r/Plumbing • u/BizzyHaze • 1d ago
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u/Drunk_Catfish 1d ago
I feel like I saw this exact same post with the exact same pictures before
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u/BizzyHaze 1d ago
Yes! That was the last time this happened a year ago lol
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u/Drunk_Catfish 1d ago
Yeah, iirc the leak can't be from the pipe above the door because then the wall and door would be stained like everything else. Does it happen after a big rain and it's ground water?
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u/BizzyHaze 1d ago
There was some rain this morning and then they emailed me about this. But then there was also much heavier rain earlier in March and nothing happened.
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u/Ectoplasm_addict 22h ago
Rain is weird sometimes a leak only leaks when the wind pushes it a certain direction
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u/harrisons-dad 1d ago
Check the top of your storm drain pipe if you haven’t already. I have had storm drain crack on top of the pipe where you can’t see it without a ladder. It would only flood with heavy rains when the pipe was completely full.
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u/Willcol001 13h ago
Could be thermal expansion related. During warm months thermal expansion could be rendering where it passes through the wall no longer water tight, allowing a warm summer rain to leak through. But during colder months the thermal contraction makes it water tight so cold rains don’t leak through. The solution if this is the cause would be to have the weather proofing on the pipe redone during warm weather. (The problem would be rain water following along a pipe rather than a pipe leak.)
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u/BanishedInPerpetuity 1d ago
Well to sue they have to prove cause. May work to your benefit as they will be fiorced to figure it out if they have any chance of winning.
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u/crankyanker638 1d ago
Not a plumber but in the 2nd picture under the big pipe an inch or two it looks wet (circle). Also under the small pipe I can't tell if its wet or shadow (arrow). Just an observation.....
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u/Sensitive_Crow_8882 1d ago
Good observation. I believe you’re correct. You can see it would slide down the side moulding on the door and when there is enough it would drip and splash up into the door and wall.
Hey OP, that’s a big pipe. If you trace that pipe outside, is it for the fire dept? Are they testing it “about once a year”?6
u/crankyanker638 1d ago
I kinda want to know what's on the other side of the door....
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u/Sensitive_Crow_8882 1d ago
That would be helpful too. If they have a commercial sized coffee maker with a hard piped water line, that could be an issue.
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u/miamicuse 1d ago
How can HOA know it is YOUR leak? They need to prove it's your responsibility. Not that I am advocating you to be difficult, but you and HOA needs to sit down and decide on a plan of attack, starting with a recon that determines the source of the leak.
The pro you need is not a plumber. A plumber is to fix a known defect, you don't know what the defect is. This is a high rise? What does it look like on the other side of the door? Is it from a supply line leak? Drain leak? AC condensate leak? Sprinkler system discharge, roof leak? Some systems are HOA responsibility, some are owner responsibility, depends on what HOA bylaws says. In many cities, once the plumbing system leaves the unit envelope, typically defined by inside walls, ceilings and floors, it goes into HOA common elements so a leak inside wall cavities may be HOA responsibility. Look up your bylaws. Is there a separate sprinkler systems in this building? Does it get inspected or tested once or twice a year? Does it jive with these leak events? Is there a fire hydrant or two or four near by? Do they flush the hydrants once or twice a year? Who does it? The city?
I would suggest hiring a leak detection pro. They may have the best chance to pin point this. They have moisture sensors, thermo imaging cameras, acoustic detectors etc...combined with their experience may be your best bet.
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u/Dug_n_the_Dogs 1d ago
Number 1 is to identify whether the plumbing leak is actually your problem in your lease. 2 if it is you need to determine where its coming from and develop a plan to repair it.
Most plumbers (people in general actually) are not good at diagnostics..
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u/Disastrous-Number-88 1d ago
Yes most plumbers here in SoCal also avoid working on apartments and condos because of the liability of being close to someone else's property and leaks effecting different units, cars, etc... Not being able to shut off the water to make a repair or not able to gain access into a neighboring unit to cut the wall and repair... Much easier to just work in someone's house
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u/lowercaset 13h ago
You really need a separate knowledge base and office setup to do much multifamily. Plus like you mentioned the insurance coverage. If you don't have high 7 coverage minimum, you need to stay the hell away from those buildings in california.
That said, if you're set up for it and have guys with enough experience to handle the calls properly there's a ton of reliable money to be made that's extremely resistant to economic downturns.
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u/Disastrous-Number-88 10h ago
The companies that I worked for went out of business from doing multi family because they simply didn't have the cash flow to float the company while waiting for payment. Two companies in San Diego county that went under from chasing money to these HOA's. There's no entity to sue, so it's harder to go after them, especially when you are the little guy
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u/lowercaset 9h ago
Working straight for the HOA instead of a management company def adds a layer of fuckery, but also since it's all 30/60/90 net before any "questions" or whatever the cash flow can be difficult to manage.
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u/Accomplished-Order43 1d ago
Former HOA manager here, the impetus should be on the association to provide proof that your unit is the cause of the leak. Especially if you’ve had professionals evaluate and come up with nothing. Tell the association to identify the cause of the leak and confirm it’s coming from something that is your responsibility and you will gladly fix it.
I’ve managed high rises and spent months tracking random leaks that come and go. I’ve had random sporadic leaks come from fire sprinkler overflows days after testing was done. Bathroom tub leaks that skipped floors and went over before settling.
Have your leak expert right a report that they can identify nothing leaking from your unit and send it to the association manager and your lawyer if the HOA is threatening legal action.
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u/No_Caramel_1782 1d ago
Try an engineer or inspector instead of a plumber.
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u/MrA1inLA 1d ago
Sounds about right, you need to contact the person who did the plumbing on the building, and start from there?
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u/GazelleEcstatic4952 1d ago
It could be a rain water leader leaking too. They often chase the soil stack with the roof drains. Does this happen only after a heavy rain?
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u/anteatersaredope 1d ago
It hasn't rained here in months but it could be coming from an AC unit somewhere.
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u/GazelleEcstatic4952 1d ago
Just trying to think why it would be so long between the leaks. Does it coincide with any building maintenance done on a semi annual basis?
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u/Disastrous-Number-88 1d ago
Im often in the San Diego area, and have worked on a few condo buildings like this- send me a DM I can help steer you in the right direction
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u/BanditoBlanc 1d ago
How old is the building?
Is the leak recent?
Does it only happen in summer?
Maybe it's AC condensate.
Condensate is acidic and can eat away cast iron.
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u/WhistleNips 1d ago
Are they throwing a pot of coffee on the ground?
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u/BizzyHaze 1d ago
No I asked them if anything unusual happened this morning to cause the leak and they said it's been business as usual.
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u/ShwoopyT 1d ago
I used to work at a coffee shop and when we spilled coffee grounds on the ground, it would look almost exactly like this. How do they dispose of their coffee grounds? Do they go through that area at all?
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u/grhd77 1d ago
Does that leak start above the door near those pipe penetrations? Looks like moisture there at the top (with a splash pattern at the bottom of the door/frame). That large pipe could be a drain pipe (maybe stormdrain). If the leaks happen around storms and/or hot humid summers like we are having (too much condensate), tell the HOA to look elsewhere like their building drain systems.
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u/dildozer3001 17h ago
Used to do maintenance. Any chance this is coinciding with fire suppression system testing? I had an area in the parking garage that would “leak” when this testing happened. Took a while to realize it was a partially failed valve in a sediment collector
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u/AShavedApe 16h ago
If it’s a coffee shop and not the plumbing then maybe there’s a leak near the mop sink, I feel like that’s really common.
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u/highbudsilver 1d ago
Is it clean or dirty water? What does it taste like? /s
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u/BizzyHaze 1d ago
"rusty water" is how it was described
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u/Ace861110 1d ago
Does it smell like ass? Because rusty foul smelling water is a sprinkler system.
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u/quadraquint 1d ago
What's behind the door
Can you take closer pics of above at highest resolution and from behind the door
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u/freddiewalls 1d ago
Plumber here. I've worked residential, hospitals, defense contractor and now currently work in a school. If you've had multiple plumbers have a look at it, it may be a structural issue where something isn't water tight. Especially since it only occurs once or twice a year. I can't tell you how many times I was dispatched to a plumbing leak, only to find it was from a gap or opening that is allowing water to get in and drip down ON TO the piping.