Upstairs water leak

[Jason Dunlap]

The line between the toilet tank and the shut off valve blew and water filled up the upstairs bathroom - about an inch or two before I got to it. I soaked up the water with towels but some leaked into the downstairs bathroom directly below - along the heating vent and by an electrical outlet. I turned off the outside pressure to make sure nothing else was wrong and fortunately it was just the water line to the toilet.

The bathroom has linoleum around the toilet and then carpet by the sink. I already pulled up the carpet and took out the padding as it acted like a sponge. I also tore out the linoleum since I did not like it and I want the particle board to dry and not rot.

A couple questions:

1. Could there be another problem that caused excess pressure to make the line blow?

2. The flex line that broke looks easy to replace - do I really need a plummer or should I call someone who specializes in water damage. I am more concerned about the water that leaked to the downstairs. So far the sheet rock does not look stained or bowed but it has only been about 2 hours.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Jimbo]

Let me guess: the line that blew was a white polyethelyne and the ferrule ( the piece that the tubing is crimped to at the end) was plastic and that is the part that broke.

Drywall can take some time for a stain to come through. If you think it got very wet, it would be prudent to open the ceiling to get some air in there, with a fan if possible, to head off any mold. Also, the particle board underlayment in the bathroom needs to air out thouroughly, with a fan if possible. Particle board does NOT like water. Ensure it is completely dry with no sign of swelling before replacing any finished flooring.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Jason Dunlap]

thanks for the reply

you were close - metal tubing but the plastic part was connecting on the tank side. Have the fan going and the particle board looks like it is drying up pretty fast. Not as bad as it looked initially - thank goodness I was home or it would have been really bad.