Just a bit of a water problem

[Mark440]

It was a gorgeous sunny day, so I decided to work on getting the control valves for a new sprinkler system put into place. And, as every good story goes, I kept hearing this dripping sound. I raised the skirting, and oh boy. Not only was I able to find the drip...but the entire underbelly in that area is stretched real tight and clear full of water. I got a blade a made some intentionally long but centered slits in each section to at least get the water to draining out. Being the area is right under the kitchen sink, I went inside.

Stuck my head in under the cabinet...and yep...I could hear that faint spraying sound. Nice sprinkler system. Too bad it ain't hitting the grass!

I don't know exactly what the area is called (on the bottom side) but it is an area about 2 feet wide between the main part of the frame and the outside wall. Of course I can just slit the area lengthways in the center and it should provide enough room to get up in there and make the repair.

Why kind of other damage should I be looking for from the bottom side?

Is standard pink insulation a suitable replacement for the stuff that is all wet?

How long should I leave it open to allow for plenty of dry time?

Any advice, direction, or good sprinkler jokes would really help right about now!

[Greg]

Well Mark, I do have some "good" news for you... You really shouldn't have to worry about freeze ups right away!! Now for the not so good news. Depending on the sub floor type and how soaked it is you may end up replacing some of the subfloor. I would leave the area open and get a fan or 2 under it to get things dried out.

You obviously need to repair the plumbing, you may want to think about replacing the plumbing under the home with PEX to avoid another problem later.

Wet insulation is junk and needs to be replaced. Standard fiberglass insulation should be fine. Once the plumbing is repaired and insulation is in place you should be able to but the belly back in place. Mark has belly tape or JD has posted his method.

Greg

[Mark440]

Greg-

The sub floor part has got me the most nervous as this section is occupied by a nice long section of kitchen cabinets - and 'high quality' is not a word usually associated to these standard issue cabinets. The dishwasher sits in there also - so I suppose its lines are suspect, also.

If PEX is the tan colored plastic pipe, I believe that is what is there. What I don't know is if they actually used any glue to hold the pieces together!! (Yes, back in my younger days - I mistakenly went glueless!)

Thanks for the direction - and hope you don't mind if I borrow your signature quote for the day!

[Greg]

PEX is usually white, they do make other colors to define it's application such as red for hot water, blue for cold etc. PEX is a flexible tubing the fittings are not glued on, they are a crimp type or some use a push lock type (I have not had good luck with that style). It sounds to me like you may have PVC or CPVC pipes if they are the glue type fittings. They did use an earlier version of grey tubing (pb tubing) that was prone to problems in some applications. It was a crimp style much like PEX.

As for the sub floor, you need to determine what type you have. Particle board (glued sawdust) will fall apart once it gets soaked, OSB (chip board) may survive with out too much damage or if you have plywood chances are you would be OK.

Greg

[joedirt63]

what year is your home? if it's 94 or older it may have quest tubeing . there was a recall on that brand because of leaks and pruduct failer. i had quest in my 94 astro, but don't anymore. pex red and blue. not sure of the legality of any claims because i didn't know at the time i replumbed.

[JD]

My vote is for cpvc, which is a creme off-white color and is a glued fitting.

I'd reach up and pull out every bit of wet insulation. I replace it with faceless fiberglass insulation or regular insulation and pull the paper off. Depending on your weather, it could take days to dry out. A fan pointed up into the problem area helps a lot.

You will be able to see the bottom of the floor when the insulation is out. Hopefully the leak was spraying down.

[Mark440]

Luckily - the sub floor is OSB. The wet area was confined to just where the CVPC piping passes through the floor, and as near as I can tell, the leaky culprit was the shut off valve for the dishwasher. From the wet area, it looks like the piping provided a path for it all to follow - down to the elbows on the bottom side.

Being all of it was at least 15 years old - I pulled all of the workings out and replaced all of it. I even busted down and put in a new dishwasher! And....drum roll.....nothing leaks!

I'll leave the bottom side open for a few days, and then re-pack with insulation....and then seal it all back up again.

Tomorrow I can get back to the sprinkler system!

Thanks to ALL!!