Nike 94 Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 I'm here looking for help because my husband is seven time zones away. A child, now punished, plugged up the drain in our shower stall upstairs resulting in a flooded bathroom, 1/2 inch of water on the floor, and about 2 gallons of water flowing out of the canister light in the kitchen, which is apparently installed right under the shower unit. Other than letting the whole mess dry out, does anyone have any other suggestions? I don't want to pull out the canister while it's wet in case I damage the drywall cieling. But, I think I might need to look up there tomorrow or Thursday. Advice appreciated. Link to post Share on other sites
Vicki 11 Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 I feel your pain. Obviously you've manually dried the ceiling and floor above as best you can. My only other thought is if you have a couple of fans, point them at the wetness above and below and keep that air moving. Make sure you flip the circuit on that light fixture before you touch it. Good luck! Vicki Link to post Share on other sites
ScoutMomSD 10 Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 believe it or not this happened to me. My daughter has hermit crabs in a tank with sand in their upstairs bathroom. It is between two sinks. The sand from the crabs was rinsed into one side and my son left the water on. I work at home and went into my living room and the water was like you said, cascading through the light fixture onto our living room floor. This was about 90 minutes after the kids left so there was about an inch in this bathroom and quite a bit in the hall as well as two rooms surrounding it. We have a carpet cleaner we use regularly who also does flood damage so basically I did a 911 call to them. here is what they do: they brought their equipment that sucks water up for the excess water - then they pulled back the carpet and brought in I believe 4 large fans which were there I think 4 days. NOTE we are in an area that has basically NO humidity so it dried pretty quick. If we hadnt done this we would probably have lost our ceiling as the drywall was bulged - you can still see the seams downstairs even now. note - it cost around $700 I believe - luckily I am in a barter network and only a portion was in cash. check into carpet cleaning/flood management services. If you are in areas that routinely flood (I noticed it is southeast) there should be plenty of these. Link to post Share on other sites
packsaddle 753 Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 Been there, done that...twice now. I wish I could blame it on children but...the wife did it both times. I just smile and extend the credit card for a new ceiling each time. Sorry, if the dry wall is soaked and warps under its own weight, you'll have to replace the ceiling. The light can is either going to work or not. It might rust. I try not to think about it too much. Sorry. If this is the first time, you might get lucky and it will dry out quickly without sagging - a little touchup paint and you're fine. Link to post Share on other sites
Gunny2862 11 Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 After flipping the circuit breaker to turn off that light, if there is a cover on it, then remove the cover and aim a fan into the opening to blow air up into the surrounding area and dry out the can and any area the air can get blown into around it. The less time the can and the wiring are exposed to the water the better. Also if there is overhead access between the floors open that and start a fan or dehumidifier in that area also. Also either opening the house, in a low humidity area and running a fan to ventilate the house or alternately, closing it and running a dehumidifier to assist the drywall in drying out before it sags (hopefully) may help. Either of these may help to dry it before any mold can start also. Man, doesn't it seem like this stuff always happens when the Bubba is out of the house? It always got the wife when I was out of town. Link to post Share on other sites
CA_Scouter 11 Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 "Water Cascading from my cieling" Dude, saw them in concert last night. They was RAD! ;-) Link to post Share on other sites
Nike 94 Posted October 2, 2008 Author Share Posted October 2, 2008 If only this was a rock concert. (My house is more like Ringling Bros. complete with animal acts.) Thank you all for your advice and encouragment. The area is drying, and the lights do still work. I'm not touching it, I've decided. Our AC is on, the fan is on, and luckily it has cooled down so I can open the windows now. I think it's going to be ok, but if not, I'll have my basement guy fix it when he does the basement bath in the next month of so. Link to post Share on other sites
scoutldr 739 Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 If water infiltrated into the space between the floor/ceiling, you may have to "open up" the drywall to get it dry...otherwise mold can grow and cause problems down the road. Most homeowners insurance now excludes mold damage, so it's important to prevent it now. Your insurance may cover water damage now...but not mold damage later. Link to post Share on other sites
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