Water Marks on Ceiling and other New Build Worries!

JoJoArmani

Hey hoping for some advice.

I have noticed water marks on the ceiling under the bathroom/bedroom area. Now I guess there is a leek. A neighbour had issue with the pipe work in their bathroom & ensuite. Guess I might have the same problem. (Also our toilets are always "funny" with waste seeping back into the toilet pan - been like this since we moved in)

Do I contact the NHBC as I have only been here 14 months - or do I need to "investigate" and take the bath panel off and have a poke about?

And, our kitchen tiles have started to crack as the floor looks like it has moved - there are gaps in the grouting around the edges of the units. We had floor tiles outselves - kitchen on 1st floor. Is this the tilers fault for not doing something - or a build fault as the floor has moved/settled? (The house was empty a year before we moved in and we were not advised to leave anything alone etc due to settling.)

Also - quite a few cracks in the joints of the walls/ceilings/door frames around the house. Is this important or do I just touch them up myself.

Sorry for sounding a bit thick but I'd like some advice before I go off contacting NHBC or the unhelpful builders.

Thank You!

JoJoArmani

Bump......

Bean_Counter

I'm no expert, but my understanding is that if the defect is found within the first two years you should be going to the builder first before NHBC.

Have a look at this link to the NHBC website.

MissNobody

I too think you are supposed to go back to the builder first for 2 years (did you buy from the builders?), water marks definitely suggest a leak so mention this, complain about toilets as that isnt right either!

Cracks in the walls are to be expected as the house settles, I was told that unless you can fit a pound coin into the crack then you sort it yourself, not sure about the tiling but you can ask the builders about that along with all the other things.

Good luck.

Fire_Fox

NHBC only get involved in cases of dispute or when the builder has gone bust: write to the builders recorded delivery about the problems. Does the toilet have a macerator, you haven't accidentally turned it off or put something down you shouldn't (e.g. ladies products)?

What base did you use for the kitchen flooring tiles? If they tiled straight onto floorboards without screwing down the original floor and possibly reinforcing/ evening out with a layer of hardboard then there is your problem. This issue needs to go back to the guys who laid the tiles.

JoJoArmani

Fire_Fox wrote: »

NHBC only get involved in cases of dispute or when the builder has gone bust: write to the builders recorded delivery about the problems. Does the toilet have a macerator, you haven't accidentally turned it off or put something down you shouldn't (e.g. ladies products)?

What base did you use for the kitchen flooring tiles? If they tiled straight onto floorboards without screwing down the original floor and possibly reinforcing/ evening out with a layer of hardboard then there is your problem. This issue needs to go back to the guys who laid the tiles.

Hi

Thanks for replying. What is a macerator? No, as far as I know nothing that shouldn't has gone down the toilet. When we first moved in we didn't use the ensuite and but I'd have to flush the ensuite loo everyday as it would stink and be a horrible colour - obviously some sort of backflow from the bathroom toilet.

The kitchen is on the 1st floor - when we moved inthe floor was some sort of board - I think the tiler put the tile adheasive or whatever straight on the boad/base. The other rooms (bathrooms/loo's) that he tiled are fine. But then we don't walk around them as much.

Thanks for all the replies! So do I need to go and take the bath panel off and have a look and see what the leak is all about? Or leave it alone and write to the builders?

Jo

gabyjane

Hi sorry to hear you are having probs we too have a new build. Only prob we have at the mo is our upstairs loo, it has that funny smell like waste only at certain times though and we can have it one day and then not again for 6 months! when it is there though it is horrid but after speaking to others it turns out we are not the only ones..reading this i am not sure whether we can still complain to the HA/builders as we are Shared ownership? if anyone knows much appreciated..

As for the tiles i have no idea as ours was all done when we moved in but we had an independant floor fitter in and all has been fine, I had a panic the other day when i saw our garden looked like it had moved but it was just due to no rain and since it has it has all swelled out again!

Call the builders and go from there, i also had a nose under our bath r.e that smell so worth a nose if you can
Good luck!

Fire_Fox

JoJoArmani wrote: »

Hi

Thanks for replying. What is a macerator? No, as far as I know nothing that shouldn't has gone down the toilet. When we first moved in we didn't use the ensuite and but I'd have to flush the ensuite loo everyday as it would stink and be a horrible colour - obviously some sort of backflow from the bathroom toilet.

The kitchen is on the 1st floor - when we moved inthe floor was some sort of board - I think the tiler put the tile adheasive or whatever straight on the boad/base. The other rooms (bathrooms/loo's) that he tiled are fine. But then we don't walk around them as much.

Thanks for all the replies! So do I need to go and take the bath panel off and have a look and see what the leak is all about? Or leave it alone and write to the builders?

Jo

Are both the toilets close to one another in the house? If not do you have two soil stacks? A macerator is a small box which chops up your toilet waste so it can go down a smaller than normal pipe (Google Saniflo). They are often used when you install an en-suite or under-stairs toilet away from the main soil stack. If they get switched off accidentally overflow can happen. You also can't put all the same stuff down a macerator loo as you would a 'normal' loo - no ladies products, not even torn up - as they are easily blocked. By all means have a look under the bath if you can, also ask your neighbour exactly what was wrong with their pipework.

Larger areas of flooring are more likely to show the effects of tiling onto the wrong surface. There was a thread on this in the last week or so
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=1826377

Natasha20

JoJoArmani wrote: »

Hi

Thanks for replying. What is a macerator? No, as far as I know nothing that shouldn't has gone down the toilet. When we first moved in we didn't use the ensuite and but I'd have to flush the ensuite loo everyday as it would stink and be a horrible colour - obviously some sort of backflow from the bathroom toilet.

The kitchen is on the 1st floor - when we moved inthe floor was some sort of board - I think the tiler put the tile adheasive or whatever straight on the boad/base. The other rooms (bathrooms/loo's) that he tiled are fine. But then we don't walk around them as much.

Thanks for all the replies! So do I need to go and take the bath panel off and have a look and see what the leak is all about? Or leave it alone and write to the builders?

Jo

You should definitely take the bath panel off. The leak could well be the u-bend under the bath - this is what was causing a leak under my shower. The best thing to do is put some paper under the u-bend and then turn on the tap slightly to see if the paper becomes wet. If it is the u-bend then it will just need to be replaced. I got a plumber in to do it because I wasn't confident enough to do it myself.

JoJoArmani

Hi Guys and Dolls,

Yep - the two loos back onto the same wall - but one to the left and one to the right - if you know what I mean.

Took bath panel off (a job and half) and can see no visible damp - there are patches where the floor under has been wet - but this could have been from ages ago.. i'm not sure.

had a good feel of the pipes under the bath and all dry - even with shower running. I can't easily get at any other pipe work to check anything as it is all boxed off. (with out tearing the whole lot off!)

I have noticed today another mark on the ceiling in a different place - at the join of of the ceiling & wall - a really odd place?!

Originally I wondered if it was water leaking from the shower screen down a little crack in the boxed off pipes area - but the marks are too big for that - esp as I always watch out for it happening.

From what I can remember my neighbour said (after much to-do with plumbers and the builders) that they had fitted a large pipe into a much smaller one and the water/soil was not able to drain away properly or something.

I don't think we have a macerator - I'm not aware of one - I imagaine I would if we had one?

Thanks for all your help.... think I will get on to the builders now as I can't see what it could be - unless it is a simple seal that is not tight around the bath or something.

Jo

dadsarmy

Check the bath overflow too.

Smells may come from basins where part of the sealing water from inside the trap is sucked away. Anti syphon traps are available.

If there is no open stack pipe or durgo valve fitted in the soil water system, it is possible that the water in the trap is partially emptied allowing the smell to come from the drains. If it only happens sometimes then this could be due to the water in the trap being lost when 2 toilets and/or basins are being flushed/plugs pulled out.