Weird Pluming/Hot Water Question

[montesa]

Ok. What if you turned off the cold supply valve and removed the line. If it’s mixing at that location, wouldn’t you get hot water from the cold line that is connected to the valve?

 

[cowadle]

Your first response seems plausable as this doesn't happen on any other faucets. If this is the case is it just a matter of getting a new faucet or a part? New faucet may be just as easy.

depends on the faucet. probably just a new cartridge will fix it.

 

[Parks 788]

First time I went to commiefornia about 18 years ago I stayed at a bosses house up on one of the hills in Yorba Linda for about a week. Arnold lived up on the top and got pissed when they wouldn't let him build a heli-pad. Anyway bosses main bathroom's ceramic tile floor right beside the toilet was always warm. I told him he had a water leak in his slab from the hot water tank. He looked at me like I was crazy and blew it off, saying it has been that way since they bought the house. Fast forward a few months and the gas company came knocking because of his extreme gas usage and told him he had a problem. Even with the pool and hot tub he was using 10 times what his neighbors were and they had pools too. He then calls a plumber who found the leak in the master bathroom floor. Had to jackhammer up his floor and fix it. Probably a two million+ dollar house now and IDK if the floor has been retiled yet! He was a titewad but evidently extreme gas and water bills were OK.

I think you may have nailed this one. Got home today from my first day of truly working out in a year and a half and the wife came out and said she thinks she knows the issue. Apparently our son was standing on the other side of the kitchen bar counter area on the wood floor and he said the floor is really warm. I go over there and sure enough the floor is much warmer than the rest of the area around it. It's also the same area of the floor that makes sense for the hotwater line to run from the hot water heater to the kitchen sink. I fell absolutely terrible about this if this is in fact the issues with a leaking hotwater line under the slab. Luckily the new 5 day owner of the home has insurance and we also paid for a home warranty. At least there's that coverage. but what a PITA.

 

[Shadowrider]

I think you may have nailed this one. Got home today from my first day of truly working out in a year and a half and the wife came out and said she thinks she knows the issue. Apparently our son was standing on the other side of the kitchen bar counter area on the wood floor and he said the floor is really warm. I go over there and sure enough the floor is much warmer than the rest of the area around it. It's also the same area of the floor that makes sense for the hotwater line to run from the hot water heater to the kitchen sink. I fell absolutely terrible about this if this is in fact the issues with a leaking hotwater line under the slab. Luckily the new 5 day owner of the home has insurance and we also paid for a home warranty. At least there's that coverage. but what a PITA.

Has your water and/or gas bill increased appreciably in the last few months? Hope it's not this but sure sounds like it could be.

 

[Parks 788]

Has your water and/or gas bill increased appreciably in the last few months? Hope it's not this but sure sounds like it could be.

Not that we have noticed but we only noticed the hot floor and hot water when turned on the last couple days.

 

[turkeyrun]

Issue just started.
Water lines are in the attic.
New water heater installed and insulation removed.
ATTIC IS HOT! Most likely, hotter than water heater setting.
Cold water line is uninsulted and getting heated in attic.
Water will be HOT, until water gets to flowing and colls the line.

Fix the EASY stuff first.

 

[Parks 788]

Well, It got more interesting today. I met the new owner of our house today along with a plumber the Home Warranty company sent out. He did some checks and look things over and is 100% sure the leak is the hot supp;y going to the Kitchen sink. He mentioned the best course of action to fix it and since the new owners will end up doing a full remodel of the kitchen they spoke about doing fixing this current issue with a single line repipe for now just to get thing back to normal. RUn it the easies route and be done until the remodel. He made sure all faucets were off at the house as well as the coldwater into the HW heater. There is a meter at the street that looks like an odometer on a car as well as a small blue dial that spins. Well, wen every thing was shut off the small blue dial kept slowly spining. He said the rate of spin was approx 1gpm of flow. This test was not part of the hot water line leaking as it was isolated. HE siad there must be another pipe leak in the house. He grabbed a fancy handheld device with headphones and a metal spike lookng thing that he put on various copper lines in the house that sent some sort of "waves" or something down the pipe or listened to something and he said there is another leak in the ground between the maser bathroom and gues bathroom. We have no sign of anything leaking in that area. That 1gpm equals approx 1400 gallons per day and i don't know how that could not show itself with water or damp coming up through the floor or out near the endge of the house.

At this point i can tell the new owner is a concerned but he has been very nice and accomodating with us on everything. THe plumber is now recommending a full repipe of the house as it wouldn't be that much more to have the house done rather than donig jsut two lines. our house was built in 1958 and i don't know of another on our street where we know the neighbors and they haven't had a slab leak yet. THis must be this houses turn. That being said, i'm not sure how much i buy the plumbers assessment of the second slab leak. ANyways, 7 days in to new home ownership and this new owner is put to the test. I feel super bad for him.

 

[Shadowrider]

You got some really lucky timing and they got some really crappy timing!

 

[Parks 788]

You got some really lucky timing and they got some really crappy timing!

Yes Sir. We are the only house on our block that i know of out of about 14 homes that hasn't had any water or pumbing issues. These homes were built in 1958 so all have has some major problems since we have been here for 18 years. Feeling very luck but also very bad for the new owners. Almost guilty to a degree. I did meet the new owner and he is super cool, very unique and exceptionally smart with a what sounds like an amazing career.