Jay-J Posted April 23, 2017 Report Share Posted April 23, 2017 My tenants clogged the toilet somehow and I had to have the drain cleaned out.. anyways two weeks ago they were using the tub in upstairs bath and when they drained it the master shower started spewing black gunk and toilet paper etc.. i had a Plummer clean drain with power machine and 900.00 later drain is cleaned. then there was a severe leak somewhere and I don't know why?? Everything drains nicely in upstairs now , and I have main level ceiling drywall exposed to check for leaks and drywall in spots where it was soaking wet!! sorry for long post but two questions... 1. Why the leak? Where could it have come from? Plummer thinks pressure in pipes caused leaks at both upstairs toilets possibly.. 2. I took most of drywall that was soaking wet off ceiling.. when I inspect the drywall there are water stains in other spots but not wet to touch..is that ok to leave up? Will I have to worry about any mold growth in future on these water stained spots? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh Jass Posted April 23, 2017 Report Share Posted April 23, 2017 These pipes cast iron? If so, there is a fix but it's not cheap that I've used in the past that will keep this from happening ever again without having to replace the pipe. Also the pressure might have ruptured the wax ring causing the toilet to leak around the toilet flange and down the pipes. If the toilet is caulked to the floor this is where I'd start, pull a toilet and look for signs of leaking through the wax, replace with new and reset the toilet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay-J Posted April 23, 2017 Author Report Share Posted April 23, 2017 No cast iron pipes.. all pvc.. Plummer (actually not a full Plummer - drain specialist technicians) said same think.. he thought in backed up through toilet flange and wax ring. Just what yo said.. thanks for help.. just wanted to confirm and get another opinion.. any response to my drywall all question anyone?? thanks.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh Jass Posted April 23, 2017 Report Share Posted April 23, 2017 I've dealt with mold both commercially and residentially for 10 years. If you speak to an abatement specialist they will tell you if it has surface mold from exposure to moisture you can treat it on the surface with concrobium and you'll get what can become spores taken care of so long as the leak is fixed perminantly, but if exposed to prolonged water which saturated the media you'll never be able to kill all of the dormant (not dead) mold because it can grow too deep to treat (once moisture is removed it's typically inert but the moment it becomes wet again you have active growth). If I were you, buy a kit to test for black mold (cost is like $50 for the lab analysis), if it's positive I'd just go ahead and remove it all and if it's negative treat it with the concrobium. Every home has mold, it's the quantities and type that's troubling. First thing is solving the leak though, fix the wax and confirm you're staying dry with lots of testing. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KnarlyCarl Posted April 25, 2017 Report Share Posted April 25, 2017 Yep, wax ring can be a little devil, always make sure the toilet it stable and unable to move or rock on the floor... It is possible that the toilet flange is cracked or if it is a mild steel flange, it has deteriorated away to rust chunks. Also check the master shower drain...possibly with the flood of water in the base, it leaked past a compromised seal where the drain comes up underneath the shower base... if it's glued into the underside of the shower base drain piece, probably not a concern I can see why the Europeans like their wall hung toilets.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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