Water heater closet moldy & wet

Lexi

Hi,

My husband just discovered our water heater closet is wet & very moldy starting from the middle of 2 walls down & across the floor, with dark black/green & white mold.

Where do we start to suss out this problem? I googled it & found your forum & it looks really busy & knowledgeable. The thread I read said to remove the drywall & insulation until no wet or mold was showing. I just can't figure out what would cause it to be moldy & wet from the floor up, seems odd (that could also be because i'm not knowledgeable about leaks etc). Oh also how do we find out if there are any wires before we cut?
I guess I should tell you that it's an outside water heater closet, a two story house, a bathroom up above it, a washer/dryer on wall behind it an unused wet bar beside it and maybe within a foot of it there is a drain that belongs to the heating? that drains from the room via a small pipe which seems to be always dripping water and the cement is moldy below it & right in front of the water heater closet and it's moldy as well in that are on the cement, even the cement right next to the house sort of dips down and little rocks are showing, like if the cement were so wet for so long that the cement starts to .....umm what do you call that, ah, well, deteriorate.

Leah Frances

Welcome. How 'bout some pics? You'll get plenty of help here.

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If I could only remember to THINK about what I was doing before I did it.

AllanJ

Start by breaking a 4 inch hole in the drywall. Then be careful with your keyhole saw to not hit any wires or pipes inside.

Another problem with using a Skil type portable circular saw is that you may cut the studs.

You need to investigate and find out why it is so wet inside. During a warm spell, leave the door open to let the closet air out.

__________________
The average homeowner who lost his house in the Oklahoma tornadoes should move for good and not rebuild. Too much complexity watchdogging the contractor. Too much a chance to be defrauded.

Micah

Something has been leaking in there for quite a while. That algae and moss on the concrete under the door threshold has been established for a while. The water heater itself, or the T&P valve on the side of the water heater is probably leaking. Water can easily wick up the walls and grow huge amounts of mold if the drywall is in contact with the floor.