| Aug 13, 2007 @ 6:03 PM |
Running water?
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suzieq0808
Posts: 1,080
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I was gone for the weekend and when I came home my son pointed out that in an interior hallway outside a bathroom, the carpet is damp and stagnant-smelling. I hear the sound of running water but there is no water on anywhere, no faucet inside or out is on. It's not the water heater. There are no puddles or mysterious streatms outside anywhere. What can it be? A burst pipe in the concrete pad? My house was built in the mid-80's. I'm in Florida. Call the city? Or call a plumber? Any suggestions, advice?
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| Aug 13, 2007 @ 6:07 PM |
Running water? |
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Jankia
Posts: 11,892
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I assume you have a hot water heating system that is imbedded in your concrete floor? If you do,yes there is a broken or cracked waterline.Most of it may be draining down with some coming up.
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| Aug 13, 2007 @ 6:09 PM |
Running water?
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Loreli
Posts: 25,398
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This happened in my house.
It sits on a water table, so after rains, water could be running through the foundation.
The city did come to my house-I had to have my front yard bulldozed, basement dug up and a sump pit system put in.
I would call the city first-they didn't charge me. 
The excavators sure did..
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| Aug 13, 2007 @ 6:12 PM |
Running water? |
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suzieq0808
Posts: 1,080
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I have no idea how I get water. I turn on the tap and water comes out. I presume the plumbing is embedded in the concrete pad. I don't suppose they'd put it underneath.  Seems like not such a great idea now that I'm needing repairs. Guess I'll call a plumber and learn way more than I ever wanted to know about plumbing.  Thanks.
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| Aug 13, 2007 @ 6:14 PM |
Running water?
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suzieq0808
Posts: 1,080
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I know that I'm not in the flood plane and sit relatively dry when it rains so I wouldn't be sitting on the water table or would I?
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| Aug 13, 2007 @ 6:40 PM |
Running water? |
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ISSUESWOPTIONS
Posts: 8,070
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try turning off the main until the plumber gets there. it sounds like a broken pipe in the wall. at least it's not a hot water pipe...you'd be pissed!
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| Aug 13, 2007 @ 6:53 PM |
Running water?
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suzieq0808
Posts: 1,080
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I guess the plumber will show me where the "main" is when s/he gets here.... I should be renting....
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| Aug 13, 2007 @ 7:53 PM |
Running water? |
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SunBabe
Posts: 12,279
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Is the plumber there yet??? Suzie-Suzie-Suzie, you NEED to know how to shut off the main if you're living in a house. At least you'll get a great house-mistress lesson out of this (and you may need to invest in a watermain-turner-offer tool -- Ace Hardware or Lowes -- but you need to know the shape of the spigot thingy first)
Question, is your main AC blower vent located right above that dampness? Sometimes it condenses and drips (there's supposed to be a pan up there, but sometimes it tips, rusts out or gets full)
...but if water's running and you don't have anything turned on, uh-oh -- broken pipes in or under a slab really sucks. MAYBE (if you're lucky) it's one of the incoming pipes that's leading to the toilet or sink (accessible through the sheetrock). If it's behind the shower, you may have a more serious problem...but of course in the slab is the worst -- they'd need to pull up the carpet and jackhammer it (which, on top of everything else, makes a dusty mess) THEN repair the pipe(s). 
Good luck, and hope it was something relatively simple...oh, and also check to see that there's not an outside spigot on the other side of the wall with a 'closed nozzle' hose attached to it. Usually the hose will burst first, but sometimes the heat (or cold) will burst the inside pipe. (Yep, been through it all -- Me, too: I should be renting )
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| Aug 13, 2007 @ 8:01 PM |
Running water?
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twotall911
Posts: 13,048
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yeah go outside with a cresent wrench and turn the t to the main off
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| Aug 13, 2007 @ 8:16 PM |
Running water? |
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SunBabe
Posts: 12,279
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~psst~ Mine won't turn off with a crescent wrench...It requires a special T-handled tool, unfortunately (...well, fortunately I own one now ~grin~ AFTER my house was flooded and suffered over $10K worth of water and mold damage when I was away   )
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| Aug 13, 2007 @ 8:51 PM |
Running water?
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spongebob777
Posts: 7,904
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My neighbors lost their house to a broken pipe.
They spend winters in Florida and had someone who was supposed to check on things every few days. The guy didn't bother all winter and an upstairs waterline froze and burst. The water ran until the pump burned out but in the meantime it washed out the foundation of their house.
When they got home they found a wall sagging into the hole left by the water and their dream home was condemned. It's been almost two years but they are almost ready to move into their new home sitting where the old one was. If they go to Florida for winters they'll have me keep an eye on things and I actually will.
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| Aug 13, 2007 @ 9:19 PM |
Running water? |
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suzieq0808
Posts: 1,080
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The leak and the AC are not in the same place. I know how to deal with the AC drip thing: Keep the filters clean and a pan in place -- and clean. I would try to turn off the main if I had any idea what it looked like or where to find it. The leak has to be under the house as none of the walls are wet. The damp spot is in the middle of a hallway. Toward the center of the house, not an outside wall. I was thinking of replacing the carpet with tile anyway. (I'm noticing a trend here. Some months ago, while I was considering a new car, my old one died. Okay, time to buy a new car!)
I'll have to trust that my house won't fall into a pit before I call a plumber tomorrow. I was at work all day and had to close the books for month-end. Corporate waits for no man -- or plumbing problem. I'm getting the urgency. Someone emailed me the name of a plumbing company here in my area.
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| Aug 13, 2007 @ 9:55 PM |
Running water?
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beckyiv42000
Posts: 14,576
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depending on the type of service you have the MAIN turnoff will be AT the street.under a little concrete slab that has a hole in it that is lifted off to read the meter by the water company...that usually requires the large T handle tool Sunny mentioned . you MAY be lucky enough to have another sub main right outside the house would be located near a hose spigot but not turn on the hose.. a wagon wheel type handle...(gate valve) that is an easy access so that the main doesn't have to be messed with while doing inside repairs good luck!!
Ladies how about moving into a new place and being told to shut off all the water so they can turn on and test the main line when the start service... and then the friggin idjit LEAVING it ON even tho it IF its on and the meter is turning /running they are supposed to shut it off and report a leak... yeah you got it a foot of water and all my boxes of moved in stuff and carpet through the ENTIRE house soaked!!! 
[Edited on 8/13/2007 10:18 PM]
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| Aug 13, 2007 @ 10:10 PM |
Running water? |
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SunBabe
Posts: 12,279
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Or, Becks, having the house winterized by the plumber (leaving faucets open, of course, to prevent freezing...the main shut off at the meter) -- and having someone from the city turning the main back ON, ignoring the "leave water off" tag (and denying it!!!) so that 56K+ gallons of water floods the house -- and all the "best stuff", including 100's of books, which was safely stored in cardboard cartons in the back room while said homeowner was away for months ...and STILL being obligated to pay the many hundreds of dollars water bill on top of having to gut the "finished" part of the house down to studs and foundation and perform "hazmat" corrections on all th moldy areas...
I'll have to trust that my house won't fall into a pit before I call a plumber tomorrow
...If you notice that the tub has separated from the caulking, suspect a "pit" (more experience ~gulp~  ) I really hope that things aren't that bad, though...hopefully you have a decent reinforced slab. 
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| Aug 13, 2007 @ 10:17 PM |
Running water?
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signme
Posts: 12,578
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When I moved into my first mobile home, that I bought and paid for, I went through and checked all the rooms. This was a brand new mobile that was brought out and set up on my lot. When I turned on all the faucets to make sure I had water, I found out that the manufacturer had left the turn-off valve on the hot water heater open! Flooded out my back bedroom before I ever moved in!
Sometimes being a homeowner sucks, ya know?
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| Aug 13, 2007 @ 10:21 PM |
Running water? |
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graywolf
Posts: 44,497
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Don't forget to call your insurance company tomorrow also. While the cost to repair the leak will be your responsibility the cost to repair the damage caused by the leak should be covered by your homeowners policy.
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| Aug 14, 2007 @ 1:52 AM |
Running water?
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grumblebear
Posts: 10,559
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water is such fun... sometimes you can shut off the water at the meter
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| Aug 14, 2007 @ 1:57 AM |
Running water? |
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NatGoat
Posts: 4,213
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It's G L O B A L W A R M I N G . . . ! ! ! ! !
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| Aug 14, 2007 @ 6:19 AM |
Running water?
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twotall911
Posts: 13,048
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poor sunbabe
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| Aug 14, 2007 @ 6:20 AM |
Running water? |
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suzieq0808
Posts: 1,080
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Such stories! Sadly, not fiction. Now that I think about it, this has been going on for a couple of weeks at least. I remember thinking that the neighbors were running my water outside because I heard water in the pipes and no one was using any inside. That was, hmm, almost exactly one month ago.
I know where the concrete cover thingy is outside -- never put 2 and 2 together. Also, there's a second handle under my outside hose spigot. MIght that be the main? It's just a regular spigot handle.
It's probably going to be a personal day for me. I'll call a plumber first thing. Hopefully, I'll have time to go to the bank to see about a home equity line of credit. Plumbing repairs make it seem like a good time to put in my tile floor and to redo the bathrooms. It's time. Everything in there is as old (and worn) as the house. This is gonna be great in the end. 
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