# Plumbing experts or anyone with ideas (wet floor) **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 17, 2005, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plumbing-experts-or-anyone-with-ideas-wet-floor/317445 "2005-08-17T15:33:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MannyL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@MannyL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MannyL)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2005, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plumbing-experts-or-anyone-with-ideas-wet-floor/317445/1 "2005-08-17T15:33:27Z")
I live in a bi-level built on a slab so there is no basement. Yesterday I noticed the carpet in one area of a room on the ground floor was very wet. I thought someone spilled something so I put a towel over it. Today the damp area has grown and there is a second damp spot. In the next room is a washer, dryer, water heater and furnace. The floor in that room is dry so I doubt that any of the items there are leaking, If it was the pipe comming in from the street that sprung a leak under the house how could we tell? ---
**Author:** ![Nic2004](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/4491bb/32.png) [@Nic2004](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nic2004)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2005, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plumbing-experts-or-anyone-with-ideas-wet-floor/317445/2 "2005-08-17T15:37:27Z")
Plumbers call this a “Slab Leak” and it’s not good news. If you are on a concrete foundation the pipes are most likely IN the concrete. Call a plumber asap before the damage spreads. If it were in the next room the drywall between rooms should be showing some sign of dampness. Let us know. ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2005, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plumbing-experts-or-anyone-with-ideas-wet-floor/317445/3 "2005-08-17T16:02:13Z")
Do you have radient heeting with pipes in the slab? That could have sprung a leak. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2005, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plumbing-experts-or-anyone-with-ideas-wet-floor/317445/4 "2005-08-17T16:03:19Z")
Maybe they call it radient heating where you come from. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![aahala](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a88e4f/32.png) [@aahala](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aahala)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2005, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plumbing-experts-or-anyone-with-ideas-wet-floor/317445/5 "2005-08-17T16:07:30Z")
Nothing about plumbing. If you have insurance that might cover the damage or your landlord does, take pictures just in case. ---
**Author:** ![Joe\_Mahma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@Joe\_Mahma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joe_Mahma)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2005, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plumbing-experts-or-anyone-with-ideas-wet-floor/317445/6 "2005-08-17T18:35:21Z")
They call it radi **a** nt heating where I come from. ---
**Author:** ![MannyL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@MannyL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MannyL)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2005, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plumbing-experts-or-anyone-with-ideas-wet-floor/317445/7 "2005-08-18T22:16:50Z")
Plumber came today, the main pipe is leaking before the water meter. He will come back in the next few days to move the heater and open the wall to fix the problem ---
**Author:** ![Jake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2005, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plumbing-experts-or-anyone-with-ideas-wet-floor/317445/8 "2005-08-18T22:20:50Z")
Water Meter or water heater? ---
**Author:** ![MannyL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@MannyL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MannyL)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2005, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plumbing-experts-or-anyone-with-ideas-wet-floor/317445/9 "2005-08-18T22:36:09Z")
> [@Jake](#): > > Water Meter or water heater? From what my father told be the heater which is next to the pipe has to be pulled out so the plumber can work. He will have to break the wall and see exactly where it is leaking from. My hope is it’s leaking in the part thats in the wall so the concete floor doesn’t have to be ripped up ---
**Author:** ![hermann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b487fb/32.png) [@hermann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hermann)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2005, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plumbing-experts-or-anyone-with-ideas-wet-floor/317445/10 "2005-08-19T03:03:21Z")
Looks like you have your answer, so I’ll share a plumbing story. I got sent out to a house where the homeowner said the floor was wet right next to the wall that had the tub on the other side of it. Luckily, he had an access door to get to the tub and shower valve. There were no obvious leaks that I could see, so I went into the bathroom to look at the tub. At the bottom of the tub was one of those rubber mats with the suction cups. I pulled it up and saw that the tub had a hole in it. Homeowner could have saved himself a lot of money by investigating a little. Just goes to show you. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Large\_Marge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/50afbb/32.png) [@Large\_Marge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Large_Marge)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2005, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plumbing-experts-or-anyone-with-ideas-wet-floor/317445/11 "2005-09-26T07:30:36Z")
So, Manny, where was it leaking? ---
**Author:** ![MannyL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@MannyL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MannyL)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2005, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plumbing-experts-or-anyone-with-ideas-wet-floor/317445/12 "2005-09-26T11:08:04Z")
> [@Large Marge](#): > > So, Manny, where was it leaking? It was leaking between the meter and the wall I believe if my father understood the plumber correctly.