Question:
I recently ripped up my old carpet in order to install laminate flooring. While doing this I noticed an area on my wood subfloor that was black and damp. The area was where my kitchen and dining room meet. I went ahead and installed the laminate floor anyway because I thought the damp area of subfloor was due to an old refrigerator that leaked until I replaced it. The fridge sits very close to where this damp spot was on my subfloor. Before installing the laminate floor, I allowed the subfloor to dry out some. Within 6 weeks of installing this new floor, part of the floor is bubbling in the area where the subfloor was damp. I don’t know if I have a leak. What should I do? It does sound like water is dripping. I don’t know if it is the water running to the icemaker in my fridge, but there is no water under the fridge.
Answer:
Do you have a raised foundation where you can crawl under the house and take a look? If not, make sure the water in the house is not being used and go out to your water meter and see if the dial is moving. I usually mark it and wait about 5 minutes and check it again to see if it has moved any. If it has, you definitely have a leak.
Follow-up Question:
Yeah, I have crawled underneath my house via the crawlspace and did not notice anything leaking. There is some slight mold or mildew starting to grow underneath the piece of plywood that is black from the water damage and there are a few pipes that seem to run very close to where the damaged plywood is. The pipes run through the wall that separates the dining room from the kitchen which is right by the damaged plywood. I have checked my water meter and did not see the dial moving. Any new ideas?
Follow-up Answer:
Is the wood damp to the touch? I would probably concentrate on the drain pipes, since you state there are no obvious signs of a pressure leak. I would crawl under the house and have someone run water in the kitchen sink, wash machine, (spin cycle), flush toilets, etc.. check the joints near the damp area…water may be seeping from a cracked coupling.
Follow-up Question:
Yes, the wood is damp to the touch. I crawled underneath the house and saw where a p.v.c. pipe and a copper line run about a foot away from where the wood is damp. The pipes run up into the wall that separates the kitchen from the dining room. I know the pvc pipe is the drain pipe for my a.c. unit that runs from the attic all the down into the wall, and elbows outside on the backside of the house. I recently had a problem with my water leaking through my return air vent, come to find out that same pvc pipe was clogged so I used an air compressor and cleaned out the pipe so it would drain properly. I thought this may of been the cause of the damp floor, but even after unclogging this pipe, I still have a damp floor that wont dry out because somehow water is still leaking. Wow, what a deal huh!
Follow-up Answer:
You may have to take a drastic approach and actually remove the drain line for a few days and see if the wood drys up. If it does, then when you put a new line back in you should have solved the problem. One other thing, did you check the outside wall to make sure you don’t have a leaky hose bib or sprinkler valve that might be leaking into the wall.