mini disaster

dan86 · May 20, 2014

Well as some of you will know, I have been on holiday the past fortnight, and arrived home at 04.30 on saturday.
after only a few hours sleep, I got a phone call from my tenants to tell me i'd better come round because they had a problem with their ceiling.

after arriving there, it was immediately obvious that they had a leak and it was coming through the ceiling.
this is what I saw at first

looking at where the marks were in comparison to upstairs, it looked like it may be the soil pipe for the toilet that was leaking.
went upstairs into the spare room to access the pipe (had to cut part the wall to access it)

nothing there. bone dry.
went back downstairs, and the only way to identify where the leak was, was to start cutting away the ceiling.

when I cut into it, the water just poured out!
still couldn't see where it was coming from though.
All I could do was to keep cutting away till I found the leak.
By the time i'd finished, it looked like this.

still couldn't find the bloody leak!
let it drip away for a while till it all but stopped and noticed it was only dripping in one specific place.
went back upstairs and had another look at everything. eventually found it was the cistern inlet pipe leaking and dripping down the outside of the pipe, under the bathroom floor, and eventually through the living room ceiling.

the leak is now fixed, and have my joiner mate going round this afternoon to see how much of the ceiling needs replaced.

also, to top it off, when I got back home it would appear as though my tv has packed up.
now wish i'd just stayed on holiday!

Geordie Spark · May 20, 2014

dan86 said:
Well as some of you will know, I have been on holiday the past fortnight, and arrived home at 04.30 on saturday.
after only a few hours sleep, I got a phone call from my tenants to tell me i'd better come round because they had a problem with their ceiling.

after arriving there, it was immediately obvious that they had a leak and it was coming through the ceiling.
this is what I saw at first
View attachment 24746 View attachment 24747

looking at where the marks were in comparison to upstairs, it looked like it may be the soil pipe for the toilet that was leaking.
went upstairs into the spare room to access the pipe (had to cut part the wall to access it)
View attachment 24748
nothing there. bone dry.
went back downstairs, and the only way to identify where the leak was, was to start cutting away the ceiling.
View attachment 24749
when I cut into it, the water just poured out!
still couldn't see where it was coming from though.
All I could do was to keep cutting away till I found the leak.
By the time i'd finished, it looked like this.
View attachment 24750
still couldn't find the bloody leak!
let it drip away for a while till it all but stopped and noticed it was only dripping in one specific place.
went back upstairs and had another look at everything. eventually found it was the cistern inlet pipe leaking and dripping down the outside of the pipe, under the bathroom floor, and eventually through the living room ceiling.

the leak is now fixed, and have my joiner mate going round this afternoon to see how much of the ceiling needs replaced.

also, to top it off, when I got back home it would appear as though my tv has packed up.
now wish i'd just stayed on holiday!

Aye well .......... any half decent plumber would have gone for the cistern straight away - followed by the basin and bath tap fittings. They're always the firm favourites.

Bloody sparks ....

Kamikaze · May 20, 2014

I can never fathom out why the inlet pipe is at the bottom of the cistern. Even the inlets at the side are not much better. You would have thought someone would have come up with a better system by now.

Geordie Spark · May 20, 2014

Kamikaze said:
I can never fathom out why the inlet pipe is at the bottom of the cistern. Even the inlets at the side are not much better. You would have thought someone would have come up with a better system by now.

It doesn't matter where it is, if it isn't tightened properly, or is cross threaded or the fibre washer inside has split it's going to leak and it's almost always the the fitting connecting the pipe to the valve tail that leaks.

For the record, my personal preference is bottom entry (stop that sniggering there) and I like to use a bit of nice shiny chrome plated pipe with a chrome effect trim to cover the hole where it passes through the floor. Classy looking job.

( I like to do radiators the same way - much better looking than white painted copper - or plastic.)

jaypp · May 20, 2014

People put them together and rely on rubber seals to make them watertight, not going to happen and if you look at fill valve entries you'll see why!! Only takes a little longer to add some silicone and, flexi connectors will relieve lateral pressure on joints.

telectrix · May 20, 2014

i always use flexi connectors. they put right the bodged up measurements that i made when cutting the pipe/s.

Geordie Spark · May 20, 2014

telectrix said:
i always use flexi connectors. they put right the bodged up measurements that i made when cutting the pipe/s.

Bloody amateur.

uksparks · May 20, 2014

Nice loads of holes in the ceiling there!

Geordie Spark · May 20, 2014

jaypp said:
People put them together and rely on rubber seals to make them watertight, not going to happen and if you look at fill valve entries you'll see why!! Only takes a little longer to add some silicone and, flexi connectors will relieve lateral pressure on joints.

"Should" be fibre washers. No need at all to bodge it with silicone - or anything else!

shanky887614 · May 20, 2014

Geordie Spark said:
"Should" be fibre washers. No need at all to bodge it with silicone - or anything else!

I was taught to do that by a plumber on my course.

I got put on a plumbing course (was buy 1 get 1 free at college, being half scot I couldn't resist) but I dont even know course code, ill have it in cupboard somewhere