Very unique plumbing issue from upstairs!

[Traci Zimmerman]

Where do I even start! We live in a two story home with a seldom used upstairs jack and Jill bath with toilet and shower that was recently cleaned. We also have have a standard hot water tank with recirculating pump for hot water. I have been out of town but my husband called one morning and noticed about a cup of water on floor near where lines go upstairs to bath area. More so to toilet area. No signs of leaks upstairs at all. There are slight signs of seepage on down stairs trim and a small, yet not wet area on Sheetrock. After his shower upon my first morning home there was water that soaked a paper towel under downstairs trim. Since, we noticed very low levels of toilet bowl level water upstairs. He rapidly poured in several gallons of water into bowl and also noticed the fill tube was not going into the black cylinder as designed to do which he corrected. There is still slight seepage from toile bowl but nothing compared to before. We have shut off water, upstairs, taken showers downstairs and done trial and error on all faucets upstairs. Could the toilet have been the potential issue or is there is an underlying issue? No water downstairs observed at all since doing the above. Thank you for your input!

 

[Traci Zimmerman]

Bathtub hot and cold as well as vanities also tested and no leaks. First leak was detected after his shower one morning downstairs. ????

 

[Jeff Handy]

Pretty hard to follow all that in my head.

Shower and tub valves can leak from the valve body, inside the wall behind the trim plate and other parts that you see on the outside.

Tubs and showers can leak downstairs through a bad caulking job at the tub rim or at the shower pan rim.

They also can get water sneaking behind the trim plate of their faucets, or around the tub spout, if those are not sealed properly from behind or with a nice caulk bead.

If the little toilet refill tube is not inserted in the overflow tube, then it can sometimes spray water up against the underside of the toilet tank lid, which can then run down the back of the toilet where you might not notice it.
From there, it can run under the toilet and leak downstairs through a tile gap around the toilet flange.
Or it can run under the baseboard behind the toilet, then leak down the wall, and reappear as it leaks back out from the baseboard downstairs.

There could also be a bad wax seal on the upstairs toilet.

I’m not sure what “slight seepage from the toilet bowl” means.

If the water level is dropping in the bowl all by itself, there could be a partial clog in the drain, which is sucking water out by acting like a suction pump.
Or by siphoning.

The toilet bowl could also have a hairline crack, letting water out which leaks around a tile gap at the floor flange and runs downstairs.

If the toilet “tank” level is dropping slowly, let us know if that is what you meant to say.

 

[Traci Zimmerman]

Let me try to describe in more details. My husband first noticed about a half to cup of water under downstairs trim about an hour after shower. We have a circulating pump on hot water tank. We do not use upstairs bathroom with jack and Jill bath but cleaned well week before. There is absolutely signs of water leak upstairs! Only on trim downstairs, a little damage with paint flaking on trim and small puddle of water. After he put several gallons of water in toilet bowl and allowed it flush, replaced the fill hose back into the black receptacle as should have been and turned off all water upstairs and turned on one at a time the problem seems to have resolved itself. Have had a napkin under trim and there is no water. Could toilet clog and adjustment possibly been the issue? Toilet bowl does hold water but it does go down perhaps a half an inch after filling but no leaking downstairs. My confusion is why the downstairs shower would cause such a leak??? And how it could have resolved itself. Any other thoughts? Appreciate your input.

 

[Traci Zimmerman]

Bathroom shower nor toilet and vanities are rarely ever used.

 

[frodo]

you said you noticed the water after the upstairs bathroom was cleaned.
but the bathroom is seldom used.
try this first
we will work from the bottom up
purchase https://www.amazon.com/154-007-Test...LS/?tag=bingshoppinga-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid={creative}&hvpos={adposition}&hvnetw=o&hvrand={random}&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=e&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl={devicemodel}&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=&hvtargid=pla-4584070137907008&psc=1
then remove the strainer from the shower drain, insert the plug,
fill the shower pan with water and watch the level of water,also look for leaks
if no water/leaks. good. process of elimination
next. wait till the next day,,verify all is dry,up stairs and down
spray the shower walls with water concentrate on the tile to pan location
do not spray the faucet area
check for water. if none
then spray the faucet wall

you have just checked the shower drain for a leak
the tile to pan an areas
and the shower control face plate
next
ease the shower head esccthion away from the wall.
verify all is dry at that pipe joint

then..remove the shower head. install a 1/2'' threaded cap on the pipe
turn the shower on
this will test the pipe from the valve to the shower head

happy hunting

 

[frodo]

on to the terlet
grab a roll of toilet paper and a flash light
lay on the floor are scrunched up,,so you can see all around the bowl to floor
lay toilet paper around the bowl on the floor
flush the terlet
did any paper show signs of wetness?

inspect the tank to bowl for wetness
inspect the water supply area and piping

 

[Traci Zimmerman]

Have done all of the above and found no wetness anywhere upstairs or downstairs after pouring gallons of water in toilet bowl and using suction on it then relocating the fill tube in tank back into the fill receptacle rather than directly into tank. Hoping that somehow resolved the issue as odd as it sounds. Also, never heard any gurgling sounds in plumbing upstairs while doing trial and error nor while downstairs shower was in use with water supplies turned on upstairs. As odd as it sounds, could this have possibly been the culprit? Three days and no signs of water downstairs.

 

[frodo]

sounds like whoever cleaned the shower got water on the floor

 

[Diehard]

sounds like whoever cleaned the shower got water on the floor

You read my mind!