Upstairs Tub Drain Leak

December 11th, 2008 at 10:11 pm

 

 

Recently I was inspecting a new house in Houston, for the home buyer, just prior to closing. I filled the upstairs master bath Whirlpool tub with water and made my usual checks.  When I finished, I opened the drain to make sure that the tub would drain quickly.  When I walked back out into the hallway, outside the master bedroom, I noticed what sounded like someone taking a shower downstairs.  Unfortunately, I was the only one in the house, so it was either haunted or there must be a problem.  Once I made my way downstairs, I realized that water was pouring from the HVAC register and recessed lighting.  Several gallons of water had already drained onto the new hardwood floors of the kitchen and dining room area.  I rushed back up stairs to close the tub drain, but most of the water from the tub but already leaked out.  So I spent the next hour cleaning up water so that the hard wood floors would not be damaged. The problem stemmed from an improperly installed gasket on the bottom of the tub drain. The moral to the story is Houston home inspectors should always carry a mop and bucket in the truck.

 

The ironic thing about this incident is that a prospect called me shortly after I finished cleaning up the water and I could not convince him that even new homes in Houston have problems. He decided to forgo the home inspection. I guess when he hears water running in the house it will be a ghost.