A bizarre plumbing puzzler

[Alex Franke]

My philosophy is to evaluate the cheaper possibility first. You gotta take look in that wall for a problem before you start tearing up the slab...

The wall was opened up a few days ago. Good advice, though.

That's an easy one, neighbor pays. They either pay, or you install a shutoff valve for THEIR water in YOUR closet.

ROFL -- hadn't even though of that one!

[tung tied]

The part that confuses me...
Is the cook taking a shower while cooking?
If so, does the cook have to wash their hands before returning to cook??

[Alex Franke]

Well after three confused plumbers and about $700, I think they found the solution. There's a bathroom on a wall perpendicular to the kitchen/closet wall where the water was pooling. The toilet in that bathroom had a leaky tank. The water apparently traveled under the bathroom wall into the kitchen behind it. From there it traveled across the kitchen under the kitchen tile floor until it hit the cabinets next to the oven. From there it went around to the back of the oven (presumably downhill) and into the closet behind it. They think that turning the oven on heated the wall/floor up just enough to let more of the water through.

The kitchen looked dry the whole time because the water was either under the floor or under baseboard. I guess they just missed the toilet tank leak -- the plumbers did, too.

Thanks for all your input on this!! It's a shame the tank leak had to cost so much, but at least they didn't follow the first plumber's advice and start tearing up the slab!!

[phi1l]

Thank's for the update. Plumbing problems can really be strange. I'm glad he finally got it fixed.

[Ed62]

Too bad it wasn't caught earlier. Now you know why I hate plumbing. I've seen it more than once when water was hard to follow.

Ed

[Uncle Cracker]

I've seen it more than once when water was hard to follow.

This is why I've chosen instead to follow beer...