Am I screwed a little or a lot here?

What's on the other side of the wall in the house?

garage and utility room/bathroom. UR doesnt butt up to the outer wall. half bath does, not seeing signs of a leak there on the inside.

Is the shower against the wall? It could be the shower pan. I had that happen to my house.

definitely not a shower. the water heater is above the garage, though, and close to that wall. Did not see anything on the ceilings to indicate a leak there. Thanks.

Check the water heater. I had a friend have a similar issue, although it was more water, and that is how we noticed it. It may not be the water heater or the AC drip pan, but you should at least put some eyes on them to be sure.

Does the half bath get used often? Toilet and sink? Could be a toilet flange leaking, water traveling under the tile to the outer wall and out through the brick pocket.

Less likely would be a sink drain T leaking in the wall, or a supply fitting leaking in the wall. Any water dripping from inside either of the emergency overflow pvc pipes by the fence or are they dry?

If you suspect the half bath. Quit using it and see if it dries up. Then you know it's likely a waste side leak on the oiler or sink. Then use the sink for a couple days/ toilet for a couple days and see if either makes the water return. Try to isolate the leak that way. Or simply pull the toilet and see if it's wet around the flange and under the tile if you have the knowledge to do so.

That's where I'd start. Not likely to be the utility since it's farther from the outer wall.

Do you do anything to the wall on the inside as I see an exterior water bibb on that wall which tells me there is a water line most likely going from the bathroom/UR to the bibb?

Reason I ask is that last weekend my son and I installed paneling on the garage walls with 1-5/8" paneling nails. After about 3 days I noticed water on the floor along one wall. I removed the paneling in that area this weekend and found one of the dang nails was driven dead center into the water line that feeds the exterior bibb.

Have you checked your water meter to see if it's spinning which would indicate a supply line leak? If not spinning, then it's most likely a drain or sewer line leak somewhere in that area.

Is the washer in the utility room? If so, plugged washer drain would be my guess.

Interested to see the outcome on this one
OP, any update?

Went home at lunch and looked the best I could without getting into insulation. The water heater has a leak (news to me, FML), however its not overflowing so Im inclined to believe its not leaking at the heater location. Its possible the drain pipe is leaking somewhere along the way. I turned off the water to the toilet in the half bath just to see what happens.

The water around the foundation is less than this morning and nobody has been home, so also thinking its not the AC drainage.

I'm curious, would a moisture meter be of any help to trace from the area we can see the actual water tracking it upwards? Obviously, testing from inside of the house.

LSCSN said:

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Went home at lunch and looked the best I could without getting into insulation. The water heater has a leak (news to me, FML), however its not overflowing so Im inclined to believe its not leaking at the heater location. Its possible the drain pipe is leaking somewhere along the way. I turned off the water to the toilet in the half bath just to see what happens.

The water around the foundation is less than this morning and nobody has been home, so also thinking its not the AC drainage.

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Can you clarify this statement? What do you mean by it's leaking, but not overflowing (I assume the drain pan) so it's not leaking at the heater location? Is the pan dry?

I discovered the tank is leaking into the pan. The pan drains fine, however i think the drain line is busted somewhere along the way. I dumped a gallon of water down the pan drain and nothing came out of the drainage on the side of te house.

also, would love some good recs on a reputable plumber in BCS.

still unknown where the leak is exactly, however the insurance company came out and they will cover the sheetrock/insulation replacement. should be a fun project.

Drywall/sheetrock and insulation is cheap and easy.
I would go to that area behind the brick and just start cutting away sheetrock 6 inches up from the floor until I found something.
Even if you cut a 1-7 foot strip you can find someone to float and texture a replacement price for cheap then repaint.

In my opinion you'll need to do that anyways as there is mold more than likely in your walls if it's been moist for awhile

just an update...since the water heater leak was taken care of, the wall outside has dried up. Next step will be getting someone to tear out and replace the drywall and insulation in the garage and half bath. Any recs on a contractor in BCS? Looking for a free estimate, if those exist anymore.