My wife and I just bought a house. The house is barely a year old and has never been lived in. During our inspection the inspector discovered water leaking from a kitchen light fixture. This was after he'd ran water in both bathrooms upstairs. We told the seller about this and they said they would get on it. But when they sent someone to the house to check it out, they can't get it to leak again. Is there any reasonable explanation for a leak to simply stop? The house had been empty for a year, so no one was using those bathrooms. Now they say they aren't going to fix it because there is no leak. We haven't closed yet and want the problem addressed. The only problem is we really love the house and I am not sure we are willing to walk away from it.

Any ideas on what the problem may be? I am at a loss. I worry we will move in and the leak will return and cost us a lot in the long run.

Thanks for any comments.

Jason

I ran into this once before and maybe you will be lucky too. The vent in the attic ran horizontally for several feet before going out through the roof. One of the PVC elbows was not welded/glued properly and leaked the small amountof rain water that found its way into the vent. It only leaked when it rained and then it stopeped. Your issue doesn't worry me too much. Can you take the chance that maybe you will need to do a $100 repair later?? You could counter offer and say that since their repairman could not find the problem you want $200 left in escrow for a year.

Thanks for your help.

So in your opinion this isn't something that should be a deal breaker for buying the house?

How would the water get between the first and second floor? I am clueless when it comes to this sort of stuff.

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Originally Posted by jcjohnson13

My wife and I just bought a house. The house is barely a year old and has never been lived in. During our inspection the inspector discovered water leaking from a kitchen light fixture. This was after he'd ran water in both bathrooms upstairs. We told the seller about this and they said they would get on it. But when they sent someone to the house to check it out, they can't get it to leak again. Is there any reasonable explanation for a leak to simply stop? The house had been empty for a year, so no one was using those bathrooms. Now they say they aren't going to fix it because there is no leak. We haven't closed yet and want the problem addressed. The only problem is we really love the house and I am not sure we are willing to walk away from it.

Any ideas on what the problem may be? I am at a loss. I worry we will move in and the leak will return and cost us a lot in the long run.

Thanks for any comments.

Jason

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What fixture is above the light that had the water? Is it a shower or a toilet?

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Originally Posted by doug238

what fixture is above the light that had the water? is it a shower or a toilet?

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It is kind of below the sink and the toilet. The shower and tub are on the opposite side of the room.

Do extensive flushing on the toilet. Look behind the toilet for a leaky valve or supply pipe. Ask if the toilet overflowed during the initial test where water came through the ceiling. I have seen where a toilet overflowed for no reason and stuck open and never had a problem after.

How bad with the leak?

Just a shot in the dark here... :)

There may have been some "stuff" clogged in the drain, usually left by the construction crew. (I've seen it... When I had my ducts cleaned, they found a Macdonalds burger wrapper... and crumpled old newspapers.. ) :eek:

So when the first inspector turned on the water, the water became backed up and started to leak, but at the same time, the "stuff" was being push out.

So, now when it was repeated a second time, there was no more "stuff" hence non-repeatable leak... :)

We were there for the inspection. The toilet did not overflow.

It leaked enough to soak a bath towel.

Worst case senario, what would we have to pay to fix this problem if it reoccurs down the road?

What are your opinions on whether this should be a deal breaker for going through with the purchase? The sellers got back to us and said they are not going to fix an imaginary problem. Should we walk?

An unidentified leak is a problem if it continues to leak. If it does not continue to leak it may have been something you have not rechecked. You don't know how long it leaked or if there was any damage. Have you asked the guy that produced the leak what he thought it was?
A water leak could be plumbing, roofing, open doors or windows, or even a condensate leak from the ac condensate pan or drain.

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Originally Posted by doug238

an unidentified leak is a problem if it continues to leak. if it does not continue to leak it may have been something you have not rechecked. you don't know how long it leaked or if there was any damage. have you asked the guy that produced the leak what he thought it was?
a water leak could be plumbing, roofing, open doors or windows, or even a condensate leak from the ac condensate pan or drain.

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It leaked for around 30 minutes. The inspector said he thought it had to do with something in the upstairs bathroom. We have talked to him and he can not think of any reason why it won't leak now. There is no visible damage, but who knows what has been damaged inside.

I realize this is a little late in the game, and you likely already made your decision - but in what way could the seller determine that the problem is "imaginary"? If a qualified inspector found water above a light fixture, and it was enough to soak a towel, there is absolutely NOTHING imaginary about it! I agree with the previous poster, I would want to negotiate an amount to hold in escrow for this specific problem. If nothing happens in a year, seller keeps the money. Since the problem is apparently imaginary, what would they have to worry about? Curious how this worked out..

I would pull the toilet and look for signs of water or previous leak then correctly reset the toilet.