some water issues in my house

[Judd]

Edited

[Debbie]

Can this puddle be water seeping UP into the floor?

I'm not a water lady so I can't help.

I am confused by your question---are you asking if this puddle evaporates from the basement and unevaporate (turning into a puddle) upstairs?

[Jeffery (LCLA)]

first issue: I got a half bath on the main level that has very little water pressure. The sink dribbles when turned on all the way. The toilet also runs crappy. I have checked the basement and can not see any valves going to this bathroom that may not be turned on completly. I have checked the valves to the sink and toilet and they are both on fully. You may want to take the valves off and check your pressure. It could be that the valves are clogged. You also may want to take the screen off of the faucet and clean it out.
The house is on a well. I have good pressure at the storage tank and the rest of the house seems fine including upstairs.

Is it possible that theres a block in the line?

2nd issue: in the basement/boat garage i get a puddle that comes and goes in the middle of the floor. I have checked the ceiling and there are some pipes right on top of the puddle but they appear to be dry. so i see no way of a leak causing the puddle. Can this puddle be water seeping UP into the floor? I could be either seeping water or a water leak. To eliminate the pipes, wrap a paper towel around the pipes where the suspected leak is and check it often. You may have a small leak that is stopping itself up. Or, it could be seeping up from the ground (or broken waste pipe).

answers in red. I know you already knew that, but I had to write something under the quote to post this message.

[Jeffery (LCLA)]

I'm not a water lady so I can't help.

I am confused by your question---are you asking if this puddle evaporates from the basement and unevaporate (turning into a puddle) upstairs?

Debbie, I understand the puddle to be on the basement floor with water pipes overhead. The question he is asking is if the water puddle could be coming from the ground.

[Judd]

Edited

[TommyOH]

Are there any cracks or holes in the basement floor? It is quite possible that the water is coming in from underneath. Like Jeffrey said, it could be a broken waste pipe, or even just the water table in the area rising.

[Dan Auito]

Also try and find the original building plans, may help in locating potential suspects!

[Debbie]

Debbie, I understand the puddle to be on the basement floor with water pipes overhead. The question he is asking is if the water puddle could be coming from the ground.

Ohhhh! Now that makes sense! Gotta bop myself! :SM003:

[Aldo]

I've had what seem to be similar problems.

The isolated water pressure issue is (obviously) due to a partial blockage which could be one of many things. I hate it when that happens. Follow Jeffery's suggestions first. Since the problem is with both hot and cold water, you'll know the blockage is before the water heater and, of course, after the storage tank. If there is a pipe union between those two locations, turn off the water at the tank and open the union. (Hopefully, this is in a basement or similar area.) Then briefly turn on the water to see what kind of pressure you have between the tank and the union. If the pressure is poor, you'll probably want to replace to piping. Note that older horizontal water lines are prone to having blockages. If the pressure is good there, you know the blockage is after the union. If that's the case, I could spend hours talking about possibilities here. I'd ask that you check this out and get back to us if the problem persists.

Next was water on the floor. You should have a pretty good idea about whether there are water pipes beneath that garage floor. Probably not. If there are, you'd see crack(s) and a bulge in the floor before you ever saw water. One elusive problem I had was an improperly insulated (basement ceiling) cold water line. The pipe would sweat on humid days, creating a small puddle below gaps in the foam insulation. I'd get there on a less-humid day and find a dry pipe and a wet floor. This gets more complex (say, worse), but for now I'd ask if you might be having a similar problem.

[brianb_cobbres]

On the 2nd issue..


Lay a sheet of plastic on the floor when it is dry and wait. If the water is appears and is under the sheet then it is coming through the floor but on top then you have a leak in the house. You can do the same this with damp walls.

[Judd]

Edited

[Aldo]

Locating the building plans, hmmm. Though it's unlikely, it's more likely impossible. The odds favor the plans being in the files of whoever built the home. Another slim possibility might be, if this was an add-on by a previous owner who actually got a permit, your local building inspection/code compliance office which may have a copy. While I don't want to appear to be negative, finding those plans could be very difficult. A worthy comparison would be winning the lottery.

If you are able to see when this is happening, immediately turn off the water supply valve at the tank or other furthest source. Then check to see if the water continues rising. That, at least, will tell you if the problem is with your water system or Mother Nature's water system.

It's a longshot, but I'd ask neighbors if they've had a similar problem or, just maybe, know something about your predicament. That water has to be coming from somewhere and digging/cutting a hole is pointless unless you know what you're looking for.

Please continue to keep us updated. This is an unusual problem and solving (or helping to solve) an unusual problem is unusually rewarding.

[Debbie]

Judd,

I assume that there's no vent above the floor?

I've personally witnessed water coming out of the ceiling's vent, wetting the floor.....

[Aldo]

When I wet the floor, I know I've had enough, but Judd's problem appears to be coming from below grade. Considering the info he provided, I'm at a loss for help. There must be something going on that he's not currently aware of. I think.

[Jeffery (LCLA)]

ok, the water is coming UP from the concrete. well, at least you know in which direction to look. I doubt it is a raising water table since the area seems to be in a drought and my well is like 160 feet deep. The puddle is like 4 feet around and its ALWAYS in the same spot. The rest of the basement is finished and has laminate flooring so I think this is the only spot.

Do I just get a concrete saw and cut that bad boy up or should I have a plan here? You should have at least an idea of what you want to do, perhaps draw some lines on the floor where you want to cut. SOmeone said building plans. Will the city have those? It's unlikely the city will have the plans (we call them prints down here) and even it the city does have the prints, it's even more unlikely that a sub contractor would have marked his water pipes on the prints.
I saw in the other thread that a pipe under concrete can be repaired without cutting the slab. But this is in the boat garage so cutting the concrete and filling it back in is no biggie. Yeah, no biggie, after you cut and bust the concrete, come back and tell us it was no "biggie" so what to do?

If you've exhausted all other avenues, and you're still feeling up to the job, you'll need a concrete saw and a jack hammer or sledge hammer. Make sure you wear some protective gear including dust mask, eye and ear protection and long pants and sleeves. Draw out some lines on the floor where you want to cut. (you only want to cut down a couple of inches deep because the remesh in the concrete will destroy a concrete blade). After you cut along your lines, make some cross cuts in the concrete (like a checker board) so it will be easier to break the concrete and the pieces will be smaller. You'll want to be careful when busting the concrete with the hammer because you don't want to damage anything that may be under the concrete.

If you need some help (and you will) tell your not so closest friends that the previous owner burried some gold coins in that spot before the concrete was poured.

I'm sure I left something out, so when you run into a problem, come back here and post it.

[Judd]

Edited

[Judd]

Edited

[mike_mn]

My first thought is installing drain tile around the perimeter of the garage, but after reading the whole thread, if it has not been raining at all and the wetness comes and goes, it seems that a degraded underground sewer or water pipe may be the issue.

I am assuming from the previous decription that this is a "tuck under" style garage, or "raised ranch" as some areas of the country call them. If that is the case, then it is quite possible that the water and/or sewer pipes are running right under the garage floor.

Unfortunatly, breaking up the area may be your best bet to see what is going on. To find the pipes, you can call on the city(I think) or else a plumber might be able to come out and locate for you. They use a wand that somehow identifies the location of sewer pipes. You should already know the direction of your water pipes since they go strait from your pressure tank directly out to the well in the yard. I am guessing that that is on the other side of the house, since the sewer feed line needs to be many feet away from the water feed line anyway due to the danger for contamination of the aquafer.

[Jeffery (LCLA)]

well i am not saying breaking up a 4x4 or bigger section of concrete is no biggie. I just mean its not wood flooring or covered with expensive tile. It will be labor intensive no doubt, but cosmetics wont be an issue. Yeah, I was just giving you a hard time.

I will call the previous owner since we just bought this home a couple months ago. I'll also ask the neighbors if they have experienced the same thing. That would be a great place to start. I suspect that the wet spot didn't start the day you bought the place.
whats odd, is it comes and goes. Its not there now but was there yesterday, about 4 feet by 4 feet. I have tried narrowing it down to a specific bathroom usage but no luck. Personally, I would suspect main discharge line. Or, your new house is floating on a natural spring and if you cut a hole in the floor, the entire house will sink (kinda like a boat).

good luck