Water damage - Where do I begin?

Not sure where to post this.

Noticed that the paint on my baseboard on the wall on the right between kitchen and living room is 'crackling'. (BOTH sides of the wall. - Living room too.) Some dark spots on it. Pretty much the whole length of the 10 foot wall. Paint discolored behind the refrigerator. Water damage somehow I'm guessing. Now I smell a musty odor by the cabinets on the left side of the sink.

Where do I start trying to figure what's going on? This is not something I can handle.

 

Mold is related to moisture and you certainly have that in FL. Do you have and use air conditioning?

If yes, it is basically a giant dehumidifier, but it needs to be small enough that it runs a lot. Too big and it cools in short bursts and leaves all of the humidity.

Pick up a humidity gauge so you and track the moisture. Use a dilute solution of bleach and water to wipe down the affected areas.

If no ac then you will want a dehumidifier, but they add a bit of heat to the house, not always desirable.

Bud

 

First thing is to stop the leak. Without stopping repairs will not work. What is on other side of wall or it there is a second floor what is above. I reread post kiving room on other side is there any plumbing in wall (bathroom upstairs) ?

 

Water travels down hill but it can wick up a foot or two in wood. Damage that far into the interior of the home is usually a roof leak but it could also be caused by a leaking pipe in the wall.

 

Most definitely have AC. It's new as of 2012. I keep the humidity around 62 controlled by the AC thermostat.

No second floor. This is the only area with water on this side of the house. The plumbing comes from under the slab (I'm pretty sure. 56 year old house) and only into the sink and a faucet outside right there.

I had a leak in the hose from my faucet to the ice machine. No idea how long it had been going. No big puddle on the floor but the wall started discoloring a bit and finally heard the hiss of the water leaking. Turned box fan on it to dry it out. That may not have been enough.

Tile roof. Had the roof cleaned and then painted a couple of months ago but would it be this bad already if the roof leaked? If I look into the open attic maybe I can see wet insulation. I will have to see if I can get up there when I get home.

Is there someone that comes out and checks these kind of things? I don't think it's necessarily a plumber. If it's mold -that's not good. Do I hire a home inspector to tell me?

 

Wet insulation I would start with a roofer. Get several estimates as they can vary a lot. Also before have a references checked. The ice maker line could have been problem low but not the wet insulation.

 

A pic or two of the water stains could be helpful. I assume you are on a slab ? how old is the house?
Definitely get back to us about the insulation.


Clay tile roofs are easy to damage when you walk on them, it's possible they damaged some tiles while up there working

 

Where is the air handler for your air conditioning located? Is it in the attic?

 

I don't know that the insulation is wet. I was just thinking that if I went up there and saw it was wet - that would be an indication for a roof problem. Not sure which is worse - leaky roof or leaky slab.

House was built in 1956 and is on a concrete slab. I think that means that the plumbing is down under there? Built into the slab?

Two parts to the AC unit. One is outside on a concrete slab (a big fan thing) and the other one is in the garage - I think that's the handler part.

Roof tiles are probably about 25 years old and I would guess are brittle after all this time in the hot sun. I sure hope roof cleaners and painters didn't break a bunch. Or any.

I will check the insulation when I get home from work.

Thank you so much for your replies here.

 

The odds are the plumbing is under the slab, hopefully copper and not galvanized.

You are correct, the condenser is outside and the air handler is in the garage [probably sitting on a drywall covered box]

I don't know that the age of the tiles makes a lot of difference. The main thing is how they walked on them. If you step on one wrong or for some reason it has a void under - it's easy for it to break.

There are plumbing companies that have machine/gizmo that can more/less pinpoint a leak under the slab. I don't know much about it but knew a couple of guys that specialized in those types of repairs.

 

You are correct, a fan may not be enough. If you know there was a leak in the icemaker line it needs to be addressed. If the line was plastic I recommend you change it to copper tubing, the plastic can burst.
Can you explain more about the icemaker leak, this type of leak can cause serious damage and your insurance may not cover the damage unless it was reported immediately.
A picture of the undersink plumbing would help also, it may be a disaster and we can advise on how to install the plumbing better.

This doesn't sound like a slab leak to me, but faulty installation or burst tubing.

 

Disconnected ice maker back when it happened. Talked to my insurance agent. May be covered depending. . . . But of course the deductible. . . I have a contractor coming out Monday to look it over.
I can help with demo or put back together but helpless until I know whats going on.

 

Turns out there's two problems. One behind the refrigerator and one from the AC handler that's right outside the kitchen in the garage.

Mold samples show problems with both the kitchen and the living room (on the backside of the kitchen wall).

They will be gutting the kitchen (I don't want to mess with the mold) so now I need to figure out how I want to put it all back together. How much I can do myself, with help, and how much I need a professional for.

First problem is finding someone to help me design what's in my head.

 

That could be a tall order

Sketching it out on paper is a good place to start. You might also try visiting some model homes and see if you could incorporate some of their designs. ... or search the net to see what you can find. Cabinet shops will often give good suggestions utilizing what fits where.

 

One idea is get measurements and take to local builder supply (HD< LOWES), Go to cabinet section, They have design people that can help you. I took there drawing and built all my kitchen cabinets from there drawings.

 

Sounds like a great place to start - thanks