Advice on mystery floor leak and redoing flooring?
Hi all,
I returned home yesterday from 2 weeks on the east coast, and found the carpet in my master bath and closet area soaked!
Apparently something leaked under the basin, as there was also water in the under-sink waste basket as well as the bottom of the vanity too. The mystery is that I haven't been able to find anything dripping now, just the evidence of something that happened earlier.
Taking out the carpeting is no big loss, and has spurred thinking on straight concrete vs. tile to replace it.
So if anyone not too far from Palo Alto area could help me with any of the following, I'd really appreciate it:
1. a good / smart plumber
2. a good flooring person with concrete experience
3. if you have a concrete floor, and would be willing to let me visit to see it.
Thanks,
Mark
PS: Horror shots of the carpet and padding demolition:
Concrete will cost you $10.00 - $15.00 a square foot, and if you have a leak in the radiant system or plumbing in the slab, your very expensive floor just became more expensive. I would suggest something that can be replaced easily without much cost, cork, linoleum, etc...
Good point. I sure hope I don't have radiant issues (shut the floor heater off in May), but you never know what might crop up in the future.
I definitely need to get to the root cause of this occasional water leak before investing in expensive and/or fragile flooring.
Thanks,
Mark
Holy Cow! now you have to deal with the ASBESTOS you released with that carpet tack removal, as well as that fan! I take it you werent thinking were you?
Do you hear the sound of running water when no water is turned on?
Regarding the sound of running water... nope, nothing like that. I also monitored the water meter for 3 hours yesterday (resolution on dial: 0.025 cubic feet), and it didn't budge. So I still think this is an above-slab, temperature sensitive leak.
Regarding asbestos in the tile & mastic, you are right that I wasn't thinking. But I'll be dead in 30 years anyway :wink:
The following forum thread from 2005 may have also given me a false sense of security about the friability of the asbestos:
http://www.eichlernetwork.com/chatterbox_lounge/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=83&p=4890&hilit=friable#p4890
Thanks for the feedback everyone!
