Calling plumbing leak and mold specialists.

[Rick Lee]

Ah, the joys of home ownership. We're a month into our "new" house and already have a large problem. When we first started moving, I noticed a tiny damp spot in the drywall in a corner of a closet. Carpet felt dry and so I just kept an eye on things. Well, the damp spot grew worse and the carpet started feeling wet. And then there was another wet spot in the carpet about 10' away. I called the home warranty co. and they sent a plumber out. They were stumped. They did establish that every inch of the carpet pad was wet, but that the top of the carpet was dry except in those two small spots. They cut drywall, ran the washing machine a few times, checked washer drain pipe, hot water heater connections, everything. No sign of leak. They looked at the water meter on the street and said it was moving very slowly when we had everything off in the house. Sounds like a slab leak. But our first water bill was $23 and most of that was taxes. Then they sent a guy out who was to give an estimate for drying everything out. He said $1200 to run some fans and dehumidifiers and R&R baseboards. Home warranty doesn't cover secondary damage and my homeowner's insurance deductible is 1% of replacement cost or $2400. Ouch. I told the drying guy to pound sand. So wifey and I removed the carpet and put it out by the pool to sun it. If it can't be saved, no biggie. We removed the carpet pad, which was just soaked and weighed a ton. Now I have fans running and the plumber is sending out a leak detection specialist tomorrow. My concern now is mold and also finding a mold detection guy who will be 101% honest. AZ is pretty dry and it only gets humid around July. So we may be in luck. I'm not worried about the carpet, as the room is small and square. But I am worried about mold abatement and finding this damn leak. Any suggesitons?

[mdj930]

sounds like a very slow leak. try turning the fans off for the night and see where it is leaking from in the AM. since the floor was wet maby you can fallow it then.
Good luck Mike

[A930Rocket]

With the AC on and lots of fans running, it should dry out rather quickly, except for the place it's leaking from.

You may want to pull the base off and knock 2" holes in the drywall. The base will cover the holes, but this will allow air to get in the walls. It might let you see any mold on the insude of the walls as well. What does the back of the drywall look like where they removed it?

If it is moldy, you can cut down the drywall you need to, remove the insulation and kill it with bleach. They have a "mold" paint to seal it as well. Do not use a fan on it to dry it. That will spread the spores.

[mdj930]

You know it might not be fresh water. your home is built on a slab correct? what's on the back side of the closet? pipping of any kind ,waste or fresh water
Mike

[Rick Lee]

Back side of the closet is the laundry room and that wall has the drain pipe in it, though there are no signs of wetness around the pipe. Doubt it's waster water. It doesn't smell at all.

[mdj930]

Can you reach the pipe with your hand? If so use the water and wipe the pipe with a paper towel it will show up easier than feeling the wet. I have usen this in the past and had some luck.
Leaks are a ***** Mike

[Hugh R]

Call Clark, Seif, Clark, they have an office in Phoenix, ask for Derick, don't be put off by his mane of hair, he's good, tell him that Hugh Rose referred you. I do some consulting work for them. PM me with your phone # and I can maybe help you save some money by DIY work. Mold isn't that difficult to remediate.

[Rick Lee]

PM inbound, Hugh. Thanks.

[RWebb]

when I had a leak, the remediation co. told me it takes 2-3 days for mold to get started, so I would leave the fans ON

I'd also try to figure out the general area of the leak & duct some air in there

the remediation co. used several very large blowers and dehumidifiers (i.e. my elec. bill was up about $50) for several days

once the mold is started it is really bad news - it sinks hyphae down into everything and can really never be stopped after that (like tree roots in soil that won't die if you cut the tree down...)

don't mean to over-scare you, but... remove extra studs, sheetrock etc. rather than trying to nickel & dime it

[Rick Lee]

I'm no expert, but I would think mold in OR and AZ are worlds apart. You guys have high humidity year round and we have almost none and what little we have is only in July. I think I'm gonna be ok, but will talk with Hugh's folks after we get this leak ID'ed. There it no sign of water in the studs or anywhere other than the carpet pad and two tiny spots in the drywall.

[Hugh R]

Mold, is neither a plant or animal, but like those, it need the same three things to survive air, water and food. Deny it any one of those it dies, but it's spore can survive for a long time Pull out dry wall, use dehumidifiers, spray 10% bleach:water solution, scrub affected areas, rinse, repeat. I could go into air sampling, but that is the final step. If you see mold, you don't need to sample, you know you have it! Sample after you've decontaminated to verify. I can post more on post cleaning later.

[RWebb]

yes, worlds apart - however, a leak creates an "Oregon-like" environment for it.

spores will be all over* anyway, it is growth of hyphae that you want to prevent


* I mean really all over -- in your longs, on your skin, in the air, in the soil, the only escape, and it's partial, is inside a semi-conductor fab.

Anyway, good luck

[Rick Lee]

Ok, next question. Is the carpet salvageable? It was not wet at all on top, but pretty wet underneath. I didn't get it out until about 5pm today. I predict it will be totally dry by that time tomorrow in the sun. I have it upside down on my pool deck. No biggie if I have to replace it, but it's othewise in great shape. Can I just dry and shampoo after reinstall?

[Jagshund]

Is there a second story? Is there an a/c drain line nearby?

[Rick Lee]

No, it's one story and we haven't had the a/c on yet this year. It probably has not been on since last Sept. Inspector checked all that out. It's fine and dry.

[Jagshund]

I'd put some plastic down in the area that you found the leaks to make sure it doesn't evaporate before you spot the source.

[GWN7]

To spot the leak get a thermal imaging camera. They can "read" thru the concrete and spot where the pipe is leaking from.

[GWN7]

Originally Posted by Rick Lee

Ok, next question. Is the carpet salvageable? It was not wet at all on top, but pretty wet underneath. I didn't get it out until about 5pm today. I predict it will be totally dry by that time tomorrow in the sun. I have it upside down on my pool deck. No biggie if I have to replace it, but it's othewise in great shape. Can I just dry and shampoo after reinstall?

Yes and no....the backing on carpets is mostly plastic now (older carpets it was jute back) and when walked on the plastic breaks down causing streach in the material. So if it's streached you might not get the door openings to line up. A carpet installer can cut and seam the door opening's back in the proper place.

[Rick Lee]

Originally Posted by GWN7

To spot the leak get a thermal imaging camera. They can "read" thru the concrete and spot where the pipe is leaking from.

BTDT. The home inspector borrowed one of these $13k cameras and came out to track down the wet spots. But we could only see the wet corners and other areas, not the source.

[GWN7]

Well you get what you pay for with some TIC's. The ones I use at work are about $24K (they go up in price from there too) and you can dial up or down the intensity on two range scales. Yes, the wet area will show colder, but by adjusting the intensity you should be able to pinpoint the leak within a few inches.

I'm borrowing one from the company rep next week to scan my neibours house for heat loss. That one has a record function so you can document. He had a fire and the insurance company didn't reinsulate to code. He found one spot where there was no insulation but without cutting holes in all his drywall to check the TIC is the best way to find out where else they skipped on costs.