Good or bad idea please give me your input.

Busa1340 · Dec 21, 2015

Ok so I got a rubber water proof boot mat if you will ...that's water proof for any little splashes with maintenance to go under my sump. It does have s little bit of a rubber smell to it but the stand is used and it had some salt creep that did not damage the wood but left the wood looking doll. Is this a good idea? Figure any little water gets on the mat I can just wipe off instead of soaking into the wood.

redfishbluefish · Dec 21, 2015

Makes it look pretty.

The only disadvantage I can see is if water got underneath the mat, it will sit there for a long time and potentially impact that material.

rayn · Dec 21, 2015

Agreed. Anything that catches a potential spill is good.

Busa1340 · Dec 21, 2015

Yea I was thinking that also but I cut it to fit fairly snug so .. Just thought it might work ok.

DeniseAndy · Dec 21, 2015

Pond lining works great too.

mcarroll · Dec 22, 2015

redfishbluefish said:
Makes it look pretty. The only disadvantage I can see is if water got underneath the mat, it will sit there for a long time and potentially impact that material.

rayn said:
Agreed. Anything that catches a potential spill is good.

The plan definitely needs to be to keep the floor dry, not to catch (or worse absorb) spills.

I would rather drip or spill onto a hardwood floor where every drip could easily be seen and cleaned up.

Once seawater seeps into/under anything, like a carpet or anything porous, it's going to be hard to get out without a rinse and will cause moisture problems.

Adding a mat like this seems like a good idea, but as others have suggested it seems like something that seawater will just get under only to be a problem later on.

$0.02

pondman · Dec 22, 2015

I wish I would have done that I think it's a good idea.

mfinn · Dec 22, 2015

I think if you keep on top of any spills, it will be a good idea. But any large spills that allows water under it, then problems will occur.

I used a completely water proof pvc sheeting on the bottom of my stand to do what you did.

CastAway · Dec 22, 2015

I'd think the advantage of catching the occasional drips or spill outweigh the risks of making sure salt water doesn't wick under it. I tuck dry Chipotle napkins here and there in my sump area, and can quickly see any dark areas indicating moisture - just a quick visual aide.

Busa1340 · Dec 22, 2015

Yea I guess if a large spill happens (hopefully) not I can always peel back n dry under or just drain sump like a water change and clean underneath. But for any salt creep or splashed a nice paper towel would do the trick. I like to keep everything as clean as possible so so far it looks nice lol.

mcarroll · Dec 22, 2015

Unless you go the extra step to seal around the edge you can count on water getting under it sooner or later - there's a great chance that it'll happen when you aren't even there, so it'll go unnoticed.

Your human nature is up against gravity and time. [emoji6]

Busa1340 · Dec 22, 2015

Yea I guess the good thing is that being 100% water proof even if I come back and see water on the top I know there's some under neath to try n dry it rather than never knowing lol plus it looks better than wood any how.

AmatuerAuer · Dec 23, 2015

I use the rubber liner used as underlayment for a shower, Home Depot sells it by the PVC parts on a giant spool. Just measure out what you want and cut. I love it, the splashed from maintenance, changing filter socks whatever can just be wiped up.

If you over measure you can actually fold up the lip all the way around creating a 1" deep retaining wall to avoid the issues RedFish brought up. Also it probably helps dampen the vibration/noise of your sump.

Sabellafella · Dec 23, 2015

Leave it alone, fine how it is , unless u take it down and epoxy coat the wood thats totally up to you if its the stand your worryd about, the floor will get wet no matter what kinda floor you have, i got an old box of weewee pads for my dog wen she was younger so i lay them down when im working on my tank conciedering i completely distroyed my un laminated wood floor last build i had and it was next to a pool table so you kno how how that goes

maroun.c · Dec 23, 2015

Unless water goes underneath the mat you're fine.

mcarroll · Dec 23, 2015

That's a "when" not "if". [emoji6][emoji106]

dbl · Dec 23, 2015

I too used the shower pan liner and it has saved me on a few occasions. It is a matter of "when" not "if" for sure, as the bottom will eventually see at least some water. @Busa1340, where in SW Florida are you located?

Busa1340 · Dec 23, 2015

Thanks for the feedback guys I'm just going to leave it under there yes I know about water underneath but gives me a little peice of mind lol and @dbl im in Cape Coral.