AAAARRRRGGGHHH! leak in new bathroom! What should I do?!

fairylights_2 · 27 November 2006 at 8:58PM

Well, we got the new loo, basin, taps and tiles :T ... Friday the flooring man was meant to be laying laminate

. The old lino is still down, but doesn't fit around the loo properly as the new one is a slightly different shape. and what happens?

We have a leak at the back of the loo! :eek: :eek: :eek:

not a huge gushing leak, but a steady dribbling. From where the waste pipe meets that little connector-y thing before going into the soil pipe :eek: . the leak, sadly, has gone UNDER the lino and is being soaked up nicely into the chipboard under floor.

What can I do? Once OH gets home in half an hour, we'll be removing the lino around the wet bit in the hope it might dry out a bit, but I've called the plumber who did it and he says he can't get to us to Wednesday. I've left a message for the flooring chap to say he may not be able to lay the new floor as the subfloor is wet ... :doh: :doh:

Is our new bathroom going to need a new floor? I'm panicking at the thought of the stress and upheaval _pale_ . Should I just call in Direct Line and have them sort it?

I am NEVER having a new bathroom again :mad:

dora37 · 27 November 2006 at 9:18PM

Sorry can't help too much on the technical/plumbing side, however we have had a few leaks that have caused quite a lot of water damage and the floor (chipboard) has always dried out and been absolutely fine afterwards.

Hope you get sorted soon!

plumb1_2 · 27 November 2006 at 9:46PM

Just put an old towel underneth the leak, until the plumber arrives, you chipboard should dry-out.

fairylights_2 · 27 November 2006 at 10:00PM

Thanks all so far!

We have removed the lino all around the loo where it's wet, and covered it all with towels. We're rather limited how much we can do for fear of waking the littlies ... but the leak seems to be worse than I thought because it was dripping on my husband as he cooked tea, apparently. Short of not using the loo upstairs at all until it's fixed, i'm not sure what to do. We could go to the inlaws and switch off our water, I suppose ... that might stop it at least until it's ready to be fixed ....

How long does chipboard take to dry, then?!

HugoSP · 27 November 2006 at 10:19PM

The 'connectory thing' you refer to is called a pan connector

A few things spring to mind here.

1) Did he reuse the old pan connector IMO that is a complete no no.
2) Did he use the correct pan connector? Maybe he should have used an offset or a flexable one etc.
3) Where did he get the pan connector from if it's new. Oddly enough I have found problems with some of the more expensive elaborate ones but cheap ones, such as those from Screwfix have always been fine
4) There may be a moulding defect in the toilet. A lot of B and Q suites etc are of questionable quality to say the least. In some cases they are barely able to be fitted! In one toilet I fitted the spigot at the back that the pan connector goes over had a huge moulding seam that made it almost impossible to seal effectively. Indeed I know experienced plumbers who have rejected toilets to their suppliers because of this.

If it's 1 to 3 above then the problem lies clearly with your plumber. If it's 4 then it's possibly down to who supplied the suite.

As others have said. Do not use the toilet, remove the lino and get a heater in there to dry the floor out. Just don't use it when you're in the shower (assuming its electric).

Mikeyorks · 27 November 2006 at 10:34PM

As above, it's the pan connector, and turning your water off has no effect - not flushing the loo does .. and that will stop it as soon as the water level drops below the 'S' bend?? But .. on the premise you have to flush it a few times before Wed :-

Get a shallow dish and put it underneath - and empty it regularly. If it doesn't drip directly into the dish - but prefers to follow the line of the pan connector. Then tie a rag around where the drips coming from and let the tail end of the rag down into the dish - and the water will follow that .. into the dish. Then chuck the dish once the plumber solves the problem on Wed. The chipboard will dry out quickly (particularly when you stop wetting it;) )

robwend · 27 November 2006 at 11:09PM

do what we have done<same prob started two days ago and our installers run off, try to dry it off if possible. no nails it overnight lol sounds nuts but works, then loads of sealant over the top!!! its a great make do untill you get your plumber<or claim on insurance like we have>

Canucklehead · 27 November 2006 at 11:17PM

Hi Corgi guy here.

I also do plumbing.

You should have a valve to isolate the toilet cistern supply usually a screwdriver slot to turn it on /off. Whatever you have .turn it off.

Flush loo.
If you want to be sure then bail,sponge, siphon the remaining water out of the cistern.

If you no longer have water dripping then it is safe to assume that it does not leak from the waste outlet.

Use a bucket of water to flush the loo until Wednesday.

I suspect that the problem is the siphon where it is made into the cistern and then connected to the pan. Sometimes they appear fine until you get home and then the customer calls and...........you know.!!
This is what makes plumbing sooooo worthwhile.
Good luck.

Canucklehead · 27 November 2006 at 11:22PM

Oh yes .. the floor, it should be ok. If the chipboard is a green colour then it is moisture resistant if not then standard stuff. I always use ply, as bathrooms are always liable to get wet.

Canucklehead · 29 November 2006 at 8:26PM

It's Wednesday..................

Any joy??

fairylights_2 · 30 November 2006 at 5:39PM

Cheers, guys, you've really helped so far!

Our numpty plumber came to look yesterday and told OH that the problem is the loo is too low for the waste pipe and the water is pooling from the underside of the pan connector. He offered two solutions:
1. move waste pipe in the wall down :eek:
2. Put the loo on a 1in step so that it's the right height for the wall.

Am I right in thinking he should have never plumbed the loo in if it was the wrong height? I just don't get why he put it in if it's too low ...

The flooring man is coming tomorrow but he does bathrooms as a whole so has offered to quote us for a complete mend, including the floor.

Having not used the loo (thank god for downstairs bathrooms) for two days, the dripping has finally stopped, and the floor is drying out (mostly) ok. We've had a heater on it and it's looking ok, but between the loo, bath and the wall is moist still, soft to the touch and a little green looking. There's also damage on the kitchen ceiling where the "royal icing" effect ceiling has come away from the flat ceiling - if you know what I mean.

So, some news, but a lot of confusion. Are we best off measuring up and getting a new loo rather than trying to botch one that's the wrong height? And why would he plumb in one that IS the wrong height? :mad:

AAAARRRRGGGHHH! leak in new bathroom! What should I do?!

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