Help drying out the carpet? Dehumidifier?

[Phoenixcat]

I left my Chim out during the rain storms a few weeks ago and came back to find the drivers carpet wringing wet.

I put my Hamiltons Classic car cover on this week during the rain last weekend. The same thing has happened so my car cover isn't definitely wasn't worth the £200 I paid for it! Probably because it is breathable!

Anyway I need a way to dry out the carpet. Last time I used then broke my housemates hair dryer, the weather then became sunny and dried it out.

Anyone got any ideas of what I can use? I was thinking maybe a portable dehumidifier. Is there one I can buy and leave safely in the car?

[Jon Brown]

Its probably leaking from inside the engine bay, get to make sure everything is sealed up properly, like the brake fluid reservoir

Cant see why a dehuidifier wouldnt work, probably better then ruining a load of towels

[Dr Mike Oxgreen]

I have the Hamilton cover, and it doesn't let water through. Water will even form pools on top of the cover if there are places where the fabric is rucked up.

[Phoenixcat]

Dr Mike Oxgreen said:

I have the Hamilton cover, and it doesn't let water through. Water will even form pools on top of the cover if there are places where the fabric is rucked up.

If that is the case how has the water got into mine?

[blitzracing]

A dehumidifier works great inside the car for a day or two. Block any holes up around where you run the cable to prevent outside air getting in and position it so the air can flow freely around it.

[lestershaw]

I have the hamilton cover, which works great, but mine was pretty flimsy
i also have a leven half cover which have yet to use.
to dry out the carpets without taking them up, i have this super duper idea, i have a hoover head that fits perfectly into the vent in front of the gear stick, if i need to i put it on full blast and direct the hose end to wherever i want in the car, brilliant :-)

[swallet]

When mine leaked into the drivers footwell I took the carpet out and left it to dry on a drying rack, I then placed an office fan in the footwell overnight with some newspaper.
Was dry by the morning.
I wouldn't use hot air as the wool could shrink.


I spent ages getting mine water tight - in the end it was the clutch reservoir cover - looked really well sealed but after taking it off and resealing - dry as a bone.
I also have to be careful when the roof is on to make sure it is perfectly aligned otherwise water seems to run down the door seal and onto the sill carpet.

[PVN]

Article by a professional trimmer in this month's Sprint recommends that wet carpets should be removed and hung up to dry naturally. This removes any risk of shrinkage.

[lestershaw]

I knew my idea was rubbish.
I must say on the one occasion the car got wet I did take the carpet out and hang it up. and it dried very nicely

[Bassfiend]

PVN said:

Article by a professional trimmer in this month's Sprint recommends that wet carpets should be removed and hung up to dry naturally. This removes any risk of shrinkage.

Does he also give his phone number for refitting the bloody things afterwards...

Phil

[Teetertank]

I find microfibre towels good to get the worst out. They seem to absorb loads of water and you can wring them out so they are virtually bone dry and and then keep on dabbing. In my experience you can get the carpets pretty dry with those microfibre cloths/towels but then the carpets get damp again after a few hours as the carpet wicks up more moisture from underneath - so often need a round two. They're definitely a good start though - a few drives with the roof down and heaters on clears the rest.

Otherwise could think about drilling a small drain hole in the floor pan to prevent build-up!

[Phoenixcat]

I've bought some pingi absorbent pads so hopefully this will help. Not keen on leaving something powered chugging away in my car!

With regards to how the water got in there I washed the car before I put it under the cover so I'm thinking maybe this is how the water got in. It has survived rains storms before with the cover on.

It won't matter as of next week as I have hired out a garage locally so it will live in there most of the time!

[S2Mike]

What better excuse to take a drive down to the South of France and park it in the sunshine with the top down!!

[pbaker43]

you will have to wait for the south of France it is raining here at the moment as autumn is on its way.
As for the carpets, when I picked up my Chim from the UK I had the same problem, the guy had let the water get in and they were water logged, to dry them I took out the front sections hung them up so the water drained to the bottom and then dripped out, the rest I used micro-fiber cloths for days to remove the excess as it was spring the sun did the rest. A dehumidifier is a good way to go but as mentioned try to seal the item in the car or you will dry out the world not the car, then make sure all the access points for water are sealed up, I found my leak was around the brake reservoir, cut out the old sealant reapplied never leaked again

[rusgb]

Hi guys, I have the same problem. Lots of leaking... What do people use to reseal clutch reservoir cover? Is it standard silicon I use?

[pbaker43]

I never had much luck with house hold sealants then never seemed to do the job correctly, they are OK for the quick repair. If you have some boat yards near by these guys have access to good sealants, I used silkoflex to attached my headlight bowls and seal the clutch and brake reservoir, takes a while to cure normally over night but it has never leaked since, mind you costs a fortune here, but worth it.

[SILICONEKID340HP]

rusgb said:

Hi guys, I have the same problem. Lots of leaking... What do people use to reseal clutch reservoir cover? Is it standard silicon I use?

This worked well ,its a bit of edging left over from the screen sill,mine was missing .

I would go for a low mod Neutral silicone SILIRUB LMN,got mine from a plastic extrusions merchant .It will set but will not be a problem to remove the cover ..It rubs off with your fingers.
http://www.fasciaexpert.co.uk/fixings-and-sealants...

[Andy JB]

I find Sikaflex is almost too good when it has to be removed to check clucth fluid levels etc.

Domestic sealer is hopeless, i find the sealer from Boat yards the best- high performance and easy to apply & remove and half the price of Sikaflex which is hopeless in alloy dispenser.

[Quietlybonkers]

Phoenixcat said:

I left my Chim out during the rain storms a few weeks ago and came back to find the drivers carpet wringing wet.

I put my Hamiltons Classic car cover on this week during the rain last weekend. The same thing has happened so my car cover isn't definitely wasn't worth the £200 I paid for it! Probably because it is breathable!

Anyway I need a way to dry out the carpet. Last time I used then broke my housemates hair dryer, the weather then became sunny and dried it out.

Anyone got any ideas of what I can use? I was thinking maybe a portable dehumidifier. Is there one I can buy and leave safely in the car?

Left mine out for two weeks with no cover - Sunday morning I cleaned the car and found it was wet both sides on the floor behind the seats (just by the seatbelt reels).
Used my car wash sponge to soak up as much as I could, squeezing it out between moppings, and then spent the day on a PH East Anglia late Summer run with the roof off and the heater on full blast. Seems to have dried it out a treat!
Car now sitting out still, but with my Halfrauds medium-size waterproof breathable cover on (£60). Showed someone the car this morning, after it had rained last night - car was bone dry on the outside. I will check the inside when i get home.