A leak...but where?

[Guest]

I'm new to this forum but was thankful I found it this morning. Please help. This is my first mobile home. I have a 1997 Cavco, 16X80. We bought it brand new and have lived the last 10 years in complete bliss.

The problem...last week we noticed what looked like water damage to the floor in the kitchen in front of the cabinet...not the cabinet where the kitechn sink is, but the cabinet located on the other side of the wall of the laundry room. Its not wet to the touch and you can barely feel a bubble effect. The "stain" extends about 4 inches out from the cabinet and is about 12 inches long. There are no similiar stains in the laundry room, or anywhere else in the home.

The plumber was here this morning. He checked the washing machine hoses and drain. He went under the home and said it was completely dry. He said it did look like the washer drain pipe may have leaked a little in the past, but now everything is completely dry.

We had a brand new larger washer installed last September, if that makes a difference.

I guess I have the following questions:

1. Where is the leak coming from if everything is dry?
2. Isn't there probably water damage UNDER the cabinet if the "stain" extends out from the cabinet?
3. How bad is the water damage?
4. How much will it cost to repair everything?
5. Where do I start?

Any and all replies are appreciated...I love this home.

[Harry]

Hi

You may want to consider getting Mark's Repair Manual. Floors is covered in Chapter 3.

Have you inspected the home down-under? Take a bright light. Not only will you be able to see better the bugs and critters don't like bright lights.

You are smart to catch a leak early. Water dissolves particle board flooring rapidly.

Harry

[JD]

Mark's repair manual is an excellent suggestion to answer #5. For #1, it is best if you look for yourself, as Harry said. If the bottom side of the subfloor is totally dry and shows no major signs of a water leak, then the washing machine drain backinf up a little is a very good possibility. While under the home, look at the way the washer drain is connected to the main drain pipe. There should be no 90 degree couplers. Also, check your water heater compartment and make sure it isn't the plumbing in there.

#2 Whether the water damage under the cabinet is bad enough to justify repair would depend on where the leak came from and how bad the damage is. It is very likely that the washer lost just some of it's drain water and could be a small amount of surface water. I am thinking that the damage under the cabinet might be minimal. But not being able to see it formyself, it is hard to say.

#3 See #2

#4 Where you see the stain, that is the backing of the vinyl that is damaged. To get your floor back to normal, you will need to have the vinyl flooring replaced. A safe bet on the floor repair would be to cut open a small area within the stained area. If the particle board subfloor is stained on more than just the very top, the particle board should be replaced. If you see that the water soaked through the particle board, I would cut out the entire area of the stain, in a rectangular shape to make replacement easier. You need to cut back to where you see the water did not effect the particle board.

Now with all that being said, again the damage may be very minimal. I cannot see it. If there is no warping or soft areas of floor in the stained area, you might want to do a wait and see. Still at some point if you want to get rid of the stained vinyl, that will need to be replaced. The vinyl will be the expensive part if you have to hire it out. The floor repair as a DIY is pretty inexpensive. A lot of work though. If you hire the vinyl flooring repair out, flooring guys usually won't talk about remnants unless you go get it yourself. Even then, there will be very little difference in price. In our area, guys are getting about $36 a square yard to install a vinyl like Armstrong Initiator, a decent apartment grade vinyl (6 yr warranty stuff) They also measure for their charges by the size of vinyl they work from. For instance, if you are doing a room that is 13.5 x 9 they will order a 14 x 12. Most vinyl comes in 12' rolls. Some will come in 6' rolls. 14*12/9 is 18.67 SY, @ 36/SY = $672. There is usually a minimum charge, so small bathrooms won't use the formula. Cove based vinyl is always more money. They will often charge extra for floor molding, moving of furniture and items. I have also found that most flooring guys won't do the subfloor repairs.

But first and foremost is to find and eliminate the problem. That will require a trip underneath for inspection of the floor and drain pipes. Take a digital camera and post some pictures. That could help a lot.

Hope this helps.

JD