scat4me
Tele-Afflicted
sink hole?
Water coming up through the carpet
- Thread starter Guit-jitsu
- Start date
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backporch guy
Tele-Afflicted
Broken pipe in the slab. If you have Homeowners insurance, it should be covered, including the cost to dig into the slab and reroute the plumbing, if necessary.
scat4me
Tele-Afflicted
Don't you just love a good mystery?
Actually if it is in the slab, I have seen folks just d/c that line and install an above floor line in the wall to feed the house. They vacumn out the old line, stuff it, and dry the concrete out and reapply the carpet. No dynamite to the house ripping up the slab.
If the wet spots are not near the AC unit I would think that could be ruled out as the source.
Still to be safe I'd clean the coils with a scrub brush & vacuum out the drain channel underneath.
Look for the drain outlet at the bottom of the channel. There's usually a hose or something connected between it and the PVC pipe.
Use whatever will work, a screwdriver or a piece of wire hanger or something & make sure that outlet is clear.
I prefer to use compressed air to blow through the pipe rather than any type of bleach or drain cleaner that could back up & make a real mess.
That pipe doesn't necessarily have to run through the slab though. And it may not have anything to do with the OPs problem.
Turning off all faucets & checking the meter is good advice too. Whether either of the first two things turns out to be the problem or not, they are still both good things to check in order too stay on top of things & prevent future problems.
It's very possible the problem is a drainage issue.
If the outside landscaping includes a thick layer of mulch that's right up to the walls & piled too high it will allow rain water to drain into the house.
Also look at any downspouts & make sure they deliver water far enough from the building to prevent it from running back into it.
And look at any sprinkler system components that may be leaking or spraying water against the house.
Once the cause is located & repaired you'll probably end up having to replace the padding under the carpet.
The carpet may dry out sufficiently if it's pulled up & allowed to dry. But that depends how saturated it got & what was actually in the water that soaked into it.
Water & sewer lines are commonly run under or through the slabs in a lot of homes. And if one of those is the source of the water you will have a major mess on your hands.
Also some homes have radiant in floor heat. And that's another problem you don't want.
Some houses I've worked in were built in the 60s & 70s & had copper lines running throughout the slab for heat.
They have proven to be a nightmare for the homeowners because the concrete caused the copper to break down. And you probably won't see as much leakage from that when the heating system is down for the summer. but if you don't find anything else, crank up the thermostat & see what happens.
Still to be safe I'd clean the coils with a scrub brush & vacuum out the drain channel underneath.
Look for the drain outlet at the bottom of the channel. There's usually a hose or something connected between it and the PVC pipe.
Use whatever will work, a screwdriver or a piece of wire hanger or something & make sure that outlet is clear.
I prefer to use compressed air to blow through the pipe rather than any type of bleach or drain cleaner that could back up & make a real mess.
That pipe doesn't necessarily have to run through the slab though. And it may not have anything to do with the OPs problem.
Turning off all faucets & checking the meter is good advice too. Whether either of the first two things turns out to be the problem or not, they are still both good things to check in order too stay on top of things & prevent future problems.
It's very possible the problem is a drainage issue.
If the outside landscaping includes a thick layer of mulch that's right up to the walls & piled too high it will allow rain water to drain into the house.
Also look at any downspouts & make sure they deliver water far enough from the building to prevent it from running back into it.
And look at any sprinkler system components that may be leaking or spraying water against the house.
Once the cause is located & repaired you'll probably end up having to replace the padding under the carpet.
The carpet may dry out sufficiently if it's pulled up & allowed to dry. But that depends how saturated it got & what was actually in the water that soaked into it.
Water & sewer lines are commonly run under or through the slabs in a lot of homes. And if one of those is the source of the water you will have a major mess on your hands.
Also some homes have radiant in floor heat. And that's another problem you don't want.
Some houses I've worked in were built in the 60s & 70s & had copper lines running throughout the slab for heat.
They have proven to be a nightmare for the homeowners because the concrete caused the copper to break down. And you probably won't see as much leakage from that when the heating system is down for the summer. but if you don't find anything else, crank up the thermostat & see what happens.
I doubt a condensation line from the a/c would cause water to seep through concrete. It's not under pressure, which is what would needed to push the water up through concrete. It's most likely a leaking water pipe. I had a nightmare with one of those in a house we formerly lived in. It ran through the kitchen, haul and both bathrooms. All had to be replaced. The insurance company wouldn't pay for rerouting the line, they said that would be an improvement. They did however pay the entire cost of the repair.
Starrman44
Tele-Afflicted
Poor guy. Ruined his week-end and probably still dealing with it. If it isn't better by Friday, just move out and buy another... 
Right.
Not only that. But I've never seen a condensation line run through a slab.
The slab would have been poured long before the AC could be installed.
And I've never seen anyone open one up to install a condensation line when it could just run out through a wall.
Like you said, no pressure. So the condensation would never drain if it ran under the slab & came out underground.
It would have to run downhill & drain above ground.
I would also go with a pressure pipe leaking. "I've inspected the drip tray and overflow pipes around the AC and water heater and haven't found any water" KInd of rules that out. Water will fallow strange paths but It's almost impossible to make a reasonable guess without seeing the situation.
Before I got the jackhammer out, I'd look into the possibility of "wicking" which, in effect, is too much moisture under the slab working it's way up thru the concrete. How much rain and how high is the water table are the questions I'd ask. If that is the case, might be looking at some drainage tiles underneath the slab.
I'm not a water prevention specialist, but I do listen to the Master Handyman on the radio.
I'm not a water prevention specialist, but I do listen to the Master Handyman on the radio.
src9000
Poster Extraordinaire
This happened to my aunt in her living room. It turned out that there was a leak in the hose from the water tank.
scat4me
Tele-Afflicted
The only reason I mentioned the condensate line is because he said that the filter had been dripping wet. Although the line is not pressurized it could back up. Odds are it is a broken supply line. Unless of course like "Jed Clampet" he has a gusher...
backporch guy
Tele-Afflicted
Yeah, rerouting is usually the easiest and cheapest way to go. Occassionally, the way the house is plumbed, or the location of the leak makes this impractical. My point was the homeowners coverage should pay for the damage to the carpet and the cost of getting to the leak to fix it. it is usually necessary to tear out some drywall, requiring patching, paint, etc.
