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[APD] Re: Water, water everywhere




On Monday I did a major cleanout of my CO2 reactor and all the filter
tubing, and when I put the CO2 reactor back together I did not do it quite
right. I did not notice the small leak until this afternoon. The bottom of
the tank stand was completely soaked, and the wood trim on the front had
warped enough to make one of the doors difficult to open and close. The
stand is an All-Glass tank stand, supporting a 72 gallon All-Glass bowfront
tank - <http://www.all-glass.com/products/stands/index.html>http://www.all-glass.com/products/stands/index.html for a photo.


That stand is holding up an awful lot of weight. Assuming I can get it dried
out, what's the prognosis for the stability/durability of the stand? I don't
think the floor underneath got wet, so with luck dry rot and mold will not
be an issue.

-Rachel, who will NEVER forget to check the reactor ever, ever again.

Take a good look at the stand and try to determine if the parts of the stand that are carrying weight are deformed (or deformING). If they are, you can get cinder blocks and shims cheaply at any home improvement type place and put them in the stand under the tank to take the weight of the tank should the stand itself fail. This might be cheap insurance if you think the stand may be structurally damaged.


The desiccant idea someone else posted is a good one. I have used silica gel (a common desiccant) before to help dry things quickly, although not on this scale. I would suggest opening the stand as much as possible and using a small fan to blow air through the stand and especially across the areas that are wettest.

If the floor is at all wet, use a fan to dry it. A typical floor will have several layers of wood before you get to the joists, and it's the joists that you *really* don't want to have problems with. I've spilled lots of water on floors before and it's usually possible to dry things plenty quickly enough to prevent problems as long as you notice that you need to do something. I think your primary concern should be the structural stability of the stand.

If the stand looks mostly OK you should consider lowering the water level in your tank temporarily until the stand has dried. The less weight you place on the wet wood the less it will deform while vulnerable.

-Bill



*****************************
Waveform Technology
UNIX Systems Administrator

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