Ask Experts Questions for FREE Help !
Ask
    brooklyn13's Avatar
    brooklyn13 Posts: 5, Reputation: 1
    New Member
    		  
    #1

    Mar 15, 2009, 04:05 PM
    Leak in Bathroom?
    Hello,

    I am in escrow at a house in southern California and I may have a leak in the plumbing. The tile in the bathrooms is warm around the showers in both bathrooms even though the water has not been running. I researched a bit and checked the blue triangle on the outside water meter and it is spinning slowly even though no appliances (except the water heater) are running.

    Is this an indication of a leak?

    I still have a few days to back out and this was not noted on my home inspection.

    Should I be concerned?

    Thank you
    massplumber2008's Avatar
    massplumber2008 Posts: 12,832, Reputation: 1212
    Senior Plumbing Expert
    		  
    #2

    Mar 15, 2009, 04:20 PM
    Hey Brooklyn:

    Are your water pipes under the concrete slab? Or are they in a basement? How about your heat pipes? Let me know answers...

    I would have you start at the basics here before becoming too concerned.

    Start by doing a DYE test in the toilets. Here, drop 10 drops of food coloring into the toilet TANKS only... let the color spread throughout the tank and then don't touch the toilets for an hour. After an hour come back and check on the toilet BOWLS and see if color is present in the bowl. If it is, then the toilet flappers will need to be replaced (or the flush valve... but start with flappers.

    The warm tiles are interesting... you sure the tiles aren't heated tiles? A leak at tiles would be showing up in some other way besides just warming the tiles (unless pipes are underground)..?

    Anyway, start with the dye test.. pop back and let us know what you find.. ok? Then we can worry about who fixes this.. you or them... ;)

    MARK
    brooklyn13's Avatar
    brooklyn13 Posts: 5, Reputation: 1
    New Member
    		  
    #3

    Mar 29, 2009, 09:09 AM

    Massplumber,

    I hired a leak detection co and they verified a slab leak in the hot waterpipe to the bathroom. A plumber did a direct fix and said the foundation was sound so we are moving forward. Thank you for your reply!
    speedball1's Avatar
    speedball1 Posts: 29,301, Reputation: 1939
    Eternal Plumber
    		  
    #4

    Mar 29, 2009, 09:15 AM
    Thanks for the update. Did your plumber break up the slab and repair the leak or did he cap off the leaky line and loop a new line up through the attic? Just curious, Tom
    brooklyn13's Avatar
    brooklyn13 Posts: 5, Reputation: 1
    New Member
    		  
    #5

    Mar 29, 2009, 09:29 AM

    The plumber busted up a one foot section of concrete underneath the carpet and replaced the faulty section. He did say that with time a full re-route of piping through the attic would be recommended. His estimate was $3,500 so we will wait until it becomes an issue do it through insurance.
Not your question? Ask your question View similar questions
 

Question Tools Search this Question
Search this Question:

Advanced Search

Add your answer here.


Check out some similar questions!

Leak under bathroom sink [ 20 Answers ]

I have a link under the bathroom sink that I'm having a hard time figuring out. The link is a pretty steady drip when the faucets are running. The leak originates behind the nut that screws onto the coupling from the pipe coming out of the wall. From the p trap a pvc pipe slides into a larger...

Double Leak from Bathroom Above [ 4 Answers ]

I think I am dealing with a double leak. A few weeks back, I noticed water stains on our kitchen ceiling directly below our master bath. I took some measurements and it appeared to be the toilet so I replaced the wax ring. By the way, the old ring did look spent - probably 5-10 years old. It...

Leak in the bathroom from apartment above [ 2 Answers ]

For many years my bathroom ceiling was getting wet and plaster pealed, and it has being repaired 3 times, the old plaster removed and replaced with new. But, the problem did not go away, in the recient 2 months, the water was showing up and finally I get waterfalls every day from the ceiling,...

Leak under bathroom vanity. [ 7 Answers ]

All, On a 1-10 scale, I am about a 1 at most as far as plumbing knowledge goes. So here goes. I have a one vanity setup in my bathroom, and it is leaking. The leak is happening where the metal drain that is directly attached to the sink, attaches to a curve "U" shaped PVC pipe. I have a few...

Bathroom leak [ 1 Answers ]

We have small master bath that has a plumbing leak. We have torn open the wall that backs up to the shower head and controls-the pipes are not wet or leaking. A plumber said it was the shower door ( it is a shower stall, completely tiled- about 40 years old). He replaced the shower door. It was...

View more questions Search