Damp plywood over at-grade slab in center of townhouse

[Anonymous]

I feel really stumped. We have some floorboards buckling underneath our range and we see the plywood over top the concrete at grade slab is damp. This is in the middle of my kitchen on an interior wall shared with another mirror image townhome. There’s no plumbing along that wall and there’s no moisture on the wall behind it. Any ideas?

[Anonymous]

It's coming from/through the concrete.

[Anonymous]

Does the range have a vent above it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's coming from/through the concrete.

This. Get someone in to look at it asap before it molds.

[Anonymous]

Yes, it’s coming through the concrete, but what is it? Water from where? Who would look at this?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, it’s coming through the concrete, but what is it? Water from where? Who would look at this?

Maybe a waterproofing company? You have to resolve the water problem before you can fix your floor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, it’s coming through the concrete, but what is it? Water from where? Who would look at this?

You likely have a drainage issue around your house. We had a lot of rain, so the water pooled under your foundation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, it’s coming through the concrete, but what is it? Water from where? Who would look at this?

You likely have a drainage issue around your house. We had a lot of rain, so the water pooled under your foundation.

Yep, foundation drainage. Check your gutters and downspouts. During a really heavy rain (without lightning) go outside and see if water is ponding or flowing against your (or your near neighbor's) house and remediate that. Or do you have a really shallow water table - at the bottom of a valley, perhaps?

[Anonymous]

Dishwasher ?

[Anonymous]

Dishwasher ?

[Anonymous]

It’s on an interior townhome wall. Can water drain between the two houses somehow? There’s no damage at any of the upper levels indicating anything coming from above. Are the foundations separate? Could water somehow be coming between what looks like a solid structure?

[Anonymous]

Ask some of your neighbors if this kind of thing is happening in their townhouse.
There might be a possibility you might need some kind of vapor barrier between the concrete and the floor if you can’t find a leak.

[Anonymous]

Leaking sink?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, it’s coming through the concrete, but what is it? Water from where? Who would look at this?

Maybe a waterproofing company? You have to resolve the water problem before you can fix your floor.

The last people you ever want to call are waterproofing companies. They'll excavate the whole lot if you let them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s on an interior townhome wall. Can water drain between the two houses somehow? There’s no damage at any of the upper levels indicating anything coming from above. Are the foundations separate? Could water somehow be coming between what looks like a solid structure?

Is there no crawl space or anything underneath? Are you in DC? Asking because I didn’t think we could have houses on just slabs in our climate, and I think it matters as far as whether your foundation drains are a potential issue.