Drying Under a Bath

newbieni

Hi All,

We had a leak that's been fixed but it's left under the bath very wet, damp rather than puddles. I have the bath panel off and a dehumidifier is on for approximately 12 hours per day. Is there anything else I can do to speed up the drying?

Thanks in advance.

Taken2much2

Make sure the bathroom is warm. The dehumidifier will work better. A fan blowing under the bath will help with circulation. If the flooring is chipboard, make sure you get it super dry. If flooring is concrete and the leak happened over a long period then it can take weeks. It could be good to vent the bath panel even when considered dry. Certainly check the area later.

Albermarle

Fan heater blowing under the bath. 

Eldi_Dos

I would not have portable electric appliance in bathroom, better to have dehumidifier in hall with bathroom door ajar.
If you have extractor fan in bathroom use that as many hours a day as you are comfortable with.

FreeBear

Albermarle said:

Fan heater blowing under the bath. 

If it is an acrylic bath, probably not a good idea to blow hot air underneath. The heat could damage the plastic.

Murmansk

Be aware that if you run the dehumidifier and keep using it until there is no water in the collecting chamber you'll be there for the rest of your life as they will always extract some water from the air. 

Personally I'd put it in the room with door shut and run it that way  - I know one shouldn't run such devices in bathrooms but I'm assuming nobody will sit in the bath or have a shower while it's running or even in there!

Emmia

Eldi_Dos said:

I would not have portable electric appliance in bathroom, better to have dehumidifier in hall with bathroom door ajar.
If you have extractor fan in bathroom use that as many hours a day as you are comfortable with.

I think it depends if the bathroom is being used at all. If it's not I'd use a dehumidifier in there (plugged in outside the room) with the door closed and ensuring the room is properly heated whilst the area is being dried out.

I don't think that would be any different in safety terms from using a dehumidifier in a kitchen or laundry room - both have water and electricity.

ThisIsWeird

Fan aimed under there set to 'cold'. Window(s) wide open, and door shut.
That'll be pretty much as quick as any solution, faster than dehumidifier, and cost next to nothing.
The more powerful the fan, the better.
Dehumidify ma botty. 

Bigphil1474

If it was me, assuming adequate ventilation and heating normally, I'd leave the side panel off, get a roll of blue paper towel, dab up as best I could, then leave it while I live my life until it looks dry, then stick the side panel back on. As above, a normal blowy fan would speed it up. 

I would strongly recommend never leaving a fan heater unattended anywhere. Lethal. They are banned where I work.