because he thought it would have bacteria in it. Yeah, but no chlorine! If it was attractive it would be one thing. But it's 70 gallons of water, about 6 gallons of algae and 2 tiny tetras. It's just dumb.
I hope your aquarium is worthy of your wailing and gnashing.
B
So if you have to refinish the floor no biggie....stain it a light green.It's not who's right, it's who's left ~ http://CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM