Water Leaking on back of house

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dngrmys

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I noticed yesterday that I have water leaking out of my brick and into my yard. It appears to be a slow leak, but based on the green algae-looking stuff, it appears to have been going on for a while. It's been a cold winter in Texas (and most of the rest of the U.S.), but I have had my faucet covered before any of the freezes. I would automatically point to a broken pipe from my outside faucet, but if you look closely at all the pics, you can see the brick is wet over 10 feet away from the faucet.

A couple things to note:

- I am not seeing any signs of water damage on the inside
- I do not "hear" anything abnormal
- like I said previously, I think this has been going on for some time because of the algae and because the mortar is easily chipped away where there is water.

Any advice is appreciated. I have called my insurance company, but an adjuster has not yet been out. I also called my plumber, but he advised to wait for the adjuster.
 

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dngrmys

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Thanks. Do you think the odds are that the leaky pipe is from the outside faucet? If so, how do they go about repairing that? Does it usually require tearing out some of the wall or can it be done through the faucet entry.

One thing I did forget to mention is that the inside of that wall is the master bathroom with two sinks and shower that back up to that brick wall.
 

Jim Mills

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The fact that there is more plumbing in that wall just adds to the equation. Is there a basement or crawlspace underneath? That might help.
 

dngrmys

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Is there a basement or crawlspace underneath? That might help.

No, single story on a slab foundation. I have a hunch it's coming from the outside faucet due to the "water line" on the bricks. However, you can see the wet brick many feet over (on both sides) of the faucet, so I'm not 100% sure.
 
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Terry

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If that's a frost free hose bib, it's replaced from the inside wall. It's much better to open some cabinet or interior wall than to break out brick.
The connection will be inside the interior wall anyway, and there is nothing you can do for it on the brick side.
 

dngrmys

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If that's a frost free hose bib, it's replaced from the inside wall. It's much better to open some cabinet or interior wall than to break out brick.
The connection will be inside the interior wall anyway, and there is nothing you can do for it on the brick side.

Thanks. Do you know why there would be water traveling so far in both directions? Is it just due to path of "least resistance"?

Btw, this is a great forum - probably the best plubming resource I have found on the web.
 

Terry

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Thanks. Do you know why there would be water traveling so far in both directions? Is it just due to path of "least resistance"?

Water finds a way. If you dam it, the water rises and becomes a stream. Finding the source of a leak can be difficult.

hosebib_split.jpg


Normally a hosebib is longer than this one and goes past the first wall.

You may also want to check to see if the shutoffs under the sink are dripping first. Sometimes it's something very simple.

A split like in the picture above, would only leak when the hosebib was open. If turned off, no leak. We normally discover these in the Spring when watering with a hose begins again.

 
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dngrmys

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You may also want to check to see if the shutoffs under the sink are dripping first. Sometimes it's something very simple.

There are no visible signs of water damage on on the inside of the home, so I don't think it would be the sink shut-offs.

Another question, if it it the hosebib and water has leaked, would I need to worry about mold or is there a layer between the brick and house that would prevent that and/or keep it from getting inside?

Thanks.
 

hj

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Depending on whether it leaks all the time, or just sproradically, would determine whether it us a water or cracked drain line. My money would be on a drain line but would have to do my own investigation to verify that.
 

dngrmys

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Depending on whether it leaks all the time, or just sproradically, would determine whether it us a water or cracked drain line. My money would be on a drain line but would have to do my own investigation to verify that.

Thanks, hj. We stopped using the bath as of this morning to see if there is any change in water leakage from the outside. The thing that makes me lean towards a busted outside faucet (or pipe near it) is the concentration of water in that area (see above pics). There is water else where, but it seems to be the heaviest right by that faucet.
 

Reach4

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Thanks, hj. We stopped using the bath as of this morning to see if there is any change in water leakage from the outside. The thing that makes me lean towards a busted outside faucet (or pipe near it) is the concentration of water in that area (see above pics). There is water else where, but it seems to be the heaviest right by that faucet.

You could put a pressure gauge on a faucet, and close the main water line to the house. See how quickly the needle drops. If you have a pressure tank on your water heater, that would make the response of the pressure gauge be much slower. If you turn off the hot water separately, you could see if the rate changes.

I suspect part of your thinking that the problem is a the outside faucet is wishful thinking.
 

dngrmys

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I suspect part of your thinking that the problem is a the outside faucet is wishful thinking.

Yes, definitely wishful thinking, but the way the water is on the bricks (with a concentration around the faucet) leads me to believe that's the culprit. I know the pics don't show the clear definition of the dry vs wet bricks, but my EXTREMELY limited knowledge of both plumbing and physics are telling me it's that darn faucet.
 

Reach4

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Yes, definitely wishful thinking, but the way the water is on the bricks (with a concentration around the faucet) leads me to believe that's the culprit. I know the pics don't show the clear definition of the dry vs wet bricks, but my EXTREMELY limited knowledge of both plumbing and physics are telling me it's that darn faucet.

1. When did you put that styrofoam gadget on your faucet? Was it before or after the really cold weather?

2. What does that faucet look like? Is the shaft at right angles to the house so that it might go in many inches? If not, you may have the wrong kind of faucet on there, and that would make a frozen pipe there a lot more likely.

3. Is the pipe entry point for that faucet caulked up pretty well? If not, you might see if a wet-dry vacuum, with a suitable adapter maybe cut from a plastic bottle, could draw any water out along the stem. If you could draw any such water, that would seem to say that the leakage is right there.
 

dngrmys

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1. When did you put that styrofoam gadget on your faucet? Was it before or after the really cold weather?

2. What does that faucet look like? Is the shaft at right angles to the house so that it might go in many inches? If not, you may have the wrong kind of faucet on there, and that would make a frozen pipe there a lot more likely.

3. Is the pipe entry point for that faucet caulked up pretty well? If not, you might see if a wet-dry vacuum, with a suitable adapter maybe cut from a plastic bottle, could draw any water out along the stem. If you could draw any such water, that would seem to say that the leakage is right there.

1. I put it on before the cold weather hit in November.
2. Good question. I haven't even taken the cover off and don't remember what it looks like. I will do that tonight and get back.
3. Again, I don't remember, but I would likely guess "no". I don't have a wet/dry vac, but I'll see what I can do.
 

ImOld

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Did I miss the part about the shutoff for the outside faucet?

It sure would help in finding the problem area.

What kind of plumber would pipe up a house with no outside faucet shutoffs, inside.
 

dngrmys

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Did I miss the part about the shutoff for the outside faucet?

It sure would help in finding the problem area.

What kind of plumber would pipe up a house with no outside faucet shutoffs, inside.

This is a good point, but I have no clue where this would be located. Any help on typical shut-off locations for outside faucets are appreciated.
 

dngrmys

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So, I had a plumber come out and he confirmed there were no leaks. He has a suspicion that it's the shower that is leaking, so he recommended using the other shower for a couple of days and checking to see if the outside dries up. We have done that and it does appear to be drying out.

It looks like we may have to rip the shower up and replace the pan and then re-tile. We are hoping to only tear out the base and first two feet of the shower walls. My next question would be, is a plastic/fiberglass bottom better than a tile one? We have travertine and while it looks great, it's a hassle to maintain and if we had fiberglass from the start, it seems we'd be less likely to have this issue. Any advice is appreciated.

photo 1 (2).jpgphoto 2 (2).jpg
 

MACPLUMB

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It could also be the shower valve or piping to the shower head pull the valve trim plate and remove the shower head and cap the pipe then turn the shower
on and see if it leaks if not then yes it is the pan
 
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