Strange situation.

[Solder]

Any idea why there would be water coming out of a pin hole in the drain of a laundryroom closet beside the bathroom when "only" the showerhead is on? Not when the bath spout is on.

The water coming out of this pin hole is coming out at full pressure.

This is a fairly new house with PEX installed.

Thanks.

 

[frodo]

weird
post a picture of the problem
could be a leak in the shower head riser

 

[Solder]

I placed silicone around it because the water splashes upwards and around the drain. The ceiling on the floor below has gotten wet but this only occurs after someone takes a shower.

Like I said. The water only comes out of the little hole at full pressure when the showerhead portion is on.

 

[frodo]

what is that drain?
sounds like a trap primer

a trap primer squirts a little water into a floor drain to keep the water in its trap from evaporating

 

[Solder]

It's the drain for the water heater and furnace in a closet with the washing machine and dryer stacked. Bathroom is adjecent to this closet. There is no basement.

It seems like someone messed up and connected a T to the showerhead pipe instead of installing a trap primer because it's coming out at high pressure. Seems like a waste of water every time someone takes a shower.

 

[Matt30]

It’s an old school way of making a trap primer. Fairly common way to keep the floor drain full of water so you don’t get an odor. The little tube in the floor drain is attached to the shower head riser, but is supposed to be throttled down to a dribble not full pressure

 

[Solder]

How exactly is it suppose to be throttled down? With a valve?

I have no idea where the leak is coming from but I did silicone the floor drain in the pic, added new silicone around the bathtub spout and around the bathtub lever cover. So will see if that prevents the water from damaging the ceiling downstairs after someone takes a shower.

There could be a leak in the riser pipe as you indicated.

 

[frodo]

some plumbers. take a 1/4'' copper tube and heat it, then make a hole in the stand pipe
for the trap primer. this might be whats going on

they make a fd with a thread for trap primers

how do you throttle a pipe down with out a valve? crimp the pipe

 

[Solder]

Crimp with a hose clamp or something else?

Would it be best to cut a hole in the drywall behind the shower riser and hope to find the primer tube behind there?

 

[frodo]

if you are looking to cut/cap, Then yes that is where i would cut the s rock

 

[Solder]

I still want to make sure the sewer gases don't make their way past the trap.

Do you think the water heater drain line releases enough water to keep the trap primed?

 

[jeffmattero76]

A stand alone water heater should not be releasing any water anywhere.

A furnace, on the other hand, will release condensate, but only when it is running.

 

[frodo]

a heater does not condensate an air conditioner condensates
if you want to rework the trap primer. i suggest you cut/cap the line behind the shower
then add an 1 1/4'' inverted wye branch tail piece on the lav sink drain.
pipe it to the floor drain

when the sink is used, water goes into the fd

 

[jeffmattero76]

Frodo - I have a high efficiency gas furnace, and it certainly does create condensate. I believe it comes from the extraction of heat from the exhaust gases.

 

[Solder]

It's either a tankless water heater with a tank beside it or a boiler with a tank.

I'm thinking about getting a brass or stainless screw to screw into the little hole so much less water comes out. Would be a much easier solution than kill myself.

Thoughts?

 

[frodo]

Frodo - I have a high efficiency gas furnace, and it certainly does create condensate. I believe it comes from the extraction of heat from the exhaust gases.

i stand corrected

 

[Solder]

My previous home had a tank water heater in the basement with a tube going to the drain from the exhaust pipe trap at the bottom of the tank. It definitely was for draining condensate.

I've also seen tankless water heaters with condensate pumps below them.

 

[Solder]

Frodo - I have a high efficiency gas furnace, and it certainly does create condensate. I believe it comes from the extraction of heat from the exhaust gases.

Water/condensate is created in the pipe when the exhaust gases go through a cool/cold pipe.

Same idea when a cold water bottle sits in a hot/warm room. The water vapor in the room turns into water when it makes contact with the cold water bottle and collects in the surface of the water bottle.

 

[voletl]

Water/condensate is created in the pipe when the exhaust gases go through a cool/cold pipe.

Same idea when a cold water bottle sits in a hot/warm room. The water vapor in the room turns into water when it makes contact with the cold water bottle and collects in the surface of the water bottle.

High-efficiency furnace creates exhaust that has condensation in it it's a product from the flue gas going through a secondary heat exchanger it's not created inside any cold pipe.

 

[Diehard]

There are many types of floor drain trap seals. I think this one is one of the better ones.