Got a Bad Leak

First off - we know absolutely nothing about plumbing... we're no DIYers either. We just want to know, in your professional opinions, what do you think is wrong and about how much are we going into debt?

We first noticed our washing machine was leaking in the laundry room.
Then on the other side of the house, the bathtub (that I used to finish washing the clothes) was leaking alot. A little puddle formed at the head of the tub in the bathroom. On the other side of the wall, there was a bigger puddle in the master bedroom and master bathroom.

Please - no technical jargon. Otherwise, your input is greatly appreciated.

In purely layman's terms, You got two leaks.

Without more info that's all I can tell you.

Do they leak all the time, or only after the tub and washing machine have been used?

You say that the laundry room and the affected bathroom/bedroom are on opposite sides of the house, so it seems to me (with having very little facts to go on) that perhaps you have high water pressure and have devloped small leaks throughout your home's water lines...and you have just noticed 2 of the possibly more leaks...if the the source of the leaks is actually coming from the water lines. Otherwise you are having two unrelated drainage problems and it's just a fluke that they both happened at the same point in time. I have no idea what they would cost to fix where you are, but if the water puddling is constant, even when you are not using the washing machine or bathtub for a while, then you most likely have a problem with your water lines and you better get someone in there quick to do some exploring before you end up with a flood!

Sorry about the lack of information, folks.

My husband has determined that the washing machine and the bathtub are unrelated issues - and I'm just bad luck for discovering both problems. We're getting the washing machine repaired (by a professional).

This morning, he used the shower/tub as a shower and didn't notice any leaks afterwards. This afternoon he's been testing it out to try to get the same results as last night. He's determined that when we use the shower/tub as a bath, there was a small puddle next to the tub and a larger puddle in the master-bathroom (located directly on the other side of the wall). We don't receive the same puddle effect while running the shower.

To clarify - there are no puddles at all when the shower/tub is not in use.

The questions that come to my mind is:
1. Could there be a leak in the tub itself? House was built in 1981/1982 - tub is just as old (or young, if you like being optimistic)
2. Could the pipes be backed up to the point of overflowing when a large amount of water is trying to be drained?
3. If that were the case, why doesn't the water back up in the tub itself? - It drains pretty smoothly...

Problem in tub is most likely the drain, or the overflow (which is part of the drain).

Fill tub up so it is overflowing into the overflow hole. If it leaks, then the gasket that seal's the overflow has come loose or is missing.

If it only leaks when you drain the tub all at once, then part of your drain (or all of it) needs fixing or replacing.

If you have a plumbing access panel, you can remove it and check with a flashlight where the leak is coming from.

It could also be that seal between tub and tile is failing (caulking) tear the
old out and recaulk.Shower door or curtain?

I had ruled those things out because he/she said it didn't leak while taking a shower.

Testing

1st test fill tub to above overflow if no leak.
2nd test cap off shower head and turn on to shower.
3rd test take bucket of water and splash it where tile meets tub.
The 2nd test will tell you if you have a behined the wall leak.
Called a presure test.
Same with w/o test.
try it all