Find the cold leaky part of a wall with an infrared camera.
Can wall heat dry a wet carpet.
Depending on these conditions and any changes in humidity that might occur.
How to keep wet carpet from molding.
Place a fan nearby and direct the airflow across the affected region.
Before vacuuming you can choose to spray a carpet cleaner over the surface.
Wet carpet can be a perfect breeding ground for mold especially if the air is humid and the water remains in place longer than 48 hours.
Make your inspection easier and speed up drying time by moving everything out of the room.
Bottom line the humidity conditions in a room will determine the speed at which a wet carpet will dry.
It s important to act.
Vacuum the wet carpet with a wet dry vacuum until no moisture remains.
When this happens immediately stop the flow of water and proceed to dry the drywall with towels.
The same can be true of a small leak if it s caught soon enough.
Turn on any ceiling or household fans in the area to speed things along and be sure to check the floor and carpet padding underneath the carpet to remove any lingering moisture.
If you re prompt you can dry it out before it gets permanently damaged.
Circulate the air around the carpet as fast as possible.
Open windows turn on fans and put a fan on the floor to help dry things out.
Afterwards you will be left with a clean and dry carpet.
Factor in wall covering or paint type.
Be sure to check carpet and padding for water damage and pull it up if necessary.
Focus on the pad since it will take longer than the carpet to dry.
High powered fans are best for this job.
If you don t have insulation and you dry out the basement quickly you don t have to replace the drywall.
Wet carpet can become a real problem if it is left untreated and getting the moisture out in time can save you time and money.
Air movement and heat.
Infrared cameras detect heat and can indicate the temperature of a wall.
Snap a chalk line cut the drywall with a recip saw and toss the wet stuff.
Use fans heaters and or dehumidifiers to move warm air across the pad see step 3 from the small area instructions.
A leaky wet wall will have a cooler temperature than the surrounding wall.
Train an infrared camera on a wall with a leak and look to see which section of the wall is the coldest.
But if the insulation is wet it s gotta go wet insulation cannot be saved.
Next use a wet dry vacuum or shop vac to suck up as much of the remaining moisture as possible from the carpet fibers.
While the carpet is drying check the condition of the wall insulation.
If you can easily see the damp in your sheetrock the walls are probably painted with one or two coats of flat or semi gloss paint.
