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LEAKS!! SLAB? LEAKS!! HELP!?
Off and on for a couple of months now we notices a wet wood smell not musty just more chemical.. we figured it was off gassing of new materials since this is a new place. Now we realize its likely a leak. it begins in the laundry room and travels along the wall where the waste line would go out to the septic tank. The odor comes and goes and IS NOT SEWER GAS... but it tends to show up when we are using more water in the home. We realize now this may have been going on for a long time. There are NO wet places on carpets or floors . We fear there is a small leak in a wastewater line and its seeping between the walls along the studs. Here is one reasonw e feel its wastewater lines... Today we washed numerous loads of clothes with Bleach.. the bedroom the line runs paste got a very bleachy smell and the kind of smell youd get if you put bleach like on wood or soemthing... that convinced us its wasteline.. WHich concerns us because we do not know if that also means toilets could have been leaking into the wall as well!!!! OMG! We plan to open the wall in the laundry room on Monday hoping to see if we can see something obvious nad find out if there is mold growing in the wall. Id like input from people hwo may have advice about this situation, ideas suggestions etc...
We are hoping its something obvious that maybe loosened from a washer vibrating the floor and will not be IN the slab! if its soething like that we can fix it.. long as there is no obvious nastyness in the wall! else we are in real trouble I thinkl. Im looking for contractors and plumbers to reply to this. This is new construction with PVC drain lines... ranch style on a slab and a septic tank.. but the septic tank is ok and the observation areas in the drain fiedl are dry. ALso rain does not effect this.. only our water use. Please reply with anything you can think of.. WHen the smell comes across in the one bedroom it makes some of us ill.. burns our eyes and nose its like something reacting with something else.. we assume bleach from our washer coming in contact with building materials in the wall but we do not know for sure. IT IS not sewer gas though. We have also noticed some areas of mold popping up in the bathroom and now assume we must have it in our air suspecting it may be in teh walls now.. but again no wet places and no mold on walls coming through.. YET...... We have lived here since last May so this may have been going on a LOOOONG time and we use A lot of water ALOT! we also have birds in the home that are not feeling well.. unsure what it is but seems re\lated to the odd smell.. they improve when its not there and feel worse if it is... good indication this is NOT good!
THANKS in advance!
Already checked yard and its dry..
Not septic tank. We are not planning to knock down walls only open the drywall to get a look hoping there will be something obvious. IF not we will have to call someone in. THe builder is out of town for the next 30 days he is reserves and on trainig . We cant wait another 30 days. So on our own for now.
Thanks for hte answers so far. We do not live in the South .. we are in Minnesota. Rural area with no reputable plumbing leak detection companies near by. We are all tired of this and read yo neatly cut open a couple of small areas of dry wall to see if there is inded visable water behind a wall and mold.
4 Answers
- The PlumberLv 41 decade agoFavorite Answer
Your on the right track. If I came out to your house, depending on the the smell and location, I would want to look behind the wall as well.
Small leaks can occur anywhere in water and or drain lines. This can cause mold in a rainbow of colors, which is not good especially if your sensitive to them, witch most people are. Each of them do have their own unique smell.
If this is a new home, or any home for that matter, I would not be cutting it up your self with out calling the insurance company first. Your (DIY) work may void any and all warranty's.
Even if you have to pay the deductible for service, the insurance company usually can and will go after the responsible party for damages,ie; they will get your money back in most cases.
Source(s): I was born a plumber. www.findtoiletflapper.com - ?Lv 45 years ago
As some of the others suggested, I would avoid attempting to repair pipes in the slab due to labor and expense. First, I would have the city check the meter. It doesn't cost anything. You probably have already checked the toilets, but they are a main source of leaks usually. If you are certain that you have eliminated all water using devices within the house, then go to the hard part. Cut the water supply line at the most convenient place before it enters the slab. Then cut the line again where it exits the slab into the house or convenient place. Now temporarily connect the pipes bypassing the slab entirely. We are still checking here so you can even use a water hose if it doesn't leak. Once you have the water supply back on with the slab bypassed, look at the meter to see if water is being used. If so, kick yourself for not finding the problem before doing all the extra work. Good luck.
- 1 decade ago
Since your builder is away in the reserves I would start with finding a professional leak detection service first. If you are using a lot of water it sounds like you have a water supply leak.You may be on the right path regarding the bleach smell, sounds like an additional leak most likely in your waste pipe. A reputable leak detection service can pinpoint any leak. Do not cut into anything before contacting your insurance company. You certainly can't wait for the builder to return from his training, so making an insurance claim is your best chance at quickly resolving your problem. Mold infestations can be difficult and lengthy repairs. You may need to stay in a hotel until all of the mold has been removed. Your insurance company will determine the mold levels and if it is a real health concern. If your pets are showing signs of weakness then you stand a good chance of having mold in your walls.
Do you live in Florida? The State of Florida has had a real problem with mold stemming from Chinese manufactured drywall.
- Dwight SLv 61 decade ago
You mentioned this place is new. Get the builder involved. Was there a warranty? I'm not sure I would risk the structure damage by going into the wall to look for the problem. If the house is on a slab, most if not all the plumbing will be underneath the slab. If there was a pipe in the wall leaking, you would be seeing puddles in the floor or a damp spot in the carpet.
There are plumbers who can check your waste water lines with small cameras that will check for leaks. That's what it sounds like, since you only notice the smell when you use lots of water. I would also check outside the house for any unusual wet places in the yard.
