emergency - water coming thru ceiling!!

waterwatereverywhere

Hi

Long time lurker on here, posting as we have emergency this morning!

Aaagh.......we have water dripping through the ceiling above us in kitchen. It's a slow-ish but constant drip. Above is the attic where water pipes are running (it's a converted flat - there used to be old tanks up there but think they were drained down and it's just mains water now). Drip seems to get faster when water tap turned on.

Trying to get hold of a plumber and have turned stopcock off but what else can/should we do? (Have put bucket to catch drips). It's near a light in ceiling too so worried about that.

Water is a kind or rusty colour - is it a burst pipe or pls does anyone know what the cause might be? if it was burst mains then would expect water to be gushing... and it's not doing that ... yet!!

Thx!

WestonDave

Best thing you can do if possible is get up in the attic and have a look - it could be a minor burst in a pipe, it could be condensation (less likely) or it could be melting snow finding its way in somewhere. What sort of roof is above it?

keystone

waterwatereverywhere wrote: »

Aaagh.......we have water dripping through the ceiling above us in kitchen. It's a slow-ish but constant drip. Above is the attic where water pipes are running (it's a converted flat - there used to be old tanks up there but think they were drained down and it's just mains water now)

I'm guessing t will be a joint up there that has frozen and been forced apart by the water expanding as it freezes. Its only obvious as a problem when the pipe thaws out, the ice plug vanishes and water starts to flow again but the joint isn't sound any more so out it comes..

Trying to get hold of a plumber and have turned stopcock off but what else can/should we do? (Have put bucket to catch drips). It's near a light in ceiling too so worried about that.

Not much - just do NOT turn the light on. Yes I know its live up tere anyway but still do not turn the light on.

Water is a kind or rusty colour - is it a burst pipe or pls does anyone know what the cause might be? if it was burst mains then would expect water to be gushing... and it's not doing that ... yet!!

Dirt collected from the roofspace as it descends most likely. You've turned off the mains at the stopcock already. Opening taps lower down should drain the pipework completely. Then you are only left with the residual water on top of the ceiling.

Can you get up in the roof to locate the culprit? If it is a popped joint and a compression fitting you can fix it yourself with the correct tools and a bit of confidence. If its a popped soldered joint you prolly need a plumber.

Cheers

waterwatereverywhere

Hi WestonDave

Thx for your reply - don't have a ladder at the mo so we can't see up there unfortunately - we're trying to borrow one! It's just an ordinary ish tiled pitched (V shaped) roof. We did wonder about snow but as it's a fairly constant drip we guess it's probably a pipe rather than snow?

Just dead scared as plumber could tell us anything and we'd be none the wiser - we're having to go cold out of Yellow Pages to get someone round quickly...aaagh!

If it is a "minor burst" would that be in a join in a pipe so just the join bit would need re-doing/re-sealing or could it be more extensive? Just trying to get some knowledge so we sound like we know what we're talking about when the plumber gets here and not like the dimwits we when it comes to plumbing!

keystone

Where are you?

Cheers

waterwatereverywhere

Thank you Keystone - I was just typing the above reply to WestonDave before I saw yours which is very helpful, thank you. I fear it's all fairly old pipework up there, probably not the modern plastic stuff so that and the difficult access/location mean we probably will need a plumber.

Assuming it is what you suggest and plumber can locate the damaged part quickly any idea what sort of charge would be reasonable to fix it? Can they just cut out the damaged bit of pipe and solder on new bits/joints?

macman

If you do have a cold water storage tank up there (central heating-combi or conventional boiler?) then drain that down by opening the cold taps fed from it (usually everything except the kitchen tap, which is mains fed). If you've already turned off the stopcock that will stop it refilling.
It's unlikely that you've got plumbing in the attic unless you have a storage tank up there.

keystone

waterwatereverywhere wrote: »

Thank you Keystone - I was just typing the above reply to WestonDave before I saw yours which is very helpful, thank you. I fear it's all fairly old pipework up there, probably not the modern plastic stuff so that and the difficult access/location mean we probably will need a plumber.

Assuming it is what you suggest and plumber can locate the damaged part quickly any idea what sort of charge would be reasonable to fix it? Can they just cut out the damaged bit of pipe and solder on new bits/joints?

Its difficult to say what is reasonable because there is always the element of getting it done and out of the worry basket. A neighbour had a similar problem recently (only in their case it was the muppet who put in her combi boiler using an inappropriate fitting on a steel pipe). On receipt of the telephone call I was 30 miles away on another job so unable to help immediately. I got her to turn off the mains as you have done and collect the water as it fell. As I couldn't get back until some hours later she did a call out. She was charged £ 80.00 for fitting a new straight 15mm coupling - took about 3 minutes but was done under emergency callout rules. She paid - that was reasonable for her although I think it was too high.

Cheers

keystone

macman wrote: »

It's unlikely that you've got plumbing in the attic unless you have a storage tank up there.

Actually its more than likely there is. Its very common practice when fitting a combi to loop the rising main back into the cold feed going back downstairs. This saves additional piping and is done in the roofspace as the most obvious place to do it.

You'll also find more than not that shower supply pipework (being a later addition to the property) is almost inevitably in the roofspace there being not other place to put it.

Cheers

waterwatereverywhere

Thx Keystone - we're in Milton Keynes -see from your post that you are in London/Surrey otherwise we'd have gladly asked if you were able to help. We have someone on their way in the next hour or so, because as you say it's the worry factor and not knowing if the whole ceiling is going to come down or the electric wiring go funny! Fingers crossed we don't get stung!

It's an old converted flat and we know the tanks for this flat and the one below and all the mains pipework etc,. are up there as when we moved in we had to have some work done and it was all done up there. That was around 2 years ago though so we guess the work done at the time must have been okay or there would have been a problem before now....?! I guess it must be the extremely cold weather putting strain on the pipes?

Huge thx for taking the time to reply at least we can ask some obvious questions when the plumber gets here and then just hope for the best...!

macman

Drain down the cold supply, that may take the pressure off.