How to dry carpeted floor after water leak?

[James]

A dripping accident cause maybe two or three gallons of water to leak out of a second floor bathroom into the carpeted floor outside, which in turn soaked through and created two round stains (about 3 inches diameter) in the ceiling below.

I dried the carpet with a carpet "steamer" (sucks out 1.5 gallon of water) and a fan. Then I peeled open the carpet at the bathroom entrance and blew air under the carpet cushion, which along with the floor board is still moist. There is also some white powdery stuff on some of the floor board, which I think is rot. There is no decayed wood.

What else can I do to dry the area? I don't think it warrants ripping open the carpet and cutting a hole in the floor board since it is a one time problem. Is there a less drastic way to dry the area under the floorboard?

[Steve]

"James" wrote on 30 Jan 2008 in group alt.home.repair:

You're doing fine; just keep the fan blowing for a few more days. The inside of the floor/ceiling will dry over the next few weeks. You can run your heater a little warmer if you like.

I would replace the padding that got wet. Some varieties tend to degrade when they get wet. For some reason, it's usually the little black chunks that fall apart. A carpet store might just give you a scrap piece.

Give the ceiling below a month to dry. Cover the spots with a sealing primer. Sand the primer lightly to feather the edges. Paint the ceiling.

The white powder could be lots of things, but it's likely dirt that sifted through the carpet. If the wood seems good and solid, just clean it up and let it dry.

[hallerb]

heat the room up to say 90 degrees, leave fan run.

uncomfy but that will speed drying a lot

[RobertPatrick]

"James" wrote in news:47a00c78$0$26022$ [e-mail]:

If you have a dehumidifier, then use that.