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Nailed New Baseboards on behind toilet and have a slow leak

Author: leaky joe (TX)

Hello, Looking for any help, thoughts, suggestions or recommend plumbers. In January of this year we had a Flooring company put in new hardwood flooring with new baseboards throughout our entire house. I noticed a small wet spot outside the house on the foundation running really and I mean really slowly out of the brick area, where it meets the foundation directly below the master bathroom toilet. (outside of the house) After not thinking anything about it for about a month I think I figured out what happened. I believe the flooring company that I hired put a nail through the baseboards behind my toilet into a pipe and I have a slow leak… (nothing wet in the actual bathroom, just a slight dis-colorization on the baseboard behind the toilet….brown and kind of rusty looking)

First questions, does this diagnosis sound correct? Secondly, how should I fix it and what type of Plummer should I use.. ? Any recommendations in Denton, TX
Thirdly, the flooring company isn’t willing to help me at all. They will not even come over and take a look at the mess they made. Shouldn’t they be taking care of this problem they cause and if so any recommendation on how to get them to move.. ?

Look forward to any help. Thanks, - joe

Re: Nailed New Baseboards on behind toilet and have a slow leak

Author: dlh (TX)

the spot you see is the nail rusting.

any good repair plumber will work i dont know any that work in denton. i have been known to drive that far but this is to small a job and not worth the 2 hour round trip

this is common especially with 6" baseboards that are all the rage these days. i doubt you will get anything from the flooring company

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PLUMBERS "Protecting The Health Of The Nation"

Re: Nailed New Baseboards on behind toilet and have a slow leak
Author: pzqk7j (AZ) Sounds plausible. You need to get this taken care of immediately. What you see on the baseboard could well be mold development inside the wall. Contact your home owners insurance company to determine if the will cover the problem. You really need to open the wall and see what is going on.

Re: Nailed New Baseboards on behind toilet and have a slow leak
Author: SMSPlumbing (PA) When you have the repair done, take pictures before and after. It could have been coincidence that it started leaking soon after the floor went in. You will be able to see if the nail did go into the pipe when it is exposed or removed. You can try to go after them if you show they are at fault.

Re: Nailed New Baseboards on behind toilet and have a slow leak
Author: packy have a plumber fix the leak, it's a pretty simple job. ask the flooring company if they will at least replace the baseboard for you at no cost.. it's not really their fault because the pipe was not properly marked for them to see nor was it properly protected with a stud guard.

Re: Nailed New Baseboards on behind toilet and have a slow leak
Author: NICK (CA) take pictures and you may have a chance. talk to the owner in person and dont let on the real reason you want to talk to him.

Re: Nailed New Baseboards on behind toilet and have a slow leak
Author: leaky joe (TX) thank you

Re: Nailed New Baseboards on behind toilet and have a slow leak
Author: Shoemaker2 (MA) You may want to have a plumber reroute the line up through the floor and abandon the pipe in the wall that has the hole in it. This will eliminate the need to open the wall. But then again it all depends on how wet it has actually gotten inside the wall cavity.

Re: Nailed New Baseboards on behind toilet and have a slow leak
Author: hj You call a "good" plumber to fix it. Once you actually see what is causing the leak, then you can tell whether it was caused by the flooring company. IF it was, then their insurance company should take care of the repair.

Re: Nailed New Baseboards on behind toilet and have a slow leak
Author: hj From the description of the leak, this is probably a concrete slab so there is NO way to get "under the floor" or to do anything without opening the wall.

Re: Nailed New Baseboards on behind toilet and have a slow leak
Author: dlh (TX) i guarantee it is a concrete slab since that is all we have in this area ---------------------------- PLUMBERS "Protecting The Health Of The Nation"

Re: Nailed New Baseboards on behind toilet and have a slow leak
Author: hj If it were not, the leak would have been in the basement, not out under the wall.

Re: Nailed New Baseboards on behind toilet and have a slow leak
Author: Shoemaker2 (MA) Oops! Damn northerners!

Re: Nailed New Baseboards on behind toilet and have a slow leak
Author: mrmac (TX) Most likely a nail. I saw one exactly like this where the leak wasn't obvious but the new hardwood floor had started to buckle. It's possible to fix it by just removing the baseboard section and not ruining the sheetrock above it.

Re: Nailed New Baseboards on behind toilet and have a slow leak
Author: dlh (TX) i would not try to make the repair by just removing the baseboard as it does not give enough room to do anything other than burn the house down ---------------------------- PLUMBERS "Protecting The Health Of The Nation"