FROG MAN Posted June 24, 2012 Share #1 Posted June 24, 2012 I got a water leak under the house. It's on the back side which is low to the ground.I use to get under there fine but now I don't fit. So my options are 1. Dig a ditch to crawl in. 2.Jack up the house. 3.Loose some weight and try it in a couple months. 4. Hire a skinny plumber. I wonder why the electric bill increased. The submersible pump is running more often.This honey dooo list never gets finished. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brake Pad Posted June 24, 2012 Share #2 Posted June 24, 2012 Gee Guy if you have dirt or a sand based, ground, dig it out ( Be happy you don't live in South Florida, ) all our houses are built over coral rock. ( rent a small jack hammer with a shovel head, so you don't have to break your back digging. ( it will make small work of the job ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yammer Dan Posted June 24, 2012 Share #3 Posted June 24, 2012 I got a water leak under the house. It's on the back side which is low to the ground.I use to get under there fine but now I don't fit. So my options are 1. Dig a ditch to crawl in. 2.Jack up the house. 3.Loose some weight and try it in a couple months. 4. Hire a skinny plumber. I wonder why the electric bill increased. The submersible pump is running more often.This honey dooo list never gets finished. If you had called me 20 years ago.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FROG MAN Posted June 24, 2012 Author Share #4 Posted June 24, 2012 I'm hoping it's the hot water line. That way I can shut it off and let it dry up a few days.The ground is soft enough to dig just needs to dry out some.Looks like a trip to ACE Hardware for parts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flyinfool Posted June 24, 2012 Share #5 Posted June 24, 2012 Option 5. tear out the floor and attack from above........ Just trying to help.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcarl Posted June 24, 2012 Share #6 Posted June 24, 2012 If you have copper, would it help to change over to pex? It's a lot easier and can be fished from one place to another,,,,, just a thought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocket Posted June 24, 2012 Share #7 Posted June 24, 2012 4. Hire a skinny plumber. I wonder why the electric bill increased. The submersible pump is running more often.This honey dooo list never gets finished. If you are looking in this group, you're looking in the wrong place. That is unless, you can get one of the kids, to route the new plumbing & you hook up in a more accessable area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squidley Posted June 24, 2012 Share #8 Posted June 24, 2012 Option 5. tear out the floor and attack from above........ Just trying to help.... Dont laugh, I have worked with one of my best friends who is a master plumber and we HAVE tore floors out because it was pretty much the only way to get at a problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flyinfool Posted June 24, 2012 Share #9 Posted June 24, 2012 Dont laugh, I have worked with one of my best friends who is a master plumber and we HAVE tore floors out because it was pretty much the only way to get at a problem. I'm not laughing, thru the floor is the only way to fix my bathroom issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnT Posted June 24, 2012 Share #10 Posted June 24, 2012 Must be something in the air. Just had to replace my pressure tank. It was seeping out the back and is in a spot that made it tough to notice. Till there was enough water on the floor to make it's presence known. New pressure tank, pump switch, shut offs, etc. Now I don't hear the pump switch click on so often. And I second the opinion on Pex. Borrowed a crimp tool and the Pex made short easy work out of the piping. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FROG MAN Posted June 24, 2012 Author Share #11 Posted June 24, 2012 Yea that's what I got is a gray looking Pex. Not sure where to buy it anymore it's been in for 32 years.It might just be a leaky crimp I'll take a look. Need to find a supplier before I take it apart. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Venture n Dixie Posted June 24, 2012 Share #12 Posted June 24, 2012 gray looking Pex Not sure where to buy it anymore it's been in for 32 years. UH OH! That sounds like the crap Phillips Petroleum unleashed on the mobile home industry. Turned thousands of trailers in to sprinkler systems. If so, be prepared for more leaks. http://www.contractormisconduct.org/ass/contractors/71/cases/1035/1419/royal-dutch-shell-polybutylene-pipe_settlement.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squidley Posted June 24, 2012 Share #13 Posted June 24, 2012 Yea that's what I got is a gray looking Pex. Not sure where to buy it anymore it's been in for 32 years.It might just be a leaky crimp I'll take a look. Need to find a supplier before I take it apart. Thats not PEX Froggie, it sounds like polybutylene that they put in mobile homes. There was/is a lawsuit going on with that stuff. You can't buy it as it has been banned for use. Your only other choices are Copper, Pex or PVC to replumb with. I know some plumbers who love the Pex on new construction, but it will somewhat suck to try and retrofit the entire house with it all at once. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FROG MAN Posted June 24, 2012 Author Share #14 Posted June 24, 2012 Just my luck. I'll take a look see if I can temp fix it then decide what to do.It has been leaking for a while so if I can patch it then dry out maybe re pipe is in order. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest tx2sturgis Posted June 24, 2012 Share #15 Posted June 24, 2012 Way back in 1984 I bought a fairly nice home in Amarillo Texas that was plumbed with that gray PB crap. (The home was built in 1978) In 1988 it suffered a huge leak from one of the fittings that burst apart while I was 1200 miles away driving a truck in California. We had no idea back then it could or would have been covered by a lawsuit, we had never heard of PB plumbing. At the time it was just bad luck. Insurance covered some of the damage, but again, unlucky me, I didnt have replacement coverage. I dont live at that house anymore. To this DAY, when I leave town, I ALWAYS turn off the water supply to my house. Live and learn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOO Posted June 24, 2012 Share #16 Posted June 24, 2012 "To this DAY, when I leave town, I ALWAYS turn off the water supply to my house." That is the cheapest insurance you can get. A person should do that when they are gone just for a day or so but I don't do it. More than two or three days and the water goes off. Heard to many horror stories about water leaks and seen several. BOO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest tx2sturgis Posted June 24, 2012 Share #17 Posted June 24, 2012 Frogman, if you cant replace the PB stuff, (due to cost or codes or whatever) then I would buy some battery powered water leak detectors and scatter them around in every location where you have those fittings. I would also make sure I had REPLACEMENT type insurance, and have a convenient shut-off valve installed somewhere, for those times that the house will be vacant, such as vacations. Just my . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naugh-T Posted June 24, 2012 Share #18 Posted June 24, 2012 Never heard of a skinney plumber Naugh-T Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dacheedah Posted June 24, 2012 Share #19 Posted June 24, 2012 Pex is awesome stuff, usually comes in white, blue or red ( Hot cold and supply) will freeze and expand and not break. The fittings is where you need the tool and if you only have a few I would run it and rent the tool. You check the fitting with a gauge and if it's all good you are golden. I have helped a plumber and we have also have pulled a lot of pipe from above when you have a crawl or it's finished below. If you are in a termite area or it's not vented you run the risk of termites and mold. Fix it now and save a lot more down the road. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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