[NA] Domestic plumbing

Let'sgoflying!

Let'sgoflying!

Touchdown! Greaser!
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Feb 23, 2005
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Dave Taylor
Have a look at this manifold etc in my wall.

2 weeks ago staff came in to a puddle and soaked tiles on both sides of the wall.

They turned the water off till I came back from vacation.

I opened it up and it was damp all over but couldn’t tell which pipe.

I turned it on and it did not leak for 2 days, by the time we looked at it, the water had flowed across all pipes so no way to tell which one.
I *thought* maybe the cold supply so I drilled & cut the concrete around that one.

The water has been on a week now (with the air purged from all lines) and no leak.

Water psi 52.

(Leaks where the copper penetrates the concrete is common in this building; I’ve fixed 4 others through 20 years just like this. The plumber did not seal the plastic sheathing to the pipe with tape, the concrete guys got slop into the sheath, it dried next to the copper and that’s where all these leaks develop.)

The above is just some interesting background that helps explain the history, not particularly a topic for discussion, we’ll I’m not going to respond to that part - I’m looking for suggestions on how to get this leaking again!
 

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Ghetto plumb a bicycle pump into a fixture and crank the pressure up until it leaks.
 
52psi seems low, gotta up that pressure. We’re nominally 70psi at the house; it’s close to 200psi at the tap. When our regulator blew two years ago, we upgraded to better defend against the utility’s high and fluctuating pressure at the tap.
 
Water flows downhill. Are you sure it’s the copper and not the drain? I’d tug on the joints and see what happens.
 
Go on vacation again.
It will start leaking as soon as you are wheels up
 
I can up the pressure. I thought 50-60 was high enough. Afraid of causing other leaks with 80psi!
I might just tap on the pipes to see if I can aggravate it enough to leak again.
 
If you hit them hard enough it's pretty much a guarantee.
 
Don't ignore other sources.
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Still completely dry. Leaving it open another week or so.
Have interviewed all witnesses with hotlamps and lie detectors and have inspected the area fully.
It refuses to misbehave.
As someone said, I guess its waiting til I go away again.
 
I still think it was the drain, or possibly the faucet connections. Copper pipe either leaks or it doesn't. Once there is a hole it stays open. I'd put the trap back on the drain pipe, run a hose to the trap, let it rip and look for leaks. You probably won't find it. I suspect you removed the leak when you stripped things down. Just make sure it doesn't leak when you reassemble and you should be good to go.

The other possibility is a leak above, I don't see any evidence on the copper in your picture, but maybe on the drain. If there are fixtures above this room, run those things before you close things up.
 
Thanks Paul
No other fixtures in the room or adjacent room.
No overhead pipes.
The witnesses claim the cabinet was bone dry inside where the faucet supply & hosing is, where the drain pipe & ptrap is.
 
Amazon has "Water Detectors & Alarms" with wifi for cheap. Next time it leaks you can catch it in the act if you also get a wifi camera.
 
Ok, last stab at it. What about the roof penetration for the vent? Could the roofing seal have failed and rain water running down the pipe?
 
PaulS said:
Ok, last stab at it. What about the roof penetration for the vent? Could the roofing seal have failed and rain water running down the pipe?
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I'll go up and take a look. It did rain while on vacation. Good thought.
 
PaulS said:
Ok, last stab at it. What about the roof penetration for the vent? Could the roofing seal have failed and rain water running down the pipe?
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That would explain a lot.
 
PaulS said:
Ok, last stab at it. What about the roof penetration for the vent? Could the roofing seal have failed and rain water running down the pipe?
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That was a great thought.
I quizzed the participants and it was a sunny, dry stretch.
Also, it poured last night and…

dry.
Thanks
 

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Do you have any practical jokers around? Sounds like someone might have gotten you good.
 
Update:
It has been bone dry for three weeks and I was about to put the cabinet back in on the weekend til my wife busted her leg up and that got delayed.

Yesterday am it was damp! Later in the day, the cupped area I drilled and chiseled at previously was full of water!
Who knows why. But at least we have some action. It was going to leak again at some point and now it's accessible. We have done zero changes in the supply (well), or use of water in this building.

(Click on photo to de-blur it.)
 

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exposure; pinhole leak on backside of 3rd from right.
Plus a leak I made exposing the pipes, temporary fix, you can see the solder line.
That section comes out soon.
 

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Tiny pinhole leak, at level of bottom surface of slab.
We can’t hardly see it.
Click on image, if blurry - makes it clearer.
 

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I don’t know nuttin’ about running plumbing through a slab. How is it supposed to be done?
 
Matthew said:
I don’t know nuttin’ about running plumbing through a slab. How is it supposed to be done?
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This seems reasonable:
up.codes

Chapter 3: General Regulations, Plumbing Code of the Texas IHB | UpCodes

UpCodes offers a consolidated resource of construction and building code grouped by jurisdiction
up.codes up.codes

305.1 Corrosion​

Pipes passing through concrete or cinder walls and floors or other corrosive material shall be protected against external corrosion by a protective sheathing or wrapping or other means that will withstand any reaction from the lime and acid of concrete, cinder or other corrosive material. Sheathing or wrapping shall allow for movement including expansion and contraction of piping. The wall thickness of the material shall be not less than 0.025 inch (0.64 mm).
 
In other words, wrap your pipe lest you be in concrete encasement.
 
I might have mentioned,
this plumber was on his last job before retirement - pretty burned out I’d say, from the gravelly, careless voice; constant smoking; avoiding any physical effort on the job.
His laziness led to errors like this, and the more frequent one of sheathing the pipes - but only to 2” above the top of the slab.
The plastic sheathing was not taped off around the pipe, so the concrete guys slopped wet concrete into the sheathing next to the pipe. That’s where 4/5 leaks occurred so far.
 
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