Replacing wallboard by washer due to leak... UGH!!!

[kamiller73]

Hey guys... So here i am about to paint the laundry room (what little one there is) and on the side where the washer is i noticed the wall soaked. So i tore it out and noticed what I think is mold. Am I able to clean this off the back wall? We're getting a new wall board and am going to install a new box for where the hot water and cold water go into.. but, wanted to know 1) why there are two lines going into the single line? Is this normal? And 2) shouldn't I move that electrical wire up towards the top so it's not by the pipes in case there's another leak? Why would they originally install electrical wires this way? I'm confused. Any help on these would be appreciated. Thanks yall!!!

[JD]

I wouldn't try to clean that much mold trapped in a wall. It is best to replace it. I don't know where the T sends the water line, but you can follow it to find out.

That air admittance valve should not be hidden in a wall. It needs to be accessible. They can be installed in a wall if there is a louvered vent in front of it or if it comes up in a protective box like those used for washer connections, the latter being the best option.

I am sure I don't need to mention that all the PB pipe and plastic fittings don't look good for you either.

JD

[Greg]

One other thing, you may want to wear a mask when working with mold, breathing the spores can make you sick. Greg

[shadow745]

As one who suffers from life threatening asthma/allergies I'll go one step further and recommend you buy a respirator. You can pick them up at Lowe's or HomeDepot for about $40-45 and they do eliminate the threat of mold, mildew, chemicals, etc. It will last you a lifetime and the canisters can be replaced. Mine is so effective I use it when adding chlorine granules to our pool and smell nothing. That is a very dangerous chemical to deal with too.

Most dust masks aren't very effective, being mainly for large particles of dirt/dust. Later!

[kamiller73]

AAARRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGG....... so i got the stupid new wall up and thought i had it all fixed (including mold) and then find the laundry area totally flooded. I replaced the box that the hot and cold water shut off valves come into and from the pictures above you'll notice, ugh yes, the crappy grey pipes. Well my roomate said a guy at lowes gave him this plastic part that screws into the valves then just the poly pipes glue into TOTALLY DIDN'T STAY GLUED. So tore down the soaked wall again and am now going to replace the grey pipes as much as possible. Question is though I find two lines running into each the hot and cold. Is this normal?? I'm thinking it's not, but unless i rip up the floor then i'll have to leave it. what should i do guys?? please help.. lol I'm pulling my hair out now. lol

[Greg]

Poly pipe connectors do not get glued. they require either crimp rings or the "Shark" type connectors. Greg

[kamiller73]

I swear the people at lowes NEVER KNOW WHAT THEIR TALKING ABOUT. lol I went back to lowes with a picture and told him that the glue didn't hold and he said try it again but let it sit overnight. And my neighbor said to use gorilla glue on the outside of pipe that would double protect is so I did. I know it's not the best way to do it, but I've never done pluming before. And now i have read here that it shouldn't be glued. Thank you for helping me. You wouldn't have any suggestions on the transit piece that the poly pipe connects to to be able to connect to the hot and cold water ones (see pic 1)?? And should I leave the two pipes that go into one for each the hot and cold (see pic. 2) or is there a way to plug up one of them so only one pipe is there?? And when the pipe busted I decided to move that electrical wire that was next to the pipes so i cut it, capped off each wire, then electrical taped each wire and moved them up the wall and out of the way, but to get to those wires i had to cut into the second wall to the left (see pic 3) and found more mold (see pic 4). I used this stuff from lowes that cleans the mold, but my neighbor said to use Killz primer in the spray can to spray over the mold and it would kill it and stop it from growing back which is why the wall is now white lol. Sorry for being confusing if i am but I really appreciate yalls help though.. Thanks
picture 1

Picture 2

Picture 3

Picture 4

[JD]

Hi Kami,

This really seams to be getting from bad to worse. First of all, do not trust the glued fittings. I am almost certain that they will leak soon. You need to use Gator-Bite or Shark-bite fittings, depending on whether you go to Home Depot of Lowe's. But now you may have a problem with those too. Glue on the sides of the pipe could mess up the seal. Using a crimp tool would be the best fix, but you would have to rent the tools. Home Depot may rent them in your area. You are doing a lot of work here, so don't let the failed glue mess it all up.

You also need to call an electrician to terminate those wires properly. They need to end in an exposed junction box of some sort. Pushing capped and taped wire back into the wall is very dangerous.

Then on the mold issue. Kilz does not always kill mildew. You may have noticed that they took that statement off of the can years ago. I don't know if it ever 'killed' mold. The aerosol had a tendency to blow spores around. Again, the best thing is to remove the stained panel.

If you are trying to treat it, use a product like Mold-off or Moldex. A member just recently said they got Moldex at Home Depot or one of the other home stores. It is now being stated that household bleach is not recommended on porous organic surfaces like wood and sheetrock. This is the position of CDC and OSHA is now following suit. They found that while bleach works on stainless and formica, the make up of household chlorine does not allow it to penetrate wood or sheetrock (or Trex or ChoiceDek!), which ends up just feeding the spores with more water.

After being cleaned and treated, Kilz original spray primer might be a good thing. Like your friend, I have had a lot of success in the past with Kilz, but maybe not as good as I thought, so I am reading.

JMO
JD

[kamiller73]

JD u rock. That's my nephews name by the way, lol. Yea I've decided to replace the pipes i glued and do the way you said. We own a crimper thingy so I won't have to rent one, but thanks for the imput. I really appreciate it.

[Yanita]

Hi,

Please make sure that you get an electrician in your home and terminate those wires as they are suppose to be. As they are is a very real danger to you and your home...oh and one more thing...LOL, please stop listening to your neighbor. You will get all the proper advice on repairing your home right here.

Yanita

[oldfart]

Folks, just as a sidenote one thing to keep in mind is the danger of simply terminating wires with wire-nuts or electrical tape. I'll try to explain this as simply as I can having worked for Steve Martins Specialized Services (certified electrician for 50yrs.) for the past 20yrs. A/C electric current (what we have in our homes) moves in pulses..it's alternating current. Think of it as waves lapping against a shoreline. If you've ever stuck a finger in an empty light-socket..you've felt this. (Am I the only one that's ever done that???) It's a series of pulses... just like an electric cattle fence..if you've ever leaned against one of them. (Am I the only one that's ever done that??) Anyways..as secure as wire-nuts and elec. tape seems..it doesn't work. See, as the A/C current rises and falls (pulses or alternates) it loostens (sp.?) connections. Wire-nuts work loose and electrical tape is an accident looking to happen. To twarth this we wrap the wire ends together in a tight twist with line-pliars and then apply a wire-nut as tightly as is possible. And yet...inside a wall..this might not hold over a period of time. That's why any connection or termination of a wire has to be inside an approved electrical box with an accesible cover. And it's why the screws "back-off' on yer receptacles/light-switches and the outlet/light-switch doesn't work any more. "How'd the wires git loose?" Alternating current...A/C current...household current. Think of it as vibration inside the wires/connections. Once the connection is loose...heat builds up due to lack of contact/arking...and a fire is imminent. Sorry for the longwinded speech..better safe than sorry. Audie...the Oldfart...

[Dean2]

Yepper Audie,was just telling My son the same "tight connections" tips last night when He was replacing some outlets for His Aunt.

Back in the day,wasn't the aluminum wiring even more of a problem as-to connections loosening(sp?) over time? I believe it is recommended to check connections for tightness occasionally,but,more often if it happens to be aluminum wire in an older home.

Oh yeah,I've been zapped by 110 before! And Yer right,even just the short time it takes to back Yer hand away(1/2 second maybe?)Ya can feel the pulses/shaking shoot up Yer arm! It's prolly best to just take Our word on it and *NOT* test the idea tho!!

Dean

[oldfart]

Aye Dean there was, and still is, a problem with aluminum wiring even though it is still commonly used today! Many "service connections"..which is that area where the electric enters the home to the elec. panel today is done with aluminum cable. It's cheaper. Simple as that. The real problem is aluminum wire heats up faster and to higher temps than copper wire as it draws current. And..it expands a lot more! And it corrodes faster! That's the reason all alum. electrical service cables require the use of Penetrox or some other similar solution where the cable attaches to the contact in the main panel and the electrical meter out on the pole. Next time yer in at Lowes or Home Depot look at the service cable display. Take note as to how much larger the 200 amp. alum. service cable is compared to the 200amp. copper service cable. Big difference..eh! Audie...the Oldfart...