# Leaks in apartments



## df001 (Nov 13, 2007)

Just posting to destress. Got a leak from above, about 20 gallons caught in buckets, and who knows how many more soaking into the parquet flooring.

Now were all stressed about environmental hazards that will ensue (mold, asbestos contamination if they have to drop the bathroom ceiling etc)

What a f**king way to spend a friday night.

The bright side of things, atleast it wasnt toilet water :S or worse, dead guy in a tub overflow


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## Bantario (Apr 10, 2011)

df001 said:


> Just posting to destress. Got a leak from above, about 20 gallons caught in buckets, and who knows how many more soaking into the parquet flooring.
> 
> Now were all stressed about environmental hazards that will ensue (mold, asbestos contamination if they have to drop the bathroom ceiling etc)
> 
> ...


That sucks, but it could have been worse, much worse 

Like my basement flood


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## Scotmando (Jul 10, 2011)

Totally sucks! Do you know the cause? Hope it works out.


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## df001 (Nov 13, 2007)

The cause is apparently the tenant above us let his bathtub overflow?! Thankfully the only damage is a bit of laundry that needs doing, otherwise its just the bedroom floor is fubar.


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## sig (Dec 13, 2010)

df001 said:


> The cause is apparently the tenant above us let his bathtub overflow?! Thankfully the only damage is a bit of laundry that needs doing, otherwise its just the bedroom floor is fubar.


Non of the fixtures can overflow if it is installed properly 

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## vrb th hrb (Feb 20, 2010)

sig said:


> Non of the fixtures can overflow if it is installed properly


I was gonna say...... this is the landlords fault just as much as its the tenants


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## df001 (Nov 13, 2007)

well its been just under 48 hours, and the floor is mostly dry, thankfully fast acting on moving everything out of the way, with attention from the shopvac, and dehumidifier has saved us from the worst.

Still no response from the Landlord.

Sig, I to was confused when the super said the guy left the tub running. unless the overflow was clogged some how?! no idea it really makes no sense.

Monday will be a flurry of phonecalls to find out what the standards are from both the city ie public health, and building department regarding the floor needing repaired (safety hazard?!) and fire off a registered letter to the landlord, CC the super.

frustration.


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## Ciddian (Mar 15, 2006)

oh man.. Living on oconner. The guys upstairs toilet was leaking. Landlord didnt do anything for a month. 

Red rust was dripping across the ceiling too. Couldnt get out of there fast enough. The worst was, you couldn't sit on the toilet without the drips falling on you. Blah!

More and more happened as well, the wall was raining water in the kitchen, so bad they tore out the wall and left it that way.

As long as they get everything dry, I am hoping it will be okay. I just feel that if its an occurring issue you will have to worry about mold for sure.


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## Ryan.Wilton (Dec 12, 2012)

I've overflowed a bath tub several times. If you don't watch it, it'll overflow. Just like a tank lol. Sucks, hope all works out well


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## df001 (Nov 13, 2007)

It already smells musty and gross, Landlord dropped by unexpectedly today to survey the damage, and said oh theres no reason to worry about mold. Riiight because a wet environment wont mold? Hah.

And then was rude about a bunch of other stuff, it doesnt bode well.

So if we weren't before we are now in full on stress mode, i'm 99% were moving out if only temporarily, which means tank tear down. Thankfully i can run the tank at my parents, but i'm now stressing if its even worth it to reset it up planted, instead just sell the plants etc. so keep your eyes peeled as I may have a sale thread soon 

On the plus side, we've circled our wagons, and have friends who have offered help.

With family offering as well.

Even when feeling like crap, i'm still amazed at how awesome everyone has been.

Thanks for letting me rant/vent!


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## Ciddian (Mar 15, 2006)

omg, If I can help in anyway let me know. I have some big square fans you can use!


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## df001 (Nov 13, 2007)

Thanks cid, we've got it covered the Rh is less than 30%... But at this point i'm using the fan less as were noticing the effects of the mold... If we feel off from it tonight were leaving tomorrow.


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## robert77k (May 27, 2012)

Mould would need a constant source of moisture to propagate. If the source is cut, it won't start/spread.

One thing you can do to help is crank up the heat to 80F. That will help bake out the remaining moisture. 

The fish will be fine as the heater will just turn off. If the lights heat up the water too much then turn off the lights.


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## RR37 (Nov 6, 2012)

robert77k said:


> Mould would need a constant source of moisture to propagate. If the source is cut, it won't start/spread.


^ this. It would have been nice if your landlord provided dehumidifiers for you to rid your unit of moisture. You'd be amazed what a dehumidifier can pull from a room.


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## df001 (Nov 13, 2007)

robert77k said:


> Mould would need a constant source of moisture to propagate. If the source is cut, it won't start/spread.
> 
> One thing you can do to help is crank up the heat to 80F. That will help bake out the remaining moisture.
> 
> The fish will be fine as the heater will just turn off. If the lights heat up the water too much then turn off the lights.


Thank you for your thoughts but anecdotal advice/experience isnt helpful at this point, Increasing the heat wihile allowing the air to hold more moisture - ie making dehumidifiying more effective, will also increase the rate of growth on the mould.

And since mould is present, even if the area is dried out, the spores still remain and present a health hazard that requires remediation.

If you are a professional that deals with mould abatement, testing etc, I'd love to discuss it with you privately. I have some experience both directly and indirectly with abatement, and am very seriously considering calling in Pinchin Environmental or similar to do both surface and air tests.

What I can't seem to find and would love it if anyone has knowledge of, or can point me to is any federal or provincial, or municipal (toronto) standards pertaining to acceptable levels of mould contaminatoin. IIRC there is no current standard other than less is better, as some people dont suffer health effects the same way as others.

The issue with the tanks is that they will not be okay with any of the abatement/repair processes, and further since we've made the decision to ensure our health we cant live here, I'm not prepared to leave the tanks here without frequent supervision to ensure they are ok.


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## WiseGuyPhil (Jun 15, 2011)

Yep, that is because by todays standards, water flows at a higher PSI then 10-20 years ago. If you have an older tub, chances are the overflow is undersized.



Ryan.Wilton said:


> I've overflowed a bath tub several times. If you don't watch it, it'll overflow. Just like a tank lol. Sucks, hope all works out well


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## WiseGuyPhil (Jun 15, 2011)

You need to have an indoor air quality test completed right away. There are several companies around the GTA that perform this, make sure they are CAHPI approved.

If the area is deemed unliveable, I believe that his property insurrance should be paying for a residence until the issue has been corrected.

A friend of mind had a similar issue and experienced this and that is what was done for him.



df001 said:


> Thank you for your thoughts but anecdotal advice/experience isnt helpful at this point, Increasing the heat wihile allowing the air to hold more moisture - ie making dehumidifiying more effective, will also increase the rate of growth on the mould.
> 
> And since mould is present, even if the area is dried out, the spores still remain and present a health hazard that requires remediation.
> 
> ...


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## robert77k (May 27, 2012)

I had a friend have a mould issue about 10 years ago. He noticed that mould was starting to develop in a wall section. When they looked into it, they found a small leak in one of the joints of a water pipe. The constant water drip created enough moisture for the mould to develop. They fixed the leak, and cleaned up the mould area with a diluted bleach solution which kills the living mould and it never returned.

Usually you get a mould problem when you have a constant source of moisture. Mould is a living organism and needs moisture to survive. Not sure what the level of moisture would need to be, but if it didn’t exist before, then it should not propagate after the moisture spike due to the leak is removed. It’s possible that mould developed over the past couple of days in which case a clean up of the area would be warranted. 

If you have your own insurance, you are also covered for living expenses incurred during repairs. But I would assume that the insurance company would want proof before approving it. Perhaps asking the insurance company for what sort of testing is needed and by whom? Insurance companies look for any reason not to pay and it's best to find out what they need before hand. My guess is that they would not accept test results from a company that has direct financial gain based on the test results.


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## Ryan.Wilton (Dec 12, 2012)

I would have a proper restoration crew come in and survey the damage (Try PuroClean, they're wonderful, curdious and quick.) then contact your landlord and inform him about the damages that need repaired. If he refuses to fix them, then you can sue for unfit living conditions  He is a landlord and should know that his properties must be up to living standard. 

You may have to move out for him to repair it all anyways, but I'd definitely report it to a building inspector at the very least.


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## df001 (Nov 13, 2007)

Professional movers are amazing... Bedroom inventoried, packed, bar coded, labeled


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## Ryan.Wilton (Dec 12, 2012)

How much did the movers cost you? I've been debating this with my Fiance for a while, she wants movers when we move out, I want to do it ourselves because it's cheaper lol.


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## df001 (Nov 13, 2007)

The insurance company arranged/covered the cost of the movers and packing for all the furniture and "soft goods". So i have no idea on the actual costs.

Offer a compromise? Pack everything yourself, then have the movers just move all the boxes?


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