KevinC76
New Member
Hi everyone,
Thanks to all who contribute--I learned a lot (especially about turning a main line back on!), even if I didn't find a precise answer to the question I had:
Do elevated pin-type moisture meter readings between wood floorboards indicate a leaking toilet?
A few weeks ago, the wood floor in our downstairs bathroom seemed "off," and so I bought a moisture meter and found several spots in the wood were reading high. The best guess was that a new washing machine, which drained into the sewer line at the same spot as the toilet, had caused a sort of backsplash. The toilet had begun gurgling loudly and the bowl level went down a couple of inches each time the washer ran. The plumber moved the drain line so it hit about ten feet away, which stopped the gurgling. He also removed the toilet, saw no visible damage anywhere, and replaced it (with a new wax ring and supply line).
However, two weeks later, although the toilet isn't gurgling and the wood is reading all right (between 7-11 on a pinless meter, and no high single spots when checked with a pin, either), there are much higher readings between the boards, ranging from 15-22, on both sides of the toilet along either side of the board where the bolt secures the toilet to the flange. (This is with the pins inserted between the boards; if I place the pinless meter over a seam, the reading is about the same as above the board.)
We stopped using the toilet, and have had a fan going for a few days, but the numbers haven't gone down. If anything, they've gone up slightly. Do measurements (taken with a pin meter) between the boards indicate an ongoing problem?
I'm grateful for anyone's next suggested steps.
Thanks to all who contribute--I learned a lot (especially about turning a main line back on!), even if I didn't find a precise answer to the question I had:
Do elevated pin-type moisture meter readings between wood floorboards indicate a leaking toilet?
A few weeks ago, the wood floor in our downstairs bathroom seemed "off," and so I bought a moisture meter and found several spots in the wood were reading high. The best guess was that a new washing machine, which drained into the sewer line at the same spot as the toilet, had caused a sort of backsplash. The toilet had begun gurgling loudly and the bowl level went down a couple of inches each time the washer ran. The plumber moved the drain line so it hit about ten feet away, which stopped the gurgling. He also removed the toilet, saw no visible damage anywhere, and replaced it (with a new wax ring and supply line).
However, two weeks later, although the toilet isn't gurgling and the wood is reading all right (between 7-11 on a pinless meter, and no high single spots when checked with a pin, either), there are much higher readings between the boards, ranging from 15-22, on both sides of the toilet along either side of the board where the bolt secures the toilet to the flange. (This is with the pins inserted between the boards; if I place the pinless meter over a seam, the reading is about the same as above the board.)
We stopped using the toilet, and have had a fan going for a few days, but the numbers haven't gone down. If anything, they've gone up slightly. Do measurements (taken with a pin meter) between the boards indicate an ongoing problem?
I'm grateful for anyone's next suggested steps.