Accident!- Got Carpet Wet in Grow Closet- big problems?

Hey all,

Learning as I go on my first hydro grow, and unfortunately I (we) ran into some problems. My roommate was watching our new batch of clones while I was at work, and accidentally (long story, don't ask) spilled a few gallons of water onto the floor underneath my grow table, which is in my closet. The affected area is probably around 6 sq. ft.

I got home and noticed the problem, and we have been doing what we can since to dry the carpet- this includes towels and several fans on the affected area. We're making progress but I can't imagine the carpet is going to be very dry for another day or two...

These clones are young and freshly re-potted, but seem to be hanging in there under a 400w MH with just a bit of AN "No Shock" helping them- Temp @ 75 and Humidity at 40%... My question is this:

Could the general success of the grow be jeopardized because of the wet carpet underneath the growing area?

We will continue to do what we can to dry the area ASAP- but part of me is worried... any thoughts?

should be fine just keep it well ventilated and make sure no mold starts forming on the carpet.

its not the first spill ever and i doubt it will be the last lol. this is why we avoid carpet unless were confident, dont give a shit or theres nothing we can do. if the temp and humidity are still the same sounds prety good.

just think of it like this are plants outside always exposed to the sdame conditions?.. the answer no.. its onlygoing to be a mild shange and depending on setup the only biggest problem from hand i can think of i the amount of light thats leaking as your drying lol. this shouldnt make much differance either as its ionly for a short time lol.

you can go to some major super market and rent carpet cleaners

get one of those to suck up all the water and clean that place second

Buy/rent/borrow a good wet/dry shop vac & prob solved.

Awesome guys- wasn't sure if there would be serious concerns with mold, disease, etc. because of this. I think I can borrow a wet/dry vac from my work and take care of it tomorrow... some of the spot already feels better after a few hours of box fan action, so I'm starting to be positive about it... I appreciate everyone's help, if anyone else has something to add do feel free..

Cheers...

You might want to think about laying down a tarp after the carpet is good & dry. It will help reduce your clean up stress when it happens.
GWN

GWN- definitely. Obviously I probably should have done that in the first place... but like I said, learn as you go... it's still fun

Just to recap - ensure your carpet is bone dry before putting down a tarp or anything. It will mould if you trap moisture under it.
GWN

Yup yup, definitely... As I said it will probably be a couple days before the term "bone dry" starts to enter my mind, so you know... but again, thanks for your time and consideration!

No prob, have a nice evening & happy Thanksgiving.
GWN

Baby plants like the added humidity anyways so I wouldn't worry as long as you get it dried up asap to prevent any mold from forming.

put a good strong fan on it for a few days will help pull out the moisture

How long did the water have to soak into your carpet? The reason I ask is because its not just your carpet that you should be worried about. That might dry out, but your carpet pad underneath it could still be wet. If the padding is still wet, you might have to pull the carpet out of the tack strips, peel it back a bit, and then put some fans on it to dry it out. You may even have to replace some of the padding.

But if the water didn't have a lot of time to soak in, you'll probably be ok. Just keep an eye on it.

pokesalotasmot said:

How long did the water have to soak into your carpet? The reason I ask is because its not just your carpet that you should be worried about. That might dry out, but your carpet pad underneath it could still be wet. If the padding is still wet, you might have to pull the carpet out of the tack strips, peel it back a bit, and then put some fans on it to dry it out. You may even have to replace some of the padding.

But if the water didn't have a lot of time to soak in, you'll probably be ok. Just keep an eye on it.

Click to expand...

You're definitely right. I had to deal with a flooded basement in my first college house, and the worse part was the rank, damp padding underneath our flooded carpet...

It's difficult to say how long the water was soaking... my best guess is we're dealing with 5ish gallons that sat for an hour or 2 before I started hitting the spot with a fan.

It's pretty difficult to pull up the tacking on the carpet, as like I said, my babies are still in their planting trays on my grow table directly above the affected area, so I'm not sure how I would accomplish that without upsetting the plants... Just gonna have to keep on keepin' on! Thanks guys

However- should I be worried about problems in the future if the pad IS wet? I have an air intake that blows into the grow area, onto the affected floor space, but obviously not onto the pad. I can also keep fans on it throughout the grow- should actually help air circulation in general. What I'm worried about is having to deal with mold or disease in the future, during 12/12.... Or, if I keep the air circulating, will even a wet/damp pad be a non-issue?

Get a couple of bath towels, lay them on the wet area & walk on them for a bit. Do this with fresh towels until they don't absorb anymore moisture & then get a fan on the area. The moisture in the pad will come up through the carpet into the towel as you put pressure on it.
(I saw Vince do this with his shamwow)
GWN

A carpet will start to mildew after 6-12 hours of dampness. You'd be best off renting a rug doctor and thoroughly cleaning the area, taking extra care to get the carpet as dry as possible...that's where a lot of people mess up when they clean their carpets.