Surprise! Finding a Leak Inside the Wall
45 Minutes
Medium
When I returned home from Jack's karate lesson, Sweetie told me I needed to check the toilet in the guest bathroom. It sounded like it was constantly running. I'd just replaced the valve in the master a couple weeks ago, so I figured it must be time to replace the other one. BUT, when I popped the tank open, I realized the sound was not coming from the toilet, but from a couple feet to the right,... in the bathtub,... but there was no water dripping. Uh-oh.
Here some highlights of the adventure, but you can visit the blog for the whole ugly tale.
Here some highlights of the adventure, but you can visit the blog for the whole ugly tale.
With the shower valve opening too small, I couldn't see into the wall, but I could hear water spraying. With the crud-circle buildup around the valve cover as a guide, I cut the hole larger with a rotary tool.
I could now see the leak with my smartphone. There was fine mist of water spraying, away from me, out the back of a 90 degree elbow, behind the wall of a one-piece shower / tub unit where I couldn't get at it.
I checked the other side of the wall, our master bathroom. Now folks, correct me if I'm wrong, but when you press on a wall, it shouldn't bend right? Even if it's over an absolutely hideous 1970's gold marbled counter top?
This is a face I made when I caught the musty, recognizable smell, the smell of my weekend evaporating and my wallet flying open.
I could feel a J-nail holding the pipe, tight against the 2 x 4 cross-member that was there simply to secure the plumbing. The wood was blocking any hope of repair, so it got hacked out with a Reciprocating Saw.
Since we still had a load of laundry on rinse cycle, I didn't want to kill the water to the house quite yet. A gob of duct tape (the crowning achievement of modern civilization) and did a hasty wrap job, keeping the water from spraying in my face. A bucket placed below, began to collect the dripping water.
After shutting water off to the whole house, I used a Mini Tubing Cutter from my kit to slice the section out. These are handy little tools. They simply slide over the pipe and twist around it. You tighten the knob every few rotations, which drives the cutting wheel deeper into the pipe, until it finally snaps off, clean and straight.
Off to the hardware store! Next time it's the trials and tribulations to plumbing repair.
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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OH MY! Just looking at these photos will cause nightmares for me! HA! Actually, we are in a 43 year old house and I would not be surprised if everything popped a leak at once! Sigh!
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