So just as things were progressing well again (I was planning to take pictures of the ceiling tiles and fake wood beam today,) I walk into the theater today and find wet carpet. The long story is that last week I had to turn off our humidifier because it was leaking due to a pad failure. Not only did I unplug it, but I turned off the valve that sends water to it. When I went in today there was a slow leak (1 drip every 2 seconds or so) that had turned into a lot of water over the course of the week.

Anyway, I spent the day using a carpet cleaner to suck up as much water as possible and then put out a box fan to get the air flowing. I was thinking of renting a dehumidifier tomorrow. I am also planning to buy a 5 pack of alarms (http://www.smarthome.com/7163p.html). Does anyone have any other suggestions?

Too bad, but it sounds like you got off on the minor damage side. Not sure if you can, but I would try to peal the carpet back from the corner/edge so that the pad under can dry as well. You may want to investigate a proper mold/fungus preventer and maybe a spray on deodorizer

Thanks for the reminder, I just had the carpet guy in last week to measure. I ordered a 5 pack myself, thanks for the tip.

Those alarms are a great idea, definitely going to order a 5pack too. I didn't even know they made anything like that, thanks for the heads up. :D

Well, I dug in a little deeper tonight and things were not pretty. we ending up pulling out all the carpet that was on the concrete and I had to take down a bunch of trim and linacoustic. I pulled out one of the step lights and felt inside the riser. the paper on the insulation was damp, but it did not appear that there was much water under there. I will let the dehumidifier run all night and see what it feels like in the morning. I might try to lift the whole riser up.

the worst part is that my spirit is broken. I think it will be a while before I am in the mood to redo all this stuff. it really sux because I was really making progress again. The good news is that it was just a water damage to the theater, the house is fine, the family is fine, etc. I just keep telling my wife "remember how you were with the [minor problems right before] wedding, well I have been planning my theater since I was 12 so its the same kind of thing."

I feel your pain. In my first house I was redoing a botched DIY basement room to make it "OUR ROOM". I had almost everything done, Built a bar in the corner, ripped out the cheap panel and did drywall etc. One night we had a big rainstorm and the next morning I found 1/2 inch of water in the room. I called and canceled the carpet we had scheduled to be installed by a local department store. The fix was easy, extend the downspouts.

But, my spirit was broken and we never did finish the room. We moved out of state a few months later and never turned back. I know my disappointment allowed me to consider an out of town job offer.

In computer rooms, we fasten 2"x 2" angle 28gauge to the floor underneath the air conditioner/ humidification system, making a box around the perimeter of the HVAC unit. Computer rooms are generally made with a raised floor 12" to 16" high and the HVAC equipment is downflowing, using this raised floor as a plenum(duct) for the air travel it is also used for the cabling. To reduce the chance of stray water shorting out the cabling , we seal the 2"x2" to the floor with cauliking and place the water detection sensors inside the boxed area. This allows the alarm to signal before catastrophe.

Bill

Works great unless servers are water cooled... ahh the good 'ole days of getting blown through a computer room floor thanks to a dangling power feed and a good water leak.

Oddest place for a computer room... Old movie theatre. No joke, I worked in one. Raised floor was 6 feet tall at one end... 4 inches at the other.

Sounds like you had a rough week, but you found the source and corrected it. Give it a few and continue with your project.

Well, I dug in a little deeper tonight and things were not pretty. we ending up pulling out all the carpet that was on the concrete and I had to take down a bunch of trim and linacoustic. I pulled out one of the step lights and felt inside the riser. the paper on the insulation was damp, but it did not appear that there was much water under there. I will let the dehumidifier run all night and see what it feels like in the morning. I might try to lift the whole riser up.

the worst part is that my spirit is broken. I think it will be a while before I am in the mood to redo all this stuff. it really sux because I was really making progress again. The good news is that it was just a water damage to the theater, the house is fine, the family is fine, etc. I just keep telling my wife "remember how you were with the [minor problems right before] wedding, well I have been planning my theater since I was 12 so its the same kind of thing."


Just be sure to expose EVERYTHING that got damp. Mold does not need a lot to start growing and once it is there is is a paint to get rid of properly. Mold when dry can lay dormant until there is enough moisture to allow it to continue growing. It can be a really health hazard so please take the time to make sure everything that got wet is cleaned properly or disposed accordingly.