Drying hardwood floors after a fishtank leak

by Tommy Underhill
February 25, 2021

Thanks, Mr. Costello. You had to go and post a blog about flooding and water damage. This morning my son informed me his 55-gallon fish tank was leaking and we had a decent pool of water soaking into the hardwood flooring.

As with any disaster recovery, first step was to stop or eliminate the source of the damage. Draining the fishtak fixed that. Towels sopped up the surface water.

Fortunately, the tank was not noticeably lacking in water. While we don’t know if the tank had been leaking for a few minutes or all night long, most likely there was no more than a gallon or two of water that could have soaked the hardwood floor. Winter air in Colorado is typically pretty dry, so I’m not worried of needing to heat or dehumidify the air to encourage evaporation. All we will need in this instance is airflow and my AM4000 high-temperature fan should make quick work of drawing out this volume of leakage.

I want to acknowledge there is a significant difference between a small fish tank leak and the damage caused by burst water pipes or a toilet overflow. I do not want to flippantly overstate the annoyance of this minor spill compared to the major impact real water damage will have on a family. I do want to draw your attention to the continuing environmental significance a minor leak like mine— or a slowly leaking pipe— can create if left untreated. The moisture can stimulate mold growth which can be a real health danger. Environmental mold spores and microbes in the water— E. coli in the case of a toilet overflow— can lead to intestinal or respiratory problems if left untreated.

To accelerate every treatment you may do, GreenTech Heat Solutions is offering a free fan with every bed bug heater package purchase between now and March 1, 2021. No need for coupon codes or secret hand-shakes. We’ll simply add an additional fan when we ship your bed bug heater package.

Regardless of the water source— a fish tank, a hurricane, a broken water line, or a slowly-leaking toilet or shower— GreenTech Heat has the heat solution to mitigate the damage from flooding. As always, please feel free to contact us at 855-GTH-BUGS (855-484-2847) ext 2 with any specific questions you may have.