Pipe Leak ...Help!

[GreenKitty]

A a dripping sound can be heard in the walls down stairs as the shower is on. This has been happening now for aprox 2 yrs. Once in a while after flushing the toilet, mostly when starting up the shower. It lasts for about 10minutes aprox then stops.

 

Their is no water showing up anywhere in the floors, walls, ceiling. But the sound is loud and sounds EXACTLY like water dripping into a metal pan. I have assumed it is a pipe leak. However, when this first started I have had four people come out to check the sound. Of course the sound is NEVER as loud as it normally is when I am paying someone to come out to check it. They have all told me that since their is no sign of water then it is nothing but the pipes expanding and contracting. They checked around the walls and floors and their is no water damage or water to be found. Maybe I am not calling out the right people or paying them enough money. Noone does anything! They just put their ear up to the wall, feel around the floors and leave.

 

Whenever I am downstairs and someone is in the shower I get a sick feeling inside when I hear that...knowing it is possibly something very serious that may mean us having to tear up the walls of the house. It is loud and echos through the house. My gut feeling is that it is water leaking and not pipes expanding.

 

I am going to call someone out and this will be the final time. The last time I called someone out was last summer. I've had it. I am stressed out over this leak.

 

Anyone have anything like this happen? Is their a way to test it? Suggestions?

[GreenKitty]

Water problems ...anyone?

[Pam "SFSOM" in TN]

A a dripping sound can be heard in the walls down stairs as the shower is on. This has been happening now for aprox 2 yrs. Once in a while after flushing the toilet, mostly when starting up the shower. It lasts for about 10minutes aprox then stops.

 

Their is no water showing up anywhere in the floors, walls, ceiling. But the sound is loud and sounds EXACTLY like water dripping into a metal pan. I have assumed it is a pipe leak. However, when this first started I have had four people come out to check the sound. Of course the sound is NEVER as loud as it normally is when I am paying someone to come out to check it. They have all told me that since their is no sign of water then it is nothing but the pipes expanding and contracting. They checked around the walls and floors and their is no water damage or water to be found. Maybe I am not calling out the right people or paying them enough money. Noone does anything! They just put their ear up to the wall, feel around the floors and leave.

 

Whenever I am downstairs and someone is in the shower I get a sick feeling inside when I hear that...knowing it is possibly something very serious that may mean us having to tear up the walls of the house. It is loud and echos through the house. My gut feeling is that it is water leaking and not pipes expanding.

 

I am going to call someone out and this will be the final time. The last time I called someone out was last summer. I've had it. I am stressed out over this leak.

 

Anyone have anything like this happen? Is their a way to test it? Suggestions?

 

I've heard of this before, and it really is the pipes. It's just what they do. With that much noise, there's hardly any way that you'd not see water if it were actually leaking.

 

But if you are that worried, I'd get one last look.

[GreenKitty]

I think I will get one more look.

[Shenan]

A a dripping sound can be heard in the walls down stairs as the shower is on. This has been happening now for aprox 2 yrs. Once in a while after flushing the toilet, mostly when starting up the shower. It lasts for about 10minutes aprox then stops.

 

Their is no water showing up anywhere in the floors, walls, ceiling. But the sound is loud and sounds EXACTLY like water dripping into a metal pan. I have assumed it is a pipe leak. However, when this first started I have had four people come out to check the sound. Of course the sound is NEVER as loud as it normally is when I am paying someone to come out to check it. They have all told me that since their is no sign of water then it is nothing but the pipes expanding and contracting. They checked around the walls and floors and their is no water damage or water to be found. Maybe I am not calling out the right people or paying them enough money. Noone does anything! They just put their ear up to the wall, feel around the floors and leave.

 

Whenever I am downstairs and someone is in the shower I get a sick feeling inside when I hear that...knowing it is possibly something very serious that may mean us having to tear up the walls of the house. It is loud and echos through the house. My gut feeling is that it is water leaking and not pipes expanding.

 

I am going to call someone out and this will be the final time. The last time I called someone out was last summer. I've had it. I am stressed out over this leak.

 

Anyone have anything like this happen? Is their a way to test it? Suggestions?

 

If this has been going on for 2 years I think you would have seen some sort of damage by now. Damaged/rotten drywall or flooring or cabinets.

 

Our pipes in our new house 'speak' very loudly when we turn the kitchen sink on. And when our water softener is doing it's thing in the middle of the night, it sounds like someone has left the water running in a sink. It took me about 6 months in this house to realize that's what I'm hearing at 2 o'clock in the morning and there's no need to get out of bed to check on it.:D

 

I wouldn't worry, especially if you have already had two professionals look at it.

[Shenan]

I should have asked if your pipes are the old copper pipes or the new plastic ones? If you are on well water (well water tends to be a harder water) with copper pipes it is possible for a leak to spring as the copper gets eaten and becomes thinner by the hard water. However, those types of leaks you will see almost immediately (within a few days). And would be able to tell by the decrease in your water pressure in your sinks, tubs, etc. that the pipe runs to.

 

Also, to put your mind more at ease, there usually isn't anywhere inside the walls where two pipes are joined together, except probably bath tubs and those usually have access doors somewhere so you can reach the pipes. Joints are where most leaks will likely occur/happen. And most jointed pipes run along your basement walls or in the crawl space of a house. Some are even run through attic spaces. All joints on pipes are where you could easily reach them and would be able to immediately recognize if one is leaking by the puddle nearby.

 

I wouldn't worry about it. You would have definately known by now if you had a real leak.

 

HTH,

[GreenKitty]

I should have asked if your pipes are the old copper pipes or the new plastic ones? If you are on well water (well water tends to be a harder water) with copper pipes it is possible for a leak to spring as the copper gets eaten and becomes thinner by the hard water. However, those types of leaks you will see almost immediately (within a few days). And would be able to tell by the decrease in your water pressure in your sinks, tubs, etc. that the pipe runs to.

 

Also, to put your mind more at ease, there usually isn't anywhere inside the walls where two pipes are joined together, except probably bath tubs and those usually have access doors somewhere so you can reach the pipes. Joints are where most leaks will likely occur/happen. And most jointed pipes run along your basement walls or in the crawl space of a house. Some are even run through attic spaces. All joints on pipes are where you could easily reach them and would be able to immediately recognize if one is leaking by the puddle nearby.

 

I wouldn't worry about it. You would have definately known by now if you had a real leak.

 

HTH,

 

 

I don't know what kind of pipes are in the house...though I am assuming plastic, as this house is maybe 9yrs old. Their is no basement nor crawl space.

 

I assume the upstairs bath/sink/toilets are all connected and come down the same pipe to the bath downstairs and then go out somewhere to neverland. So, could it be where all of these are connected together or are these things not connected together into one large pipe but each have their own? Also, we never notice the noise when it's just the sink on upstairs.

 

I have not noticed any loss of water pressure. I have checked walls and floors constantly and found nothing.

 

Thanks.

[GreenKitty]

Forgot to add, no well water either.

[Shenan]

You know the discharge pipes are so thick I just don't see where they could ever spring a leak and...... ewwwww! if they did.:D If you have the plastic pipes I don't see where they could just break open and spring a leak unless it's the middle of winter and the pipes had froze. Also the joints on those type of pipes are less likely to leak because they are put together with a glue/adhesive and not sodder (sp?) as the copper pipes are.

 

Do you notice the drip sound more in the summer than in the winter? It could be condensation (sweaty pipes) dripping off of a pipe. Which is normal and nothing to worry about.

[GreenKitty]

Sometimes the dripping noise is louder than other times. It is happening now and it's very hot outside. Though it also happens in the wintertime. Also, it's more if the shower is running or toilet flushed while shower is running or started up. If they are all connected it's strange that it's not the tub or sink making the sound too.

 

Seriously it drives me crazy hearing that down stairs, echoing. Their is no way our house would sell if someone heard that sound!

[Shenan]

Its could just be the sound of your water running through the pipes as the toilet fills or the shower runs. If we're in our basement, we can hear our toilet filling up and the water rushing through the pipes when someone takes a shower or uses the sinks, or runs the dishwasher. When we first moved here I thought someone had left the bathroom faucet running in the basement's bathroom several times before I caught on that it was someone upstairs using facilities.

 

If you want your fears put to rest you can always call a professional to have a look.;)

[GreenKitty]

Thanks a bunch for all your help!