Woke up 0530 this morning to the sound of heavy rain. Walked down stairs
only to find that the rain was in my kitchen. Hauled ass back up the steps
to the bathroom to find that the toilet supply line ruptured. Backtracking I
figured that all was fine at just after 0030 so sometime after 0030 and 0530
this occurred. Now, judging by the amount of water on the floor in the
kitchen and the basement it must have been at 0032.

Our kitchen ceiling, the fan, the telephones the kitchen parquet floor
(which is now buckling and sounding like a sponge) has all been lost. Along
with several items one might find on the kitchen floor and on the table. You
never think that something like this will happen and when it does you wonder
whywould I friken leave that there?


Oh the joys of homeownership!

Sd

Just curious....what type of supply line was it and where did it rupture (at
the end fittings, in the middle, or elsewhere?????). Is the line subject to
any unusual stresses like vibration, flexing, etc.??? This is an unusual
situation...

Smarty


"S H O P D O G" wrote in message
news:xCXvi.1166$Gz4.1084@trndny05...
Woke up 0530 this morning to the sound of heavy rain. Walked down stairs
only to find that the rain was in my kitchen. Hauled ass back up the steps
to the bathroom to find that the toilet supply line ruptured. Backtracking
I figured that all was fine at just after 0030 so sometime after 0030 and
0530 this occurred. Now, judging by the amount of water on the floor in
the kitchen and the basement it must have been at 0032.

Our kitchen ceiling, the fan, the telephones the kitchen parquet floor
(which is now buckling and sounding like a sponge) has all been lost.
Along with several items one might find on the kitchen floor and on the
table. You never think that something like this will happen and when it
does you wonder whywould I friken leave that there?


Oh the joys of homeownership!

Sd

I've never had it happen before! Ruptured at the top and was a plastic line,
(PVC). It broke away from the toilet. No unusal stresses that I am aware of,
the toilet doesn't move when being used and the floor is solid.

SD

"S H O P D O G" wrote in message
news:AhYvi.3412$r14.3285@trndny06...

I've never had it happen before! Ruptured at the top and was a plastic
line,
(PVC). It broke away from the toilet. No unusal stresses that I am aware
of,

So this connector lacked the metal wire sheathing
that is nowadays common for toilet and washing
machine supply lines?

--
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada)

Smarty wrote:
Just curious....what type of supply line was it and where did it rupture (at
the end fittings, in the middle, or elsewhere?????). Is the line subject to
any unusual stresses like vibration, flexing, etc.??? This is an unusual
situation...

Smarty


"S H O P D O G" wrote in message
news:xCXvi.1166$Gz4.1084@trndny05...

Woke up 0530 this morning to the sound of heavy rain. Walked down stairs
only to find that the rain was in my kitchen. Hauled ass back up the steps
to the bathroom to find that the toilet supply line ruptured. Backtracking
I figured that all was fine at just after 0030 so sometime after 0030 and
0530 this occurred. Now, judging by the amount of water on the floor in
the kitchen and the basement it must have been at 0032.

Our kitchen ceiling, the fan, the telephones the kitchen parquet floor
(which is now buckling and sounding like a sponge) has all been lost.
Along with several items one might find on the kitchen floor and on the
table. You never think that something like this will happen and when it
does you wonder whywould I friken leave that there?


Oh the joys of homeownership!

Sd




Not so unususl.

I had the same thing happen in the master suite toilet about 4 years ago.

The supply line wsa one f those braided chrome wire metal sheathed ones.

Too busy swearing and cursng abut the flow of water through the living
room ceiling light fixtures and the falling wall board in the living
room below to
ever bother to figure out where the failure point on the supply line was.

The line was still fully connected both to the tank inlet fitting and
the to the valve
on the stub pipe coming out of the wall.

That particular supply line had been there about 15 years, ever since that
bathroom floor was tiled and the old white flushable toilet that
actually flushed
was replaced by a "low flo" fancy porceline toilet that was color keyed
two match the tile.

I'll admit, I don't remember hearing of another toilet supply
line rupturing. Any idea what caused it?

--

Christopher A. Young
You can't shout down a troll.
You have to starve them.
..

"Smarty" wrote in message
...
: Just curious....what type of supply line was it and where did
it rupture (at
: the end fittings, in the middle, or elsewhere?????). Is the
line subject to
: any unusual stresses like vibration, flexing, etc.??? This is
an unusual
: situation...
:
: Smarty
:

That's it. It's the fault of the 1.6 galon per flush toilet.

--

Christopher A. Young
You can't shout down a troll.
You have to starve them.
..

"jJim McLaughlin" wrote in message
news
: Not so unususl.
:
: I had the same thing happen in the master suite toilet about 4
years ago.
:
: The supply line wsa one f those braided chrome wire metal
sheathed ones.
:
: Too busy swearing and cursng abut the flow of water through the
living
: room ceiling light fixtures and the falling wall board in the
living
: room below to
: ever bother to figure out where the failure point on the supply
line was.
:
: The line was still fully connected both to the tank inlet
fitting and
: the to the valve
: on the stub pipe coming out of the wall.
:
: That particular supply line had been there about 15 years, ever
since that
: bathroom floor was tiled and the old white flushable toilet
that
: actually flushed
: was replaced by a "low flo" fancy porceline toilet that was
color keyed
: two match the tile.

S H O P D O G wrote:
I've never had it happen before! Ruptured at the top and was a plastic line,
(PVC). It broke away from the toilet. No unusal stresses that I am aware of,
the toilet doesn't move when being used and the floor is solid.

Which is why I still use copper tubing even at the price...maybe you'll
get a small leak at a compression fitting, but the chances of a
full-blown break are minimal.

--

Stormin Mormon wrote:
I'll admit, I don't remember hearing of another toilet supply
line rupturing. Any idea what caused it?

My conjecture would be aging and a nick perhaps during installation
combined w/ the tension on an outside wall of a bend in the line...

--

Stormin Mormon wrote:
That's it. It's the fault of the 1.6 galon per flush toilet.

ROTFL.

Damn floor is wet, too. Must be another supply line (G).

"Stormin Mormon" wrote in message
...
I'll admit, I don't remember hearing of another toilet supply
line rupturing. Any idea what caused it?

A couple years ago I installed a new valve and the instructions said it must
be used with braided wire supply line.

I asked the manufacturer why that was, as I didn't want to replace my nylon
braided one.
He said there was no real reason for it, since the supply lines never break.
That made sense, since the pressure is so low in the narrow line. (yes, I
know the actual static psi is exactly the same, but the total pressure on
the walls is much less because the area is much less.)

But apparently it can happen! I have bought some braided metal for my ice
maker, but haven't gotten around to installing it.

S H O P D O G wrote:
Woke up 0530 this morning to the sound of heavy rain. Walked down
stairs only to find that the rain was in my kitchen. Hauled ass back
up the steps to the bathroom to find that the toilet supply line
ruptured. Backtracking I figured that all was fine at just after 0030
so sometime after 0030 and 0530 this occurred. Now, judging by the
amount of water on the floor in the kitchen and the basement it must
have been at 0032.
Our kitchen ceiling, the fan, the telephones the kitchen parquet floor
(which is now buckling and sounding like a sponge) has all been lost.
Along with several items one might find on the kitchen floor and on
the table. You never think that something like this will happen and
when it does you wonder whywould I friken leave that there?


Oh the joys of homeownership!

The floor's not lost!

Mine got double-wet due to a leaky water heater. I just left it alone for a
couple of months, then re-glued the tiles. Worked out okay.

on 8/13/2007 10:50 AM Toller said the following:
"Stormin Mormon" wrote in message
...

I'll admit, I don't remember hearing of another toilet supply
line rupturing. Any idea what caused it?


A couple years ago I installed a new valve and the instructions said it must
be used with braided wire supply line.

I asked the manufacturer why that was, as I didn't want to replace my nylon
braided one.
He said there was no real reason for it, since the supply lines never break.
That made sense, since the pressure is so low in the narrow line. (yes, I
know the actual static psi is exactly the same, but the total pressure on
the walls is much less because the area is much less.)

But apparently it can happen! I have bought some braided metal for my ice
maker, but haven't gotten around to installing it.

Besides the strength, could it serve as an electrical ground connection
to the grounded supply pipe ?
I don't know, just asking.

--

Bill
In Hamptonburgh, NY
To email, remove the double zeroes after @

on 8/13/2007 10:50 AM Toller said the following:
"Stormin Mormon" wrote in message
...

I'll admit, I don't remember hearing of another toilet supply
line rupturing. Any idea what caused it?


A couple years ago I installed a new valve and the instructions said it must
be used with braided wire supply line.

I asked the manufacturer why that was, as I didn't want to replace my nylon
braided one.
He said there was no real reason for it, since the supply lines never break.
That made sense, since the pressure is so low in the narrow line. (yes, I
know the actual static psi is exactly the same, but the total pressure on
the walls is much less because the area is much less.)

But apparently it can happen! I have bought some braided metal for my ice
maker, but haven't gotten around to installing it.

Besides the strength, could it serve as an electrical ground connection
to the grounded supply pipe ?
I don't know, just asking.

--

Bill
In Hamptonburgh, NY
To email, remove the double zeroes after @

On Aug 13, 7:02 am, "Stormin Mormon"
wrote:
I'll admit, I don't remember hearing of another toilet supply
line rupturing.


About 20 years ago, woke up to the sound of running water in the the
middle of the night. Asked the wife why she was taking a shower at
2:30? Realized she was still in bed - why was the water running? Ran
to the bathroom, saw water spraying under the toilet, shut it off. The
supply line was just fine, it was the cheap plastic nut attaching the
supply line to the bottom of the tank - split very cleanly between the
round part and the hex part. Luckily, this was a single story home on
slab, got it shut off right away, only problem was a little bit of wet
carpet at the entry to the bathroom.

For the last 20 years, I've been wondering when the next one is gonna
break.

Jerry

On Aug 13, 6:53 am, "S H O P D O G" wrote:
Woke up 0530 this morning to the sound of heavy rain. Walked down stairs
only to find that the rain was in my kitchen. Hauled ass back up the steps
to the bathroom to find that the toilet supply line ruptured. Backtracking I
figured that all was fine at just after 0030 so sometime after 0030 and 0530
this occurred. Now, judging by the amount of water on the floor in the
kitchen and the basement it must have been at 0032.

Our kitchen ceiling, the fan, the telephones the kitchen parquet floor
(which is now buckling and sounding like a sponge) has all been lost. Along
with several items one might find on the kitchen floor and on the table. You
never think that something like this will happen and when it does you wonder
whywould I friken leave that there?

Oh the joys of homeownership!

Sd

In my area (Chicago suburbs) the toilet supply must be done with soft
copper and compression fittings. And if an actual plumber is
installing your faucets he has to use soft copper there too. Only
homeowners can get away with using the hoses. That is, if you want to
be up to code or pass an inspection.

They now make little alarms that will ring when water contacts them,
handy for under sinks and toilets, sump pumps, floor drains, etc. to
wake you up to problems before they become catastrophes.

Heres are a bunch of them, considering your story they are probably
worth it:

http://www.smarthome.com/_/ProductRe...eak%20detactor

Toller wrote:
....

That made sense, since the pressure is so low in the narrow line. (yes, I
know the actual static psi is exactly the same, but the total pressure on
the walls is much less because the area is much less.)
....

No, pressure is force per unit area so 40 psi is the same no matter what
the diameter. Therefore the _FORCE_ exerted on the wall is
proportionally the same as to the larger diameter as area is directly
proportional.

Pipe and tubing wall thicknesses (for the same material) are scaled as
size increases (although in steps, not for every incremental size) so
the tensile stress is (very) roughly the same.

How much difference there is for plastic wall thicknesses versus size
I'm not sure, haven't looked specifically, but would expect them to be
similarly scaled as for tubing and pipe for economy in materials as
compared to required thickness for designed/rated pressure.

The only place the smaller diameter really makes a significant
difference is that the total _FORCE_ at the end cross-section may be
small owing to cross-sectional area...

--

On Aug 13, 6:53 am, "S H O P D O G" wrote:
Woke up 0530 this morning to the sound of heavy rain. Walked down stairs
only to find that the rain was in my kitchen. Hauled ass back up the steps
to the bathroom to find that the toilet supply line ruptured. Backtracking I
figured that all was fine at just after 0030 so sometime after 0030 and 0530
this occurred. Now, judging by the amount of water on the floor in the
kitchen and the basement it must have been at 0032.

Our kitchen ceiling, the fan, the telephones the kitchen parquet floor
(which is now buckling and sounding like a sponge) has all been lost. Along
with several items one might find on the kitchen floor and on the table. You
never think that something like this will happen and when it does you wonder
whywould I friken leave that there?

Oh the joys of homeownership!

Sd

Or this one which meters a "running toilet" and says "enough is
enough":

http://www.smarthome.com/7121.html

Neither have I. That's why I posed the question as to what type was
involved, where it failed, and whether there were any exceptional stress,
temperature, vibration, or other explanations. It is relatively common to
hear of plastic tubing developing a leak when refrigerator ice makers are
involved.

Smarty


"Stormin Mormon" wrote in message
...
I'll admit, I don't remember hearing of another toilet supply
line rupturing. Any idea what caused it?

--

Christopher A. Young
You can't shout down a troll.
You have to starve them.
.

"Smarty" wrote in message
...
: Just curious....what type of supply line was it and where did
it rupture (at
: the end fittings, in the middle, or elsewhere?????). Is the
line subject to
: any unusual stresses like vibration, flexing, etc.??? This is
an unusual
: situation...
:
: Smarty
:

Well, one end was plastic, this (forgive the layman terms) this plastic end
screwed onto the toilet. the plastic was cracked, so thats where the water
was coming out

SD

I replaced the old one with stainless braid. The old one was exactly that
OLD. It could have been there 18 years! We've only had the house since nov
05

SD

"S H O P D O G" wrote in message
news:Uf0wi.770$vC4.146@trndny01...
Well, one end was plastic, this (forgive the layman terms) this plastic
end screwed onto the toilet. the plastic was cracked, so thats where the
water was coming out

Glad you clarified that. Sorry for your problem.

Oh yeah,the floors a goner! where the tiles meet they are trying to stand
up. One just broke, so I removed it and it looks like the mastic has
seperated from the tiles.
If anythng comes out of this we were going to replace that floor in the
future anyway. But I would have rather not gone about it this way! Most of
the first floor is dry and the basement is almost dry.

Now, I'm concerned about all this old timber. Now that it has gotten
completely saturated, will there be any issues with mold. The house is about
70 years old.

sd

S H O P D O G wrote:
Oh yeah,the floors a goner! where the tiles meet they are trying to
stand up. One just broke, so I removed it and it looks like the
mastic has seperated from the tiles.
If anythng comes out of this we were going to replace that floor in
the future anyway. But I would have rather not gone about it this
way! Most of the first floor is dry and the basement is almost dry.

Right. The wood swelled. As it dries, it will shrink back to its original
size.

Because it popped loose, you may have to re-glue some (all) of the tiles,
but the floor is NOT a goner.


Now, I'm concerned about all this old timber. Now that it has gotten
completely saturated, will there be any issues with mold. The house
is about 70 years old.


Probably not. A one-time wetting isn't usually enough for mold.

Smarty wrote:
Just curious....what type of supply line was it and where did it rupture (at
the end fittings, in the middle, or elsewhere?????). Is the line subject to
any unusual stresses like vibration, flexing, etc.??? This is an unusual
situation...

Not so unusual, it happened to me as well. I came home to the sound of water running from upstairs, found out
it was the plastic nut on the toilet end of the water feed line that fractured. I guess the plastic crosslinks
and becomes brittle over time, and the stress on its threads eventually becomes too much for the brittle plastic
to bear. Fortunately for me, the water ran across the bathroom floor, into the floor vent, down the ducts into
the basement, where the ductwork turned 90 degrees, but the water ran out of a convenient hole in the bottom of
the duct, right into a floor drain

-Chris

"Christopher Cole" wrote in message
...
Smarty wrote:
Just curious....what type of supply line was it and where did it rupture
(at
the end fittings, in the middle, or elsewhere?????). Is the line subject
to
any unusual stresses like vibration, flexing, etc.??? This is an unusual
situation...

Not so unusual, it happened to me as well. I came home to the sound of
water running from upstairs, found out
it was the plastic nut on the toilet end of the water feed line that
fractured. I guess the plastic crosslinks
and becomes brittle over time, and the stress on its threads eventually
becomes too much for the brittle plastic
to bear. Fortunately for me, the water ran across the bathroom floor,
into the floor vent, down the ducts into
the basement, where the ductwork turned 90 degrees, but the water ran out
of a convenient hole in the bottom of
the duct, right into a floor drain

-Chris

it was designed to do that. was the architect rube & goldberg?

Damn, Talk about luck! Our bathroom floor is somewhat canted toward the tub
from the toilet. When the plastic nut came loose the water shot up toward
the tank and of course ran down across the floor to tub ran along the tub
and right under the only 4" piece of sheetrock , under and through that down
to the cavity that the tub sits in. By luck there is a notch in a beam the
water ran down the notch and welled up in the ceiling of the kitchen. I
assume that the water also ran along the electric wire and into the ceiling
fan, which caused the fan motor to short out.
Waiting for ins adjuster to come out on Wed. What should I expect? We've
never made a claim before and my policy is written in lawyerese. It says
that I am covered which I should be. I am covered at 100%. Will they make me
hire someone, will they only pay me for materials if I choose to do the
repair myself.

I know I will be able to ask these questions of the adjuster, but any prior
insight may be to my benefit as to what to say and ask or what not to say or
ask.

SD

Stormin Mormon wrote:
I'll admit, I don't remember hearing of another toilet supply
line rupturing. Any idea what caused it?


I used to do insurance repairs exclusively. The top three
causes of flooding in a home we toilet supply lines,
icemaker lines, washing machine hoses.

They are not even thought about much and no one regularly
examines them to see how they are doing. You never move them
except in special circumstances, so they sit back there,
forgotten, until they fail.

I check mine often, and I use the best lines that I can get.
That is copper for icemaker, and stainless steel braided hose
for supplies and washing machine hoses.

I have never seen one break, but I have seen the results of
many of them breaking.

--
Robert Allison
Rimshot, Inc.
Georgetown, TX

Robert Allison wrote:
Stormin Mormon wrote:
I'll admit, I don't remember hearing of another toilet supply
line rupturing. Any idea what caused it?


I used to do insurance repairs exclusively. The top three
causes of flooding in a home we toilet supply lines,
icemaker lines, washing machine hoses.

They are not even thought about much and no one regularly
examines them to see how they are doing. You never move them
except in special circumstances, so they sit back there,
forgotten, until they fail.

I check mine often, and I use the best lines that I can get.
That is copper for icemaker, and stainless steel braided hose
for supplies and washing machine hoses.

I have never seen one break, but I have seen the results of
many of them breaking.

My just open up, the supply line cracked, and I was the one who caused the
problem. I am a recent amputee and when I use the toilet allot of the times
I have to use my knee to balance my self to complete the job at hand.

So I do move the toilet every once in a while. :-(

I replaced the ridged pipe with a braided flexible supply line.

--
Moe Jones
HVAC Service Technician
Energy Equalizers Inc.
Houston, Texas
www.EnergyEqualizers.com