Floor repair after radiator leak

Our radiator was leaking UNDER our hardwood floor for a few weeks before we noticed it.  Now there is a distinct mildew, musty smell.  We’ve tried fans and our de-humdifier, but the smell remains.  Any know what to do?  Do we need to have it repaired professionally (there is no visible warping)?  Who would you recommend?  Thanks!

rbenoff

in Brownstoner 13 years and 5 months ago

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Rick | 13 years and 5 months ago

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I gather you have a wood floor over cement? Do you have a trap door in the floor for a drain? If so, open it up so you can get it to drain and get some air under the wood floor. Do you know if the cement floor has a pitch to a drain? If it has no pitch you may have a large puddle under the floor making repairs difficult. You will not know the location of the moisture. If that’s the case you will have to drill some holes or remove a section of your wood floor to air it out. It would probably be a good idea to open an area and put a grill in so in the future you will have some fresh air on the underside of the wood floor.

Rick | 13 years and 5 months ago

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You may want to give this more time to dry out. You could try drilling a few holes in the plaster ceiling on the floor below. That may help dry things out.  The problem is that you have trapped moisture.