HELP! Plumbing Advice Needed

[BreckTxLonghorn]

Alright, everyone. I am freaking out and know there has to be someone smart out there to help me on this issue until I get an actual plumber out there.

I own a two-story condo, somewhat old, built in 1984. As I was coming downstairs for work this morning I saw some liquid at the bottom of the stairs. Luckily I have tile at the entry (3x3 spot), but it did seem odd as I was worried I may have a mouse. There is a half bath under the apex of the stairs, and in it is a closet that fills up the rest of the space underneath. As I went to check for rodents, I noticed about a quarter to half inch of standing water.

Freaking out, I started scoping everything out. The half bath was bone dry, nothing. The utility room (where the water heater is), also dry and no sign of any spill. I went back upstairs at the top to check the unit, and it was totally okay/dry.

Question 1: Where could this water come from?

Now I went back at lunch to check on it (waiting for a plumber to come out, they all say nothing can happen until tomorrow). Water rose in the closet more, but not terribly significant (enough to make me think its dripping slow wherever it is). BUT, the area near the tile entry, where my pergo (sp) floor starts, also seems to be 'draining' water. When I step on the area, it squirts onto the tile. AND, I just notice the slab in front of my door was discolored due to wetness.

Question 2: Any idea on what's going on?

Question 3: How screwed over am I?

Question 4: Any short fixes until I get a plumber?


Thanks all!

[44INAROW]

any way that it could be AC leakage of some sort? Take pictures that are dated so you can prove that it was "sudden and accidental water damage" for insurance purposes (assuming you have the coverage of course) Good Luck - hope it's minor......

[95mustang]

Where is your a/c unit located? You might want to check it.

[PPHSfan]

Is there plumbing on the wall between the half bath and closet? ie: a sink or commode? The leak is probably inside the wall on the line that supplies the plumbing. This can happen for several reasons. Shifting, or a nail from the sheetrock are the two main culprits. Water is a funny thing. It can travel a long ways before it shows up. A plumber is your only hope if you don't have the skill to search and destroy. I would suggest turning off the water to your house if it's going to be a while.

[44INAROW]

Originally posted by PPHSfan
Water is a funny thing. It can travel a long ways before it show up.

several summers ago - there was a funny "rusty" color spot just above the molding on the wall directly outside of the shower in the master bathroom. I never really paid it any attention. (having raised 3 boys and a husband, I was used to "unusual stains" on the floors and walls but that's another story) anyway - one day I noticed the stain/discoloration was darker and when I felt it, it was very damp. Opened husband's closet door and it was dry as a bone with the closet wall that was flush with that wet wall. We called our plumber and after much ado - it was discovered that the copper tubing that runs to the knob that turns the water on and off in the shower had a pin-hole leak in it. It only leaked when the shower was running. My insurance (and I am the freaking agent) denied the claim since it was obvious it wasn't "sudden and accidental" even though I reported it as soon as I discovered it but the proximate cause had been there "quite a while" DUH... we had to have the entire shower torn out and retiled, new wood frame, drain pan, etc..I still haven't replaced the wall paper but thankfully the carpenters were careful and didn't mess the paper up too bad.

[Trashman]

Could be a broken pipe in the slab. Very expensive to fix.:(

[AP Panther Fan]

I've had a pipe in the wall leak before...and much as everyone above said, the water traveled far before it became an apparant wet spot on the carpet in front of my bathroom door.

I was blaming my kids for quite sometime about not using a towel after showering before it dawned on me that the spot wasn't getting dry and was growing in size. That repair wasn't too bad, but did require the plumber cutting a hole in the sheetrock....grrrr.

I would turn the water off also in the meantime.

[sinton66]

It may possibly be the drain for the A/C condenser unit. If it gets plugged up, it can overflow and resemble a slow leak. Look at where the inside A/C unit is and see if it's possible there may be a drain pipe (probably a 3/4" PVC pipe) in that suspect wall. It's also possible a foundation shift may have cracked this drain if it is there,

If it is the A/C drain, turning off the water to the house won't stop it.

[BreckTxLonghorn]

Thank you so much for all of your advice!

To clarify, when I checked the unit upstairs, it was the a/c unit, and everything was okay, filter clean, etc. I somehow got a plumber out here and he determined.....

...it's the neighbor's fault. The owner next door does not reside there and is trying to lease it out. We looked through the front door, and the kitchen (back of the unit) was FULL of water, which subsequently overflowed to me. So, while I've got no true issue with my place, I have standing water everywhere, and now I get to 'nicely' talk to the leasing agent to get me the owner so we can discuss how I can be reimbursed for his error.

YAY homeownership.