emergency!!!!!!

mott768

mott768

Premium Member
My ceiling in my family room sprung a leak and it's right by my tank, my wife and I are in a panic, I put a hole so the water can drain into a bucket but the sheet rock already started to buckle in a couple of spots and I got water stains popping up in a few places, it's even coming threw the ceiling fan. I have no place to put all the corals, rock, fish if it gets closer to the tank. I looked up threw the hole I made and the joists and plywood are soaked and dripping, I have some plastic to put over the tank in case it starts dripping over it. I need to know if water from the leak or pieces of sheet rock get in the tank will it hurt anything??? depending on how bad the damage is when this storms over I may have to get rid of the tank :(
 
Plastic over the tank. If you are able, get on the roof and add plastic, staple for ease. That may slow the water.
Not real sure if it will damage the tank, I however don't think it will help anything.
 
I just put the plastic over the tank the water stains have now spread over it. I can't get on the roof cause I'm disabled I even tried calling a friend but got no answer. My wife is now in tears and I feel like I could be....I feel so F***ING HELPLESS
 
You did the best you can do at the moment. Covering the tank with plastic is first. The holes you put in the sheetrock to drain the water is great. You may need to do it in a few places.

If you find that the water has saturated the sheetrock, I'd consider pulling the rock off the ceiling in that area and catching the leaks in buckets directly. Better to have control over the sheetrock coming down than it falling off the ceiling uncontrolled.

JM $.02........good luck. Hope the storm ends quickly.

swimmer
 
OK a couple of ideas:

Do you have a tarp to possibly cover the tank temporarily?

Do you have any large rubbermaids if you need to transfer stuff?

How do you make up your water? Could this be used as temporary housing?

If you have large garbage bags you could use multple ones to line a large container to temporarily hold stuff.

You could direct the water by having it run down a piece of string, yarn, twine etc. Make a knot and use a straigth pin or a tack to attach it to the ceiling and direct the water to a better location.

Hopefully the worst of the rain will pass soon.
 
Sources of plastic you might have in the house but may not be thinking about (to cover the tanks)

Shower curtain, plastic drop clothes for painting, coontractor /lawn waste bags, dry cleaners bag (last resort)

Temporarily I would unplug the tank lights and drape plastic over the top of the tank, to prevent any debris from falling into the tank. But unplug your lights just incase your up all night and fall asleep before they come on. Avoid the potential fire hazzard.
 
I used some heavy plastic to cover the tank I don't have a tarp, but I didn't think about using the 55 gal drum I use to store my fresh water, it's already heated so all I have to do is add salt thank you for the help I would have never thought of that, I got a few holes and a big opening in the ceiling I'm up to 4 buckets so far, It felt like a truck hit the side of the house and a few minutes later we noticed the first leak so I'm assuming we lost some roofing shingles, my son just looked up threw the big hole and he said that water was dripping down in several spots all along the plywood and joists. I'm afraid to start pulling on the ceiling it's really soaked. I hope to GOD the rain stops soon. We are all sitting at the kitchen table watching the water drip from the ceiling.
 
Please unplug your lights on your covered tanks!

Obviously you've got a lot going on. I'm sure you could use physical help, but I can't help you with that right now, as I am nowhere close to you. I'm not terribly handy either, but I can help by thinking of out of the box solutions for your problems. What other problems can I think about for you?
 
I took your advise and unplugged the lights, I also took the fixture off the tank and put a couple of 2X4's across the tank just in case the ceiling does come down, don't know if it will actually help, my son's in the basement mixing up the salt in the 55 gal drum, I also have a spare 29 gal tank he's going to fill hopefully I won't need it but if anything I can put some of my corals in it.
 
All very good ideas. See you've got your thinking hat on now! 2x4 was a great solution. Did you move the lights someplace where they won't be hurt if something from above fall on to them? Maybe the basement would be a good temporary home for the lights.
 
There in another room for now, If the ceiling holds together am I going to have to move the tank anyway so the ceiling can get fixed?
 
Yeah, that can be a mess unfortunately. It's good that you were awake and caught all this stuff happening. You could have had a real tragedy on your hands.
 
It was weird my wife was in the kitchen I was sitting in the chair watching tv heard the doom, the light was on and I thought I was seeing things I kept seeing something fall so I got up and looked, that's when I noticed water coming out of the ceiling fan, that wasn't too bad it's when the water spots started showing up heading for the tank that the panic began. I wish I had some more wood to put around the tank to try and protect the glass.
 
this has me to the point of wanting to just pack it in, I just got the tank the way I like it now this. It just seems if it aint one thing it's another.
 
Could always pop and interior door off its hinges and brace it between the wall and possibly a lounge chair

|
| \
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| nk \
| put chair
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Don't give up yet, you never know the tank might be relatively unaffected. You may even be able to leave the tank in place and build a well sealed tent around it while the repair work is done, depending on how long actual construction takes. Sometime it can be relatively quick.
 
By the way, you are allowed to be frustrated. I didn't want you to think I was saying you shouldn't be. This is not easy to go through, but you may be able to find some creative solutions.
 
I'll try the chair, the dripping slowed so hopefuly the worst has past, I afraid to go to sleep. my son just came up and said the water is mixed in the drum but not the 29 gal so I guess I better go and do that. thanks for the help pocono
 
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