[jljl]

I live in a condo unit in a high-rise concrete building. Three weeks ago the water pipe in my neighboring unit leaked and there were water puddles in one of my bedrooms. The pipes were fixed, and my insurance company dried the area and replaced the hardwood flooring in the room.


Two days ago when I was cleaning up a closet in the adjacent bedroom, I noticed tiny bits of water droplets on the floor inside the closet, and the hardwood floor boards in the closet were warped. I wiped it with a towel, and no water droplets appeared again for the past 2 days. I called my insurance company and they said that it's got to be a new/separate problem because there's no way I would be able to see water droplets three weeks after the leak was fixed.


My question is, is it possible that the hardwood floor boards in the closet were warped due to the incident 3 weeks ago, and now a new problem occurred and caused the water droplets? I am trying to get them to fix the hardwood floor boards in the closet under the same claim. No examination in this bedroom had been performed after the water leak incident so I don't know if the hardwood floor boards were warped at that time. My insurance company is trying to dismiss the possibility that it is the same claim solely on the observation of the water droplets on the floor in the closet, but I think they should give me the benefit of the doubt.


It's a 20 year old building and no one has access to the piping configurations. Thanks a lot.

Yes I understand that either way I will need to find the cause of the new problem (or confirm that there's no new problem). Our strata council refuses to do anything, and my plumber says he can't figure out the problem without digging up the flooring, which requires permission of our strata council...who doesn't respond. But that's another story.

[ebaines]

I believe the water could be remains of the original problem, though you don't tell us whether the closet where you found the droplets is in close proximity to the original leak. When wood flooring is installed they place an underlayment that's like a sheet of felt between the subfloor and the floor boards, to allow some expansion and contraction of the wood floor without cracking or buckling, and to minimize squeaking. That material can absorb a lot of water, so it's possible that water from the original leak may have been trapped there, and possibly worked its way along the floor to the closet, where it sat for a while, over time buckling the wood, then appeared between the hard wood pieces. Having said that - I don't know how to prove it short of ripping up the floor boards to see the condition of the underlayment. The good news is that the problem may go away on its own, assuming the source of the leak is repaired. I suggest you place a fan in the closet and let it run a few days and you should see the buckling subside. I had a similar situation with a leaking ice maker in a bar refrigerator in our family room, which leaked and warped the oak floor boards pretty badly. But within a week or two after repairing the leak the floor boards went back to their original position, and within a month you couldn't tell that there was ever a problem..

[jljl]

Thanks so much for your response ebaines! The closet is in the bedroom adjacent to the room where the damage occurred, although the closet itself isn't that close to the leak. My insurance company is sending someone over to take a look, I will try your suggestions. Thanks! That's really helpful!

[Milo Dolezal]

I also think it is a left-over water from the original leak. Water travels, it may follow baseboard or bottom of the wall to other part of apartment. I would thoroughly dry that area and monitor it for next week or two

Milo

[jljl]

Thanks for your response Milo.

Just an update. My insurance company came in today and checked the moisture with a meter. The moisture reading in the closet was high, but the reading was very low in the areas surrounding the closet, including the area between the closet and the bedroom which was affected by the leak.

The inspector says that if water had traveled from the leak to the closet there would be a trail and the area surrounding the closet wouldn't be dry. Is that right? Please find attached the layout. Thank you again everyone.

Attachment 48606

[Milo Dolezal]

If the original leak originated in the ceiling, there is a good possibility that water traveled in the ceiling and dripped down in the closet area

Question: Are you on the first floor ? Are you on concrete slab or raised foundation ?

Back to you

Milo

[jljl]

Thanks Milo.

No there's no leak on the ceiling. It originated on the side wall/floor from the neighboring unit. I don't live on the first floor, and there are 2 floors above mine. I only know that it's a concrete building, not sure how to tell whether it's concrete slab or raised foundation.