Wet Carpet - could it be radiators?

Lynn

We are having a problem with wet wall-to-wall carpet in two rooms. This occurs during summer, too. Carpet is wet through pad to floor. Cannot find leaks from outside and wood on basement ceiling is not wet or moldy. Could the problem be the radiators? It is not occuring just around radiator, but spreads across room! We are stumped!

Mark Hunt

Lynn


Do you have pets?

Mark H

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Lynn

No pets - new wetness!

We did have a dog and initially thought this was the problem! But we got rid of the dog about 9 months ago, and wetness has occurred in 2nd room.

Lynn

No pets

Also, all members of family are potty-trained!

ScottMP

Check

the risers to the radiators and see if the pipe feeding them is rotten at the floor level. A rusted pipe at floor level could be "weeping" and the wall to wall carpet could be sucking up the moisture.

Scott

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Dale

To check

Mark is probably correct, if the pipe coming up is a tight fit it can rub and wear out. Also guess where it's hard to solder. I would drain the system, isolate the boiler and tank and put about about 50 psi of air in and soap test or sound test (special device) for leaks at the inlet and out let pipes in the rooms you have trouble with. If you have an all copper system and the boiler is isolated the air pressure can be 100psi. After you think you have the boiler and tank isolated leave a valve open on them to make sure you don't overpressure.

Mike T., Swampeast MO

Leaks from rads will often leave telltale white streaks. Look carefully for them--especially under the rads. A mirror is good for this. Occasionally rads start to leak between sections. Union connections sometimes leak so slowly that you hardly feel them as being "wet". Such may even start and stop as the pressure in the system fluctuates slightly.

Any bathrooms nearby? The supply connections (both at shut-off valve and the toilet tank) can leak very slowly and follow piping, dips in floors, etc. and show up in places other than where you would expect.

jim lockard

potty trained

That helps to eliminate one source. J.Lockard