Water appears to come up from under carpet when it rains

Water appears to come up from under carpet when it rains

After a heavy storm water was found puddled in my car. After taking a shop vac to get the water out and sitting in my car while it rained the water seems to still show up in side the car with no visible leak.

My car has 108897 miles.
My car has an automatic transmission.

Experienced mechanics share their insights in answering this question :

If you have a water leak when you are not moving, then you will need to first isolate the area of the car that is getting wet. The most common areas are the right or left front of the car. Sometimes water will leak in somewhere on the cowl where harnesses go into the cab.

Look under both sides of the dash to see if you can isolate a leak this way. If you have any alarms or stereo equipment that have wires going from the engine to the passenger compartments, then make sure these are sealed good first. Look at all the door seals and look for tears, deformed, or missing seals. If you still need help finding the leak, then contact a mechanic to locate the leak for you. If you have a sun roof, make sure the drains are not plugged or leaking inside the kick panels.

How to Identify and Fix Common car Problems ?

Our sources include academic articles, blog posts, and personal essays from experienced mechanics :

Water leaks caused by plumbing problems or inadequate drainage after a significant rainfall can result in water seeping through the slab foundation and soaking the carpet padding or wetting baseboards. If you notice damp spots in your carpet or baseboards, you may suspect a slab leak.

It`s usually located just behind the dashboard on the passenger`s side. If the evaporator drain gets clogged with leaves, litter or other road debris, the condensation will have nowhere to go and will begin leaking into the cabin — collecting in a puddle on the passenger`s side.

Bad Heater Core

After the coolant has picked up heat from the engine, it runs through the heater core. When you turn on the heater, fans blow the hot air from the heater core into the cabin. If you`ve noticed wet carpeting that`s only on the front passenger`s side, it may be that the heater core is leaking.

Water seeping through the floors can be caused by leaking and bursting pipes. Pipes run through your walls and floors and into your appliances, but they corrode with age. The good news: if a pipe bursts, there`s a high chance your home insurance company will foot the bill.

Dry It Out

Make sure to ventilate the room, using fans and a dehumidifier. Use a professional team to extract the water and clean the carpet and make sure the subfloor is completely dry underneath. You`ll also want to professionally clean and sanitize your carpet after it`s dry.

A few drops of water leaking from underneath your car is most often a normal occurrence. When it`s uncomfortable outside and you have the A/C on full blast to keep you from melting into a puddle on the sidewalk, your cooling system is working harder than normal.

There are some very common causes for that water under your car, including: air conditioning, exhaust, and the windshield washer fluid reservoir. If the puddle under your vehicle is colorless and odorless, there is a good possibility it is just water dripping from your vehicle`s air conditioning system.

Ensure consistent slope toward the floor drain(s) in a basement. Drain tile/sump pump installation – this can be done on the inside or outside perimeter of the foundation wall and will typically relieve enough of the groundwater pressure to prevent seepage from occurring.

For example, you might notice water droplets condensed on the windows, windshield, or inside the car. This is often a clear sign of water leakage. Alternatively, you might notice drops of water leaking from the exhaust pipe.

It could be a leaking hose or a radiator hole. Solution: Check to see if any coolant is leaking from your hoses. If you find coolant flowing out of the hose(s), replace them. It`s a simple fix if you find coolant leaking from your thermostat.

It`s normal for your car`s air conditioner to leak water outside your vehicle from time to time. However, if you start seeing water inside your vehicle after you turned the air conditioner on, or if you see too much water leaking outside than what`s normal, then it`s time to consult a professional.

Seepage doesn`t require any cracks or passage in walls or roof of the house. It occurs when the wall or slab is porous and water appears on its surface by escaping through the wall or slab. Leakage occurs when there is a crack or hole in the wall or roof.

Concrete is by design a porous material and water can pass through it by hydrostatic pressure, water vapor gradient or capillary action. Water can also enter at cracks, structural defects or at improperly designed or installed joints.

Companies in the plumbing industry find FloodSax^® water absorbent pad to be the best, as it is 25% larger than other similar products, therefore absorbing and RETAINING much more liquid. Each Floodsax® water absorbent pad can hold about 5.8 gallons of liquid. As an innovative water absorbing bag, it weighs only 1 lb.

Use a fan to air-dry the carpet

To speed things up, put a fan in the car and set it up to blow on the carpets. You can move it around to make sure the whole car is covered – or, even better, get more fans. The more you can do to soak up the moisture in your car, the better.

Use a Hairdryer

To further soak up water, place towels over the carpeting and walk over them. As they become wet, replace them with fresh, dry towels. Hold a hair dryer over the damp towels and dry them on a medium setting.

Hydrogen peroxide for serious mold. Because hydrogen peroxide is a natural antifungal, you can use it on pretty much any surface to stop and even eradicate mold. Combine about 3 percent hydrogen peroxide with water in a spray bottle, apply to the area, and leave for 10 minutes.

Molds produce allergens, which are substances that can cause allergic reactions, as well as irritants and, in some cases, potentially toxic substances known as mycotoxins. Inhaling or touching mold or mold spores may cause allergic reactions in sensitive individuals.

Baking soda is a cheap solution to excess moisture. Open up a few boxes of baking soda and let them sit open in the vehicle with all the doors and windows closed. Do not pour baking soda onto vehicle surfaces. Baking soda, while still in the open box, will help absorb excess moisture.

Go With The Flow

That`s more likely to be rainwater seeping past bad window seals, bad sunroof weatherstripping or even leaking in from the doors. Water can get into the door panels, and should drain out onto the road — but the doors could leak water into the cabin if the drain holes become blocked with debris.

The baking soda not only absorbs moisture, but it`ll also absorb any nasty odours. As it soaks up moisture, baking soda cakes up, making it easy to remove after the fact – just go over your carpet with a vacuum once it`s dry and you`re set.

Relevant Questions and Answers :

the most relevant questions and answers related to your specific issue

Water appears to come up from under carpet when it rains

ANSWER : If you have a water leak when you are not moving, then you will need to first isolate the area of the car that is getting wet. The most common areas are the right or left front of the car. Sometimes water will leak in somewhere on the cowl where harnesses go into the cab.

Read Full Q/A … : Water appears to come up from under carpet when it rains

Car does not get to normal engine temperature

ANSWER : Hi there:

There could be multiple issues causing your engine to not reach normal operating temperature. However, continuing to add water instead of coolant to your motor could be very harmful; especially to cooling hoses, connections and cooling system components. The coolant should be mixed at a 50% water to coolant ratio. In order to determine why your engine overheated in the first place and why it’s temperature is low now, the best thing to do is have a professional mechanic complete an engine is leaking coolant inspection. This will allow them to inspect your cooling system for issues and recommend the right repairs.

Read Full Q/A … : Water appears to come up from under carpet when it rains

water comes into passenger side while car washing

ANSWER : When it comes to water leaks only a hands on test like you did will tell you where the leak is. Why the leak happens is most likely the body was not sealed at the factory good enough and as the vehicle ages so does the sealing compound they use. The body sealer may let in water now after 14 years of driving. The only way to seal it is to locate the point of the leak and then reseal it with a good silicone body sealer. If you have a body seal leak then sometimes body panels or interior components may have to be removed to find and then fix the leak. So no one would be able to give a fix or estimate to fix it until they can locate the source of the leak. Where you sealed the drain may just be above where the leak is and just stopped the water from running down in that area and did not fix the leak but put a roof over it for the short term. I suggest that you contact a professional technician, such as one from YourMechanic, to find the source of the leak for you.

Read Full Q/A … : Water appears to come up from under carpet when it rains

i have a leak that causes water to collect under the carpet of the drivers side. Do you know what the source of it might be?

ANSWER : Hi there. In most cases, this is an indicator of a coolant leak inside the heater core or a heater core coolant line. If you’re also having issues with overheating or the heater not working well, this is likely the problem. However, it’s also common that a window seal or firewall may be damaged, causing condensation or water to leak into your interior.

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Can a jeep run and drive without a water pump??

ANSWER : Driving or running the engine without the water pump working to circulate the coolant through the motor will cause the motor to overheat and may damage the engine costing thousands of dollars versus using a tow truck to take the vehicle to the shop that will cost a lot less. I would not recommend running the engine more than a few minutes at a time or you will overheat it.

Read Full Q/A … : Water appears to come up from under carpet when it rains

When it rains water leaks inside my car to the passenger side.

ANSWER : If your vehicle is equipped with a sunroof, the sunroof drains may be clogged or the drain hose connection to the body may have come loose. If the drain hose is pulled from the body, water will leak into the vehicle instead of draining to the outside. If the water smells like coolant and the coolant level is low or the vehicle has been overheating, the leak could be from the heater core. Consider hiring an experienced technician like one from YourMechanic who can come out and take a closer look at your concerns to locate the problem causing the water leak and repair the fault properly.

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Jeep wrangler with sbc 350. Rain getting into engine,i havent ran it n theres no coolant in the block or rad.Where could it get in

ANSWER : Hi there. If you have not run the engine after putting it into the jeep and there is no water in the block or radiator and after it rains for 2 days you find water in the engine oil, there could be an intake gasket, seal, or valve cover gasket that is not sealed properly. This will cause the water to run off during the rain storm and get into the engine. Also, make sure that the dip stick is in all the way and that the seal on the stick is covering up the inlet. If you need further assistance with rain water getting into your engine, then seek out a professional, such as one from Your Mechanic, to help you.

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Water was spilled in the trunk which soaked the car battery. Car won’t start now. Does water destroy a car battery?

ANSWER : Hi, thanks for writing in about the concern with the BMW 320i. If the battery was submerged in water then it’s completely possible for the battery to short out and die. Your friend will need to have the battery replaced. Also be sure to get all of the water out of the trunk. Have a certified technician, like one from YourMechanic, help you guys out if you need assistance with replacing the battery. Good luck.

Read Full Q/A … : Water appears to come up from under carpet when it rains