Calling all plumbers..........SOS.......sorta.😬 [Update: 11-5-24]
I can handle all of our electrical/electronic problems, and most of the car/truck situations.
But plumbing??.......I can use ALL the help I can get.
Yesterday I discovered a small seeping water leak in our bathroom......behind/in a wall. I think I've narrowed down its location.......but still put in a call to our plumbers, for first thing Monday.
I'm pretty sure they'll need a borescope camera.......but is there anything else I should check on, before they come to the house?
Thanks guys.......and gals.
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More detail. Where on the wall,behind toilet or sink? Is wall wet, or just water on floor near wall?
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going to have to open the wall to fix
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Turn off the water, leak will stop. Don
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As MJ says need more input, what wall what plumbing fixtures on that wall? Is there a vent through the roof near that wall? what else is in that wall? interior or exterior wall? How old is house?, what kind of plumbing copper. pex something else…
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montanajoe: 32604718396443/comments/32604691993243
More detail. Where on the wall,behind toilet or sink? Is wall wet, or just water on floor near wall?
Joe.......
It's in the wall behind the toilet.......and other side of wall is a bedroom corner. The water is only on the floor/carpet......for now. This "corner" area is also along an exterior wall......which may complicate things, as there's an exterior water faucet close by.
Thanks Joe
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Ruger4me: 32604718396443/comments/
As MJ says need more input, what wall what plumbing fixtures on that wall? Is there a vent through the roof near that wall? what else is in that wall? interior or exterior wall? How old is house?, what kind of plumbing copper. pex something else…
The sinks are about 4-6 feet left of the leak/wet area(all water valves....dry). No vent in the area. House was built in 1985.......6 months before we moved in. It's a slab foundation with copper piping.
Thanks Bret.
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Well sounds like you are gonna need to open the wall area around the fitting from one side or the other and see if the leak is the toilet fill pipe or the outside faucet near it. Is there a shutoff on the toilet side? usually is and can you try to shut it off and see if it is still leaking? I was able to determine in a similar situation the shut off valve was what was leaking and had to replace it, I was able to do mine with out tearing in to the wall but mine was connected to pex. Copper may need better access.
Just check to see if water is coming from wall or toilet bowl itself since you said only on floor, if the wax ring has failed that can also cause a leak on floor.
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Ruger4me: 32604718396443/comments/
Well sounds like you are gonna need to open the wall area around the fitting from one side or the other and see if the leak is the toilet fill pipe or the outside faucet near it. Is there a shutoff on the toilet side? usually is and can you try to shut it off and see if it is still leaking? I was able to determine in a similar situation the shut off valve was what was leaking and had to replace it, I was able to do mine with out tearing in to the wall but mine was connected to pex. Copper may need better access.
The toilet valve is totally dry......including the piping into it.
Looks like wall access will be needed.
Thanks
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Since you're not a plumber, go get yourself some dry wall , tape and joint compound. At least you'll be that far ahead. You could go ahead and cut that section of wall out just to see where its leaking. You have to figure the plumbers are going to have to so you'll be saving them time and you money.
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Does toilet rock on the floor
Is there any water around base of toilet
Does toilet tank rock on the toilet stool
Any water where tank sits on stool
In toilet tank, make sure the fill valve and tube are not spraying the under side of tank lid and running out down outside of tank. with the tank lid off, flush toilet and let it fill watching for any water spraying. When you take tank lid off,is under of lid dry?
Double check all exposed plumbing that feed the toilet
Did you miss peeing on your shoes, and it hit the floor (sorry, I just had to)
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I'm with you. I have wired 4 log cabins and I love to do wiring. But I can't do plumbing.
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notnow: 32604718396443/comments/
Since you're not a plumber, go get yourself some dry wall , tape and joint compound. At least you'll be that far ahead. You could go ahead and cut that section of wall out just to see where its leaking. You have to figure the plumbers are going to have to so you'll be saving them time and you money.
I'm no good at drywall either. Besides......locating the wall studs, relative to the actual leak, would be a chore.
Thanks
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62vld2042: 32604718396443/comments/32604692547611
https://forums.gunbroker.com/discussion/comment/11455171#Comment_11455171
I'm no good at drywall either. Besides......locating the wall studs, relative to the actual leak, would be a chore.
Thanks
Don't worry about finding studs right now. You can find those easy once the sheetrock is off. Right now you want to get the wall opened up and see if you can find the leak. Oh, and pray that it isn't in a portion of the pipe that is in the slab and it's just bubblin' up out of the slab and causing the wet spot in the carpet.
(Ain't I an optimistic fella!)
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montanajoe: 32604718396443/comments/
Does toilet rock on the floor
Is there any water around base of toilet
Does toilet tank rock on the toilet stool
Any water where tank sits on stool
In toilet tank, make sure the fill valve and tube are not spraying the under side of tank lid and running out down outside of tank. with the tank lid off, flush toilet and let it fill watching for any water spraying. When you take tank lid off,is under of lid dry?
Double check all exposed plumbing that feed the toilet
Did you miss peeing on your shoes, and it hit the floor (sorry, I just had to)
The toilet is innocent.......as I've sealed it to the floor, except for a 2 inch seam in front, to indicate an internal wax seal failure. Also, all tank water has a blue cleaner/dye. So.......all of tank and stool are dry.
BTW.......I only "miss" the toilet in our other bathroom. 😳
Thanks
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62vld2042: 32604718396443/comments/32604724966939
https://forums.gunbroker.com/discussion/comment/11455172#Comment_11455172
The toilet is innocent.......as I've sealed it to the floor, except for a 2 inch seam in front, to indicate an internal wax seal failure. Also, all tank water has a blue cleaner/dye. So.......all of tank and stool are dry.
BTW.......I only "miss" the toilet in our other bathroom. 😳
Thanks
Well dangit. Sorry, but I now agree wall needs to get opened, rather by you or the plumber. Not being able to fix the leak if you were to find it, i'd wait and let the plumber open the wall. Be prepared to call someone for the wall repair. Haven't met a plumber yet that patches sheetrock.
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NeoBlackdog: 32604718396443/comments/
https://forums.gunbroker.com/discussion/comment/11455179#Comment_11455179
Don't worry about finding studs right now. You can find those easy once the sheetrock is off. Right now you want to get the wall opened up and see if you can find the leak. Oh, and pray that it isn't in a portion of the pipe that is in the slab and it's just bubblin' up out of the slab and causing the wet spot in the carpet.
(Ain't I an optimistic fella!)
I'll let the plumbers, with their cameras, handle the drywall exploration.......and how much to remove.
Don't think there's any supply water slab penetrations in this area of the house.[Update/revision: So VERY WRONG!!]
Neo........optimistic?......you AIN'T!!😖 What’s with all the negative waves…..Neo(Moriarty)?!😎😇
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At the college I worked a 13-story dorm building and there would be a leak on 4th floor, I was told to find the leak….behind the wall. The leak could be anywhere up 8, 9 stories. We found them. In your case a pipe behind the wall has a pinhole leak or the drain pipe has a crack…..from the bath sink and the water runs over and out by the toilet. It would be easier to cut the sheetrock out on the bedroom side to find the leak as it would be easier to replace….than pull toilet or sink off the wall to replace sheetrock.
The dorm was 60 years old and the drain pipes would crack usually under the kitchen sink and drip down a few floors and run out into the hallway. We pulled the hallway fire extinguisher boxes out and could see the pipes. Then we when we were sure, we pulled down the kitchen cabinets on the other dorm side and found a crack on the main line. I am so glad I'm retired from that place, those were nightmare work orders.
You may also check the wall tube going from the sink's P-trap, may have rotted out inside the wall, there is a flange over the wall, pull it back and check to see if it's dripping. good luck.
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Do you have a vent pipe that goes through the roof?
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dunbarboyz: 32604718396443/comments/32604694925595
Do you have a vent pipe that goes through the roof?
Yep........thanks
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You asked:
.but is there anything else I should check on, before they come to the house?
Yes
Your bank account funds
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What material is you piping made of, PVC, copper, galv. steel ?
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Did you have to seal the roof vent?
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any update? Plumber come out, what he find? 62vld2042
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Update......
The leak was found.....after 4 holes in the bedroom drywall, and extensive use of a borescope camera. It was a pin-hole leak in a 3/4" copper cold water supply pipe for the entire bathroom, 1.5" above its slab exit...…whew!! Due to the 40 years of this pipes thinning......we decided to abandon 10' of this pipes under-slab loop. The guys replaced it with a 5' section of "Uponor"(anyone ever heard of this stuff??)synthetic piping......and rebuilt the incoming cold water supply manifold.
Meanwhile.......the toilet was reset, due to a suspected wax seal leak. Turns out the mounting flange was also broken...…due to lousy concrete support. Everything repaired.
All is well now........except for a small amount of carpet drying, and needed drywall work/painting.
Thanks for all of the help and suggestions!!👍
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Well glad you got it fixed, drywall patching isn't too hard, but there's guys on marketplace that will do it for you if you don't want to deal with it.
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Sorry you had this happen, but glad to hear it got taken care of and not as bad of damage as it could've been.
At our house yesterday, we went out and bought a new range/oven for the kitchen. We didn't know we had extra money we could spend. But its done, nice new stove on its way.
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"1.5" above its slab exit"
Sounds like I dang near jinxed you!
Uponor is just a brand of PEX (cross-linked polyethylene) pipe.
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This house is built on a slab? I don't like a slab.
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When I worked at Holiday Inn, they had a soft water system, after 12 years there were pin hole leaks everywhere, we fixed them with a piece of rubber and a hose clamp😎
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thorhammer Exactly…. I always kept pieces of old inner tube & hose clamps in my plumbing tool box. Those repairs always lasted until I could replace that section. Sometimes for many years, even under ground.
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