basement carpet

[help]

Any kind of special padding I need under california berber carpet on a basement concrete floor? The carpet has a like rough shiny white backing that is stiff. The padding I have is a roll left from when they installed the california berber on our first floor, padding sticker says Mohawk P61 ½ 30 SY 12 0600. It looks like a bunch of different colors bound together. The basement floor is dry, I did the taping plastic down for

2 days and it was fine under it, no moisture. Is it better to stay away from carpet in a basement or is it ok to use? Thanks

[JoeSpareBedroom]

The basement won't be dry when the water heater loses it mind one day. Every now and then, someone posts a message here about how to handle a heavy, smelly wet piece of carpet in the basement. They sound like very sad people.

I'm just sayin'....

[Doug Miller]

That's why they make water heater overflow pans like this:

[help]

I realize that but no matter what floor goes in when that happens anyone would be sad, it's the wife that wants the carpet as we already have it so the cost is little to none. I wanted to put the fake wood down like Pergo the stuff I was looking at already has a backing that is made for concrete basement floor. So we were going to do about

20x20 in carpet for a TV area and the rest in the fake wood stuff. But I do worry about water, never had it happen yet, we built the house 5 years ago and the basement is very dry, the guy who did the drywall mudding said he had not done one were the mud dried so fas like it did here. So as of yet it's been dry. But like you say it may have a problem later but I guess if you want a finished basement you have to do something.

[JoeSpareBedroom]

Look at Miller's suggestion for an overflow pan. It's not a matter of *if* a water heater will melt down. It's a matter of *when*.

[Doug Miller]

You must buy cheap water heaters.

In 24 years of home ownership, I've never had a water heater "melt down" or even spring a tiny leak. That's never happened to my parents, either. Or to my wife's parents. Or to my brother. Or to my wife's brother. In fact, I don't know of *anyone* that's happened to.

Not to say it doesn't happen... but it's definitely not the universal catastrophe-in-waiting that you make it out to be, either.

[Joe]

my neighbor rented some special fans that go under the carpet from Home Depot when he had a basement flood and that seemed to dry out his rug so he didn't have to throw it out.

I was thinking about alternatives to putting a rug in the basement and was thinking of some of that rubber matting they use on playgrounds. Anyone every compare the cost of that compared to a rug?

[JoeSpareBedroom]

my neighbor rented some special fans that go under the carpet from Home Depot when he had a basement flood and that seemed to dry out his rug so he didn't have to throw it out.

I was thinking about alternatives to putting a rug in the basement and was thinking of some of that rubber matting they use on playgrounds. Anyone every compare the cost of that compared to a rug?

==============

They even make that stuff in sections like puzzle pieces so they're easier to handle.

[willshak]

on 1/16/2008 2:56 PM [e-mail] said the following:

Like someone else said, the water heater may take a dump, literally! There are other potential problems with water; boiler leaks, well pump leaks, softener leaks, clothes washer leaks, utility sink leaks, heavy rain leaks, etc. The first indication that my water heater had failed was the squish, squish, squish of my feet walking across the carpet.

[Phisherman]

Best to stay away from wall-to-wall carpeting in a basement. Throw rugs can be taken outdoors to beat or shampoo as needed. Double-sided carpet tape will hold them in place.

[IGot2P]

Well said, I have had carpeted basements since 1973 in three different homes and never had a problem with a water heater leaking nor do I know anyone who has.

Wait a minute, I did have a friend of my sister's friend's cousin's brother-in-law that had a.....never mind, that was a different urban legend. :-)

[EXT]

And commercial grade carpet tiles are good too if they are plastic or asphalt backed. They wear like the dickens and can be lifted up to dry if the need occurs.