Anne,
Just and aside. I don’t use “carpet installers” any more or buy from carpet stores. I can find nice carpet much cheaper (and in 13.5 and 15.5 foot widths) at Menards, Home Depot etc. I have it installed by my handyman (he handles it with no problem especially with no seams to deal with). Prior to that I bought the foam backed stuff and just installed it myself (glued around the edges). Still lots of OOHHH factor when a new buyer walks in but less money out of my pocket.
Lyal
Posted by Anne_ND on September 25, 2003 at 18:54:31:
I just recarpeted a 3/1 MH that I repossessed (talk about amenity creep!). They finished today. Right before about 8 people showed up to look at the house I found a wet spot about 18" in diameter in the living room about 2 feet from the wall. I was in bare feet (new carpet = no shoes) and there was enough water that I got that sploogy feeling (not just damp). Sort of like when you’re walking in a dark house and you hit a place where the cat has thrown up. Really gross.
Okay, so there’s no cat in this house, and I have no idea where the water has come from. The roof was sealed last fall, and the floor was dry this morning when the carpet went down. We had a heavy rain 1.5 days ago, but none since this morning. There’s no sign of old or new leak on the ceiling or wall. Can water migrate UP through a floor?
I was vaccuuming up the little carpet shreds, so when people arrived I just put the speed vac over the wet spot so no one else would walk on it.
Posted by Anne_ND on September 26, 2003 at 10:57:06:
I had one of my guys go over and check it out. He’s braver than I am and actually tasted it (ugh!). It’s Mountain Dew- one of the carpet guys spilled their drink.
Yeah, you can bet I’m gonna give them a call.
Thanks for all the help on this one, I thought I was going nuts.
Look up, Look Down, Look All Around - Posted by Tony-VA/NC
Posted by Tony-VA/NC on September 25, 2003 at 21:31:29:
Water can travel up if a pipe below has sprung a pin hole leak.
Other than that you peal back the carpet and follow the stain to the source. If no trail visible, look up, look down. Then … head under the home and seek that pin hole leak. It should be obvious there as well.
One other idea, if your home is in a park that has individual meters. Shut off all water faucets and check the meter later. If it has moved, you have a leak. The meter I just installed as a little triangle that spins with the slightest movement of water. Just a thought.
Posted by Greg Meade on September 25, 2003 at 19:33:03:
probably somehow related to carpet, or tack strip, or molding. Is this in front of window? It could be something as simple as a 1 liter bottle of water spilled there while carpet guys were there! I would shut off water to the house and if not dried out tomorrow, peel back carpet and pad and see what is up?
This does sound a bit eerie! Anne please post the details of the repo. I think i remember you posting that this was your very first lonnie…are you gonna make some moolah on it…again? Best wishes!
The carpet layer had just finished laying a new wall to wall carpet in the customers living room and reached for his cigarettes and found his shirt pocket empty. He looked around the room and, OH NO, there was a little lump in the center of the room. Naturally he didn’t want to pull up the whole carpet so he thought a minute then went out to his truck and got his hammer and carefully hammered the bump down to level again. As he was putting his tools back in his truck he noticed his pack of cigarettes on the front seat. About that time the lady sticks her head out of the front door and yells: “Yooho, you haven’t seen my parakeet have you?”
Re: the culprit has been found! - Posted by Philip
Posted by Philip on September 26, 2003 at 17:13:40:
Anne,
You were actually, really scared? Or would you rather not taste unknown substances? What if his smeller hadn’t worked and it was cat pee from a feline that wiggled in?
I guess it would kind of have an ammonia taste and smell then, huh?
Philip
Re: the culprit has been found! - Posted by Paul(TX)
Posted by Paul(TX) on September 26, 2003 at 14:25:01:
Glad you found the cause, Anne, but I can certainly relate to cat pu*e in a dark room.
Happened to me at 5:30am this morning … walking across the (hardwood) kitchen floor in bare feet. That cold, wet, “slick” feeling is unmistakable … to anyone that has a cat!
Posted by Anne_ND on September 26, 2003 at 07:00:30:
Hi Greg,
Thanks for your response, I’m going to turn off the water today and see what happens. The plumbing is new (4 months old), but is probably the source of the problem.
This is not my first Lonnie deal, but it is my first repo. I will make money on it, but I want to make money on it before Oct 1 as the lot rent is pretty high ($300) and I’m selling 4 other houses at the moment.
Re: the culprit has been found! - Posted by Anne_ND
Posted by Anne_ND on September 26, 2003 at 17:43:08:
Philip,
I wasn’t scared, it just never crossed my mind to TASTE a mysterious substance in an old mobile home. I assumed it was water and I was worried about the source of the water.
Funny thing is, the owner of the carpet installation company (who also sold me the carpet) was kind of peeved with me for calling out the experts to find the leak, because of course he has to pay that bill. He actually said he’d pay ‘up to $50’ and implied that I’d have to take care of the rest. He said ‘why didn’t you call me first?’ I think I’ll just pay the bill and find another carpet company- at no point did he apologize for his guys spilling soda on my new carpet or causing me anxiety about a mysterious leak.
His irritation over a $50 bill is going to cost him $2000 in carpet/installation he would have done for me in the next 2 weeks.
Re: Look up, Look Down, Look All Around - Posted by Tony-VA/NC
Posted by Tony-VA/NC on September 26, 2003 at 09:04:31:
The very fact that the plumbing is new is reason for me to suspect that is the culprit. Chances are there is a fitting under that spot in the floor that, under pressure is spraying a fine stream of water onto the underside of the flooring.
But again, pulling back the carpet will help eliminate other factors as well as allow you a chance to air dry the carpet padding.