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    hkstroud's Avatar
    hkstroud Posts: 11,929, Reputation: 899
    Home Improvement & Construction Expert
     
    #21

    Aug 13, 2011, 03:33 AM

    I have a question please.

    If I understand your post, you have water coming out between the baseboard and the floor of a wall close to your toilet.
    How do you know where the water is coming from? How could you, the plumbers, or any one else know that it is coming from underneath the floor. It could be coming from underneath the floor or it could be coming from a leak in the wall.

    I would take a hammer and knock a hole in the wall above the place where you first see the water and look.

    The problem could be a simple as a leaking solder joint or a pin hole leak. My guess would be that it is a pin hole leak in the pipe in the wall.

    I must really be misunderstanding your post. In my opinion, the way you describe how the water appears, it is more likely that it is a leak in the wall than a leak underneath the slab. Right now neither you, the plumbers, nor I could possibly know where the leak is occurring. You only know where you see the water. Sounds like you are about to do a $2500 plumbing repair to avoid a $25 drywall patch job.

    Furthermore, if you don't confirm that it is coming up from underneath the slab and not from within the wall, you will never be able to force the condo association to accept responsibly.
    KraftyKathy's Avatar
    KraftyKathy Posts: 9, Reputation: 2
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    #22

    Aug 13, 2011, 08:02 AM
    You bring up some very good points. The water seeps from under the baseboard on the backside of the wall that shower head is on. The toilet is also set behind this wall. The water does not seep up immediately. It seems like the water needs to run for a while before backing up. Two contractors told me they could tell by the sound of the water running, when it is turned on that it is coming up from below. That it would be a different sound if it were between the wall. One contractor took the plate off the wall and the on/off nozzle to see if he could see anything in the wall with his tool. It had a light on the end which was then showing a picture on a screen. He said, he really couldn't see anything and of course the water was shut off at that time. Yes, I do wonder what he would have seen if the water was on. The third contractor did not even want me to turn the water on for him to listen and decide for himself. I am told that in this area there are a lot of chemicals put into our city water as we use an osmosis <sp?> system to purify the water. Many people won't even drink the water because of the taste. Kathy
    hkstroud's Avatar
    hkstroud Posts: 11,929, Reputation: 899
    Home Improvement & Construction Expert
     
    #23

    Aug 13, 2011, 08:06 AM

    Two contractors told me they could tell by the sound of the water running,
    That is as big a pile of you know what as I have ever heard.

    Get your hammer and start knocking holes in your wall. You can't know where a leak is until you see it. Drywall is easily repaired.

    I do not wish to be unkind but your lack of knowledge on this subject is obvious. Personally I think you are being taken advantage of by these contractors.
    speedball1's Avatar
    speedball1 Posts: 29,301, Reputation: 1939
    Eternal Plumber
     
    #24

    Aug 13, 2011, 08:30 AM

    To the best of my knowledge, homeowners insurance will pay for any damage from plumbing leaks, but will not pay for the repair of the plumbing itself. They will pay for any damage made to get to the plumbing repair. So if you had to break the concrete floor to repair leak they would pay to repair floor but not to fix the leak
    YA THINK? Puff, all you have done is to repeat what has already been said. Come on sport Come up with something original. Cheers, Tom
    ballengerb1's Avatar
    ballengerb1 Posts: 27,378, Reputation: 2280
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    #25

    Aug 13, 2011, 09:25 AM

    Puff, I have given you a good rating before but you are new here so be careful how you use that rating system. Tom is correct in the fact that you too did not offer a fix to Kathy so what's with your bad rating on Tom for pointing that out?
    puffmugs's Avatar
    puffmugs Posts: 184, Reputation: 21
    Junior Member
     
    #26

    Aug 13, 2011, 11:05 AM
    I am sorry if you got the impression that I was giving Tom a bad rating, that was not my intention. I did give her advice on how her insurance may work, that has been my experience with insurance companies dealing with plumbing repairs. I also gave her a excellent fix with her plumbing problem that I have used many times on a leaking pipe under a slab, by pulling pex pipe through the old line which leaves no damage to floors or walls, if her problem turns out to be a leak in a line under the slab.
    ballengerb1's Avatar
    ballengerb1 Posts: 27,378, Reputation: 2280
    Home Repair & Remodeling Expert
     
    #27

    Aug 13, 2011, 11:35 AM

    I appreciate your reply. Its important for you to understand the rating system before you click on helpful, not helpful, agree or disagree. This thread may help you see how it works. https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/forum-...nt-591972.html I did read your post about pullling pex but that does no work in the real world. Pex can not be pulled inside and old pipe, it stops dead at the first turn.
    speedball1's Avatar
    speedball1 Posts: 29,301, Reputation: 1939
    Eternal Plumber
     
    #28

    Aug 13, 2011, 01:08 PM
    orry if you got the impression that I was giving Tom a bad ratin
    Which is exactly what you did! Ratings mean nothing to me. My job is to answer questions and monitor the posts. When I see a post that simply repeats what has been said I begin to wonder If this was posted because the "expert" that posted it was so ignorant that he failed to read all of the thread or just wanted to throw anything up that would increase his number of posts. Any way you look at it you were wrong and I called you on it. Your post was "drek" having simply repeated earlier posts without being helpful.
    You also went on to say
    Give her recommendations, not sarcasm
    I gave her a step by step on repairing the leak the sarcasm was meant for you,
    "PUFF" you are well named since your last post was a puff if I ever saw one.
    Be advised that from here on in your posts will be monitored for content in the future. If you can add to the problem that would be good but if you continue to "puff" up your posts with drivel simply to run up your numbers will be deleted by me. Now! I'll accept another reddy that you seem to think that makes you look better.
    I'll be watching, Tom
    puffmugs's Avatar
    puffmugs Posts: 184, Reputation: 21
    Junior Member
     
    #29

    Aug 13, 2011, 01:15 PM
    Ballengerb, This will be my last post on this subject because I don't see where this discussion is helping Kathy. I have pulled pex pipe through underground copper in the real world, if soft L copper coil is used underground it will pull right through it by cutting both ends of the soft copper, push an electrical snake through the copper line, secure the pex pipe to the snake and pull it through. I don't know about Fla. But in this part of the country you must use soft copper undergound with no joints, so there are no elbows or sharp bends to stop the pex pipe from coming through.
    KraftyKathy's Avatar
    KraftyKathy Posts: 9, Reputation: 2
    New Member
     
    #30

    Aug 14, 2011, 03:54 PM
    Okay guys here is the latest scoop. It is still bugging me that I can see no water except when it seeps up through the floor under the baseboard. From what I can see through the opening of the shower faucet is that the wall in that area is dry and so are the water pipes and value. I can get my hand in the opening. I turned the water back on for me to check, still dry. Yes, although the shower and toilet are shut off I can still hear water running. I have had the water turned on so far for 1 1/2 hours and no sign of water seeping in the M/BR. Out of curiosity I have put my ear to all the other walls that have plumbing behind them;other B/R,and kitchen sink. I hear the same noise of running water. This is telling me the water is still running underground. My thought is that it does not seep up into the condo until it is fully flooded below my unit. I will keep checking it and also outside. On Friday there was a large area of water standing several inches deep next to the building where my main shut off valve is located. The water leakage and main turn off are on opposite ends of my condo unit. I still have not heard anything back from Assoc Management or Condo Assoc President. I wrote to them on Thursday or Friday. Hmmm... in Dec 2010 there was a water leak at the other of the building. It actually caused a sink hole. I was told the Assoc had to pay for the repairs because it was from water leaking before it entered the building. So now I am skepical about signing the contract if it is not my liability. I will try reaching them again on Monday for an answer. Kathy
    KraftyKathy's Avatar
    KraftyKathy Posts: 9, Reputation: 2
    New Member
     
    #31

    Aug 17, 2011, 05:42 AM
    The saga goes on. I still don't have water. Management is sitting on her dead ----, too busy doing other things. Tuesday I handed delivered a letter to her office and made her sign a receipt for it. As she was not returning emails or calling me. Now she states she will NOT issue the paper work needed for the contractor in order for him to get a permit. This is because I am saying it is the Association's responsibility according to our documents. She says no and that she needs to get in contact with the 3 board members who by the way all live up north in different states. She also stated she did not know I was without water. Well, duh... even dumby me knew to turn it off when I found my floor flooded. Thank you for reminding ME to read the docs and not just go on someone else's word. I have checked extensively with others in the management field and they tell me it is not my responsibility. Next will be to hire an attorney if I need to. The association can then pay for those expenses also.
    hkstroud's Avatar
    hkstroud Posts: 11,929, Reputation: 899
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    #32

    Aug 17, 2011, 06:25 AM

    What prevents you from contacting the president of the association directly?
    Or for that matter any or all of the board members.
    speedball1's Avatar
    speedball1 Posts: 29,301, Reputation: 1939
    Eternal Plumber
     
    #33

    Aug 17, 2011, 07:15 AM

    KathyHas aznybody ever bothered to open up the wall the water's coming out of? This could be as simple as a leak in a above ground manifold.
    You speak of a permit. This is a repair job and unless local codes require a permit be pulled a repair job doesn't need one.
    Good luck with the Condo Board. In my dealings with then I've found Condo Boards to be very uptight about paying for any problem that's confined to the owners unit andwill fight to the death before turning loose any cash. You say you've read yours and found a loophole? Could you paste up the section that says they will pay for repairing your unit? Bet a lot of condo owners up here would be interested in reading that part.
    Good luck, Tom
    ballengerb1's Avatar
    ballengerb1 Posts: 27,378, Reputation: 2280
    Home Repair & Remodeling Expert
     
    #34

    Aug 17, 2011, 08:09 AM

    It all states that I know of you have the right to speak to all board members at a regularly scheduled meeting of the Board. If you want to get the best answer from them call and ask to be on the agenda, otherwise you have the right to speak but no expectation of Board response or comment.

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