Q&A on types of leaks in water supply or drain piping:

Frequently-asked questions about diagnosing the type and source and cause of leaks in plumbing supply or drain piping.

This article series describes the different types of plumbing leaks that can occur in building supply piping or drain piping. Knowing just what kind of leak is occurring in a building helps pinpoint the problem and also helps specify the necessary plumbing repair.

A Quick Tutorial on Types of Water Supply & Drain Pipe Leaks Helps Find Leaks in buildings

Q&A on types of water leaks that occur in building piping help find leaks that are not so obvious.

These questions & answers about the types of plumbing leaks and how to find and repair them were posted originally at LEAK TYPES, WATER SUPPLY or DRAIN PIPES - be sure to review the help provided there.

On 2018-08-08 by (mod) - Bathroom upstairs leaks after flushing

If you smell an odor and are breathing while in the area where the odor is detected, then yes, almost certainly you are inhaling air that carries some of whatever is characterized as that odor.

The level of hazard ranges from zero to dangerous - that' s not something one could assess by an e-text or web page posting.

On 2018-08-08 by Sheila Moore

Bathroom upstairs leaks after flushing,odor is smelled outside, but not inside. Am I inhaling this into my lungs?

On 2017-11-03 by (mod) -

Yolanda

With no more information than your brief text I can but guess that perhaps you are seeing a condensate drain line from a heat pump or air conditioning system.

On 2017-11-03 by yolanda

The drip pipe outside my house has some water in it and is dripping at a very slow rate. what or where is this water coming from? At least that is what I think it's called. It's a very short pipe coming out the side of my house next to an outside faucet.

On 2017-10-10 by (mod) - water appeared after a heavy rain

As the water appeared after a heavy rain I would be looking for a roof leak or a gutter overflow that leaks back into the eaves and into the exterior wall

On 2017-10-10 by Lisa

we have a water damage on a wall on first floor bathroom. Plumber thought upstairs bathroom was cause and sealed upstairs bathtub precautionary. But after last storm (heavy rain) we noticed wall being wet again. Room above bathroom is dry! Bathroom is not at an outside wall - garage is next to it. No roof above and no other wet spot anywhere. We cannot find the problem. Any ideas?

On 2017-10-10 by (mod) - tracing an apparent plumbing leak back outside to a roof or gutter problem

As the water appeared after a heavy rain I would be looking for a roof leak or a gutter overflow that leaks back into the eaves and into the exterior wall

On 2017-10-10 by Lisa

we have a water damage on a wall on first floor bathroom. Plumber thought upstairs bathroom was cause and sealed upstairs bathtub precautionary. But after last storm (heavy rain) we noticed wall being wet again.

Room above bathroom is dry! Bathroom is not at an outside wall - garage is next to it. No roof above and no other wet spot anywhere. We cannot find the problem. Any ideas?

On 2017-10-03 by Seanomac

Sorry didnt spell check. It leaks when the cold water facet in the bathroom is on

Plumber installed new hot water heater and now I have a cold water pipe leaking in the basement. Here's the weird thing, it only makes when the cold facet in the bathroom is on! Any ideas?

On 2017-09-09 by Carolyn

I've notice a steady, but quiet humming noise when I turn off the faucet on my in bath sink. The faucet has been a problem since I replaced the cartridge. It takes several turns to turn around to turn it off, and than is out of line. Could the noise be related to the defective faucet?

On 2017-07-01 by (mod) - what's a deck drain?

Matthew,

Sorry to be a bit obtuse but I don't understand your situation nor what you mean by "deck drain" - perhaps you can use the page top or bottom CONTACT link to send me images of what you're asking about.

On 2017-07-01 by mathew ho

The deck drain off my master bedroom is leaking when water is flowing thru the drain. The copper drain fitting is fitted into a PVC pipe drain. the flooring is new membrane so is ok. The joint between the copper drain and the PVC pipe...how is it connected? Is there a gasket or 0 ring between the copper and PVC piping drain when the contractor installed the new membrane flooring?

On 2017-04-26 by (mod) - causes of formation of blue oxide on copper water pipes

Ron

Leaks along a copper pipe OR condensate on the (cold water) copper supply pipe can cause it to form an oxide that is blue in color.

Copper does not literally "rot" since "rot" is confined to organic materials (dead trees). But copper can be damaged by corrosive water or it can be corroded by any external leak or water source.

If you see the problem on both hot and cold pipes and throughout the building I'd suspect corrosive water OR a batch of defective copper piping.

If you see the problem just in specific areas I'd look for leaks or a water source.

Use the page top or bottom CONTACT link to send me some sharp photos and I can comment further.

Daniel

On 2017-04-26 by Ron

My copper water pipe just inside the home has turned navy blue. Not patina blue/green. What is causing it?

Also a clang that last for a second every 10 to 20 minutes is happening and now we have no idea what it is.

A plumber said the blue color our pipes are rotting and we need all new pipes!!! The house is immaculate and built in 2000. The copper is is Navy blue for about 10 feet and then goes back to copper. HELP

On 2017-04-25 2 by (mod) - leaks at the well casing

Lyle

Unfortunately leaks out of a well worry me that under changing conditions there can also be leaks into the well at the same point, contaminating the water.

You want your well plumber to inspect the well piping and casing to find the leak - both can be repaired.

On 2017-04-25 by Lyle

The above groung housing iis leaking 4 inch well

On 2016-06-21 by (mod) - sewage leaks into a building are unsafe

Jill

It sounds as if there is sewage effluent leaking into your building. If so that's certainly not healthy, and risks bacterial and other health hazards.

There could also be a potentially dangerous sewer gas hazard. If the landlord is not going to address the problem You may need to ask for advice and help from your health department.

On 2016-06-21 by Jill Lund

A crack in the basement wall above & below the outgoing sewer pipe began leaking. This crack is fairly new. The landlord dug outside where the pipe comes out of the building. The hole was filled with water and the cast iron pipe had a 4-6 inch crack. We could also see a crack on the outside foundation like the inside.

This is a four Plex building. On the opposite side of the building is a 2 foot crack in the asphalt drive starting from the foundation out. This is new too. That crack looks like we had an earthquake and is about 1-2 inches wide.

What is going on here. Landlord is putting off fixing it. My basement smells like pee and I'm worried the foundation may cave in.

On 2016-05-01 by RZ

I had a well water & pump engineer come out, he said that my well & pump is good, the pump gradually shuts off at 50 PSI then stabilizes at 45 PSI, he said there must be a leak after the pump near the house

. I do see a leaking water main shut off valve outside by the garage. I am changing out my sediment filter as well.

The pipes around the water softner & sediment filter look like spaghetti. Do you think that the shut off valve & sediment filter can suck air into the water lines & toilets? When I open the faucet at the bladder tank air & water shoots out?

On 2015-12-21 by (mod) - leaks in freezing weather

That's a new leak on me, Calvin. I speculate that you have a drain that's frozen or backing up.

On 2015-12-20 by Calvin Lloyd

Why does the plumbing under my kitchen sink leaks when the weather is below 35 degrees?

On 2015-03-16 by (mod) -

Good question, Tom.

It is possible that you're seeing de-zincification.

See https://inspectapedia.com/plumbing/PEX_Brass_Fitting_Leaks_De_Zincification.php - the dezincification and corrosion examples discussed there occur in brass fittings that may be used not just on PEX but also on copper water piping systems.

On 2015-03-12 by Tom Sams

What is the cause and remedy for carrion forming around soldered brass/copper connections that were fine for a couple of years?

On 2015-02-10 by (mod) - still have water in the basement

Anon I can't make out from your note if we have reliably identified the cause of water entry. Start outside.

It is often the case that water from roof spillage, surface runoff, improper gutters and leaders, will seep into a basement even days after the rain has stopped.

On 2015-02-06 by Anonymous

Please help! We still have water in the basement after months of failed trouble shooting. Here is a list of items we have repaired/fixed.

1: Replaced cap to pump for water heater

2: Re-configured leaking p-trap under utility sink/laundry drain.

3: Placed cap on external vent pipe to prevent rainwater from entering.

There is still water in the basement after a few days of rain. (one day of rain will not produce water in the basement, but after saturation of the ground, we have water.) We can do laundry without water leaking. We can see chronic dampness around the metal drain that goes through the foundation of the house and to the street. What do we do?

On 2014-12-16 by (mod) - The oil burner does not affect hot water flow rate

Kevin

If the oil burner's job is only to heat the boiler and whatever water is in it. The oil burner does not affect hot water flow rate.

I think you're saying that there are leaks from the pressure relief valve discharge tube on the boiler. If so that does not point to a burner problem.

See

inspectapedia.com/plumbing/TP_Valve_Leaks.php

for diagnosis & repair suggestions for leaky TP valves

Your boiler guy is of course right that a waterlogged expansion tank can cause a TP valve to leak but so can other problems. If the leak continues after expansion tank replacement then more diagnosis is in order - see the article link I gave above.

On 2014-12-16 by Kevin Sharkey

I should add when the expansion tank was replaced, the burner man said it was no good because he said I can feel how heavy it is and it should be light. He said the gasket or inside of it was more than likely filled with water making it heavy.

Hi, I have a Burnham V-74-T burner. It has been maintained every year since I've owned the home for 17 years.The burner guy says it's always running around 83% when he comes to clean it out, which he says is about as good as a burner will be.

The problem I have just recently been having is when someone takes a shower or we turn heat on,(baseboard)Hot water starts to trickle out. (sometimes slow, sometimes a little faster)I have had the expansion tank replaced recently to see if that was the problem, but I don't believe it was.

I have a 5 gallon bucket under the overflow pipe to catch the water. Do you think I have to replace the burner or could one of the valves need to be replaced?

On 2014-06-29 21:00:41.811220 by (mod) -

Julie I don't have a clear understanding of what is going on - but if there is a possible boiler leak or plumbing leak or leak from another source it makes sense to find and fix the problem promptly.

On 2014-06-29 by Julie Gough

We have combi-boiler central heating system and have recently noticed a brown/copper coloured powder/dust substance coming through the beading at the skirting in adjacent wall - any ideas what this could be and how serious? Any advice welcome!

On 2012-11-12 by mario bruno

is it possible to clog a 4 inch vertical sewer drain {cast iron}

On 2012-07-05 by KP

I live in a condo. There is a small cloistered space in the condo where venting pipe and drain pipes go vertically from floor to floor.

The vent carries air from the kitchen while drain pipes carry sewer water from the kitchen sink and from the washing machine/dish washer. These pipes are mostly vertical running from the floor to the ceiling (with a horizontal connection on each floor), from floor to floor.

There is high humidity in this enlcosed space, close to 70% (elsewhere in the condo humidity varies in time from 40 to 55% at most). I cannot visually see any water leaking out of the pipes or moisture from condensation. Yet the humidity must be coming from somewhere?!

This space has no ventilation and I can smell a slight odour of moisture (not quite mold but an odour of moist air).
How can I find out what is causing this high level of humidity?

On 2012-01-31 by Anonymous

I have a lot of connections on my water pipes outside now I see water dripping from them.

...

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