Posted by Deb on October 21, 2003 at 21:03:08:
In Reply to: leaking toilet destroys house posted by Mike W. on October 21, 2003 at 12:38:46:
: I have a second home that is only three years old. I have just discovered that the house was severly water damaged by a leaking toilet on the second floor. The water was running for two to three weeks. The house will have to be almost completely gutted. If the floor joists for the first floor are delaminating (engineered wood joists) then the house might have to be torn down. There is mold everywhere.
: The toilet is an American Standard two-piece with an elongated bowl, Cadet I think. It may have been a cracked water intake fitting. Is this supplied with the toilet? Have you heard of similar problems with American Standard toilets? The house has PVC plumbing, could that be a factor?
: Please help.
You don't mean that your inside WATER lines are PVC do you?????
Homes left vacant for longer than several days should have the water shut off. Any plumbing device can fail at any time. I live in an area with alot of "summer homes". I see so much damage from broken water lines and/or fixtures, and most of it could have been prevented if the owners had shut the water off. Water can do so much damage so fast it is hard to believe sometimes. I urge everyone up here to shut there water off when gone. It literally means the difference between getting a mop out or calling your insurance agent.
My sympathies are with you. This is such an unfortunate thing, however it turns out.
Deb
The Pipewench