Home Improvement Asked on June 6, 2021
A recently detected dishwasher leak (2nd floor) has been feeding water to the drywall in the bedroom underneath. There are water stains on the ceiling and the wall’s paint show traces of water seeping through them. The walls are not soft (soaked) where you push your finger through the drywall, but discolored and the paint in affected areas will need to be removed.
Small bugs are crawling on the affected dampened areas. I have sprayed rubbing alcohol to kill the tiny insects. This situation was found by the termite inspector in North Florida (Jacksonville), they are not termites. He thinks they might be weevils but they are under 1 millimeter in length and do not photograph well
The leak has been remedied today. Is it reasonable to expect the drywall to be dry in a week and the insects to die / disappear when all has dried up? I prefer to avoid using insectisides, but will do what is necessary to exterminate
Any lessons learned or specific experience is appreciated: thank you
Drywall wet enough to push your fingers through, will not dry enough to 'recover' its strength. The paper outer layers will have separated and the inner plaster turned to a mushy mess.
Definitely expose the affected areas. When water gets into walls it can smell for years. As an absolute minimum, you need to remove all the drywall and insulation which was wet. Then you can begin the drying out process. Vaccum up the insects and then seal the dust bag in a zip lock polythene bag for disposal.
If it still smells funny after a while, some folks like to paint everything on the inside the opening you made in the wall (similar to repairing fire damage) to 'seal' in any odd smells. Just a thought...
Answered by handyman on June 6, 2021
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