[NewCondoOwner]

I live on the top floor condo. A pipe burst on the roof of the building and the water went into my unit. The walls and floor got very wet. The water even went through to the unit below me and got their walls and floors very wet.

A carpet guy came and pulled up my carpet and took out the wet padding. The concrete slab below the padding was very wet (as the water went through to the uit below). The carpet guy put a fan on the concrete floor for about 10 hours with the carpet rolled back. I live in L.A. so it is warm and not too moist in the air. My question is: how long will the concrete take to dry? Is there a way I can tell if it is dry all the way through? The carpet guy wants to relay the carpet but the floor still feels damp to me (maybe it always just feels clammy?)

[ballengerb1]

What about the pad? Once that gets wet its 10x harder to dry than the concrete. Your insurance or landlords insurance should cover this type of problem. Have you thought about filing a claim? Wet walls are also bad news if the insulation gets wet. You could develop mold or mildew and once it's there your insurance won't cover it. The concrete should be dry by now but have the carpet guy replace the pad.

[Kstar4u]

I would think that if the concrete seems to be dry in the corners of the room, chances are it's dry enough to lay the carpet back down (if it's dry, too). The padding that the carpet guy pulled out should really be replaced... it's not very expensive and may be a good time to upgrade to a thicker product. From my experience... and I have been involved in mold remediation projects... if the moisture that made it into the walls (and insulation) is allowed to dry... and it may require some aeration if the amount was significant (ie. Temporary holes through the drywall to allow air flow), mold won't necessary form and if it does... it won't survive or grow when the environment is dry.