Hey guys. I noticed yesterday that around the toilet in our 1/2 bath that water was leaking and so I shut the toilet down, cleared the water and dried it out. This morning a little more water. Then the kids call me at work saying there is a lot more water. No matter how much I cleaned up and/or squeegeed (spelling?) the water into the garage it just kept coming. I pulled the toilet and notivec that the water was coming up between the stack and the tile:(. I turned off the water main and got the water to stop. I also noticed a spot on the outside wall close to the laundry room (right by the 1/2 bath) where the paneling buckled. I pulled all of that out and there was definitely water there. I am in the process of removing and replacing the drain pipe on the kitchen sink since that was copper pipe and did not look too good. Any ideas on this? My house is a slab foundation so do I have a pipe broke under the slab? Could it be a pipe in the wall and it is going under the ceramic tile? I am a little frustrated as I already need to do some repair work for the drywall I pulled out. Thanks.
Frank

Pretty tough to diagnose a problem like this without being able to be there in person, Frank. There are times and circumstances where doing it yourself can just cause you a lot of grief....this sounds like one of those times. Since the only way you can stop the water from coming is to turn it off at the main, that makes your house pretty much unlivable. Before you do additional damage to the house, I think I would be calling a pro on this one :yes:

Pretty tough to diagnose a problem like this without being able to be there in person, Frank. There are times and circumstances where doing it yourself can just cause you a lot of grief....this sounds like one of those times. Since the only way you can stop the water from coming is to turn it off at the main, that makes your house pretty much unlivable. Before you do additional damage to the house, I think I would be calling a pro on this one :yes:

Very wise advice Bill and I actually came to my senses on this one. I just had a plumber out and he says it is a slab leak. That means sonic equipment to find the leak and then tear out the slab where the leak is. I also put in a call to my insurance agent. The plumber let me know that some insurance companies have their own people they send out. We will find out. Looks like a night in a hotel for tonight...

Pull the buckled paneling off and look there. It's likely coming from a leaking pipe in the wall and running down under the tile. Better find it fast before it ruptures and causes some real damage.

Shouldn't this be moved to Heating and Cooling? ;)

Tom

Frank normally when this happens the leak is where the pipe is in contact with the concrete slab leading to corrosion. I think I'd pass on the sonic crap unless it was free of charge and start cutting around the water line......You have checked outside where the paneling was buckled for an above slab leak haven't you?

Pull the buckled paneling off and look there. It's likely coming from a leaking pipe in the wall and running down under the tile. Better find it fast before it ruptures and causes some real damage.

Shouldn't this be moved to Heating and Cooling? ;)

Tom

Thats what I was thinking, a slab leak (underground) will not run up your wall. This is a long shot on my part but as a Landlord I have delt with many plumbers good and bad, ask him how a slab leak can run up a wall. It should just dispurse into the soil. I see a big RED FLAG here. Pull the panneling down, find the leak and have it fixed.Your chain is being pulled. GOOD LUCK!!;)

Pull the buckled paneling off and look there. It's likely coming from a leaking pipe in the wall and running down under the tile. Better find it fast before it ruptures and causes some real damage.

Shouldn't this be moved to Heating and Cooling? ;)

Tom

Frank normally when this happens the leak is where the pipe is in contact with the concrete slab leading to corrosion. I think I'd pass on the sonic crap unless it was free of charge and start cutting around the water line......You have checked outside where the paneling was buckled for an above slab leak haven't you?

Paneling is out and the reason it buckled is the water worked its way up the sill plate. Water main is off water leak has stopped and we are off to a hotel. The area the water is coming up at is not near a water line, it is where the stack comes up for the toilet. There is clear fresh water coming out where there is a small opening between the tile and the stack. Not a good thing at all. Called insurance and getting that underway. I will keep you all posted.

Paneling is out and the reason it buckled is the water worked its way up the sill plate. Water main is off water leak has stopped and we are off to a hotel. The area the water is coming up at is not near a water line, it is where the stack comes up for the toilet. There is clear fresh water coming out where there is a small opening between the tile and the stack. Not a good thing at all. Called insurance and getting that underway. I will keep you all posted.

Sounds like you need a flange repair. PVC or Cast Iron its done every day. Watch the repair bill.:yes:

Be careful,somtimes insurance will only pay for the damage from a water leak,not the repair of the failure.For instance,if your tub drain leaks on the 2nd floor.They will pay for everything from sheetrock damage to mold remediation,but not for the leaking tub.If you verified the leak is under the slab then the slab will have to get cut to access the repair site.Iam not sure of your skill level but you need to be very careful cutting the slab so as not to do anymore damage.Then you can hammer out the concrete.I wish you the best in this,and hope you and your family stay comfortable.

If you got some time try this first. Turn on your water main, turn off the valve feeding the water heater if there is one. Then see if the water stops seaping throught the floor. If it does you know that it's coming from a hot water line. Could you possibly reroute it through the attic or something?

Call your Homeowners insurance agent immeidately. While the damage to the pipe will not be covered, the resulting damage will be. ie the $50.00 to fix the pipe is your problem but the $10,000 in damage that was caused by the leak will be covered by your homeowners insurance. This includes damage to the building caused by getting to the pipe to repair, ie. the hole they cut in your slab to repair the pipe will be paid for by the insurance company.
Do this quickly so you don't forfeit any of your rights.
Tom
64SS

Hey all. Thanks for the responses. The cold water pipe under the slab below the washer on the exterior wall is the problem. They are jack hammering a hole as we speak. It is easier to go this route as the beam gets in the way of tunneling. The tile replacement under the washer and dryer is easy enough for me. I am using a company out of Seagoville and highly recommend them. They give a fixed cost and that is all it will be even if it ended up taking them 3 days. The guys are very nice and respectful. I will let you know how it looks when they are done. I am sure it will be to my high standards. PM me if you would like the company name.
Frank

If anyone is interested they ended up only busting up 4 tiles total. They found 3 leaks in the cold water pipe loop running from the washing machine over to the 1/2 bath toilet. They started with only 2 tiles (these are only 12 x 12) and then found the 3rd leak just down the pipe. Most likely the pipe was moving slightly within the soil and there were rocks or similar rubbing a hole in the pipe. They showed me the sections they cut out and the wall thickness was very good just the 3 holes. The pipe walls looked thicker than what you buy today. Of course, my wife was hoping we would have to re-tile but I found exactly 4 tiles that the previous owner left us. Mark 1 for me. These guys did a great job and left the area cleaner than they found it as well as pressure tested the whole system at least 20 PSI higher then the typical highest pressure for city water. They stuck to their lower number and held it. I highly recommend them (PM for the name).

Iam very happy to hear all is well.

Good to hear you got your house back Frank....And that you are pleased with the company that performed the repairs......:beers:

Great news, Frank. Can't ask for anything better than good work done in a timely manner and at a reasonable cost.