I am stumped and need a little help. Here's the background: I purchased this home 2.5 years ago & remodeled before moving in. It is on a slight grade, so as recommended by my foundation guy, I added drains along the higher side of my house to divert water that would have been going under my house out to the street instead. I also installed 3/8" thick Mohawk engineered wood floors with urethane glue on top of the slab. The contractor said he did a moisture test of the slab 1st and it was fine, but I didn't personally see this happen. He also said no moisture barrier was needed.

Within about 2 months of moving in, I noticed the ends of the planks were peaking in a particular strip in my living room. I blew it off. A few more months went by & I noticed a hump forming in my living room where the glue was failing. Within a year, I had a bump like a pitcher's mound in my living room, and next to it was a 3' diameter area of blistering & bubbling on the wood's surface, and in other areas the wood was turning nearly black.

Here's where I am now: A sewer line at the other, down-hill side of the house was replaced 2 months ago. Now 3 different plumbers have tested and say there is no leak in or above my slab. The wood floors were ripped out last week and I have tested the slab with a moisture meter. I have a definite path of high moisture through the middle of my living room. Moisture readings around the perimeter of the house are acceptable.

Here are my assumptions:

1. I have to find the source of the water and have a consistently lower moisture reading in the problem area before I put in any new wood floors.

2. The source of the water is not my plumbing, nor is it poor drainage around the house because the slab is dry around the exterior walls.

Here are my questions:

1. Where on earth is this water coming from?

2. What type of professional should I contact for help now?

3. Is it possible the moisture was coming from the cracked sewer line in a different - and more downhill - part of the house? If so, how long would it take for the slab to dry out now that the leak has been fixed?

4. How long does the slab need to be dry before I put in new floors?

5. Someone recommended drilling -or jackhammering!- a hole in the slab in the moist area to see what's below it. I know water follows the path of least resistance & so may not be coming from the same spot that's wet. Is this a worthwhile idea?

Thanks a ton for your input.

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