sewerage smell in bathroom (Flat)

Showstopper88

Afternoon all,

I am hoping that someone on here will be able to point me in the right direction or give me some advice on an issue

I’ll try and keep this short, I live in a new build 3 years old ground floor flat (mortgaged) and I have been getting a sewerage like smell coming from my en-suite bathroom for sometime now. So I spoke with the management company who look after the communal aspect of the flats, they sent some to have a look and it appears that there is a crack somewhere in the system, either a pipe or in the soil stack.

Heres where the problem really starts if its in the stack they are happy to pay for it but if its in the pipe leading from my toilet then I have to pay for it, but until they remove the toilet they won’t know so leaving me in limbo (also they can’t give me a rough idea of costs) I don’t really think a pipe should be failing after 3 years and not keen on having to pay to put it right.

What looking to find out does anyone know if this should be covered by the building company as it’s a pipe that’s only 3 years old?

Or will NHBC cover it?

If neither I’m a bit concerned that once they start looking for this crack they will tell me its my pipe regardless (I have no clue about plumbing) and I’ll be stuck with a large bill at the end of it

I hope this makes sense and someone could give me advice of where to go and what to do next?

anotherbaldrick

You live in a 3 year old property, you will have modern uPVC soil and waste pipes, these don't just crack. If their was a crack you would doubtless have a leak from it which would be visible if not making a nuisance .You say there is apparently a crack in the pipework, Have they located this crackl ? If not how do they know there is a crack. ?Have they shown you the crack ? What was the professional capacity of he who diagnosed this crack ?

There is probably a defect in the plumbing work to your property, unless modifications have been carried out by the previous owner they will originate from the original fitting out work
. It could be an open end to a pipe or could be a faulty AAV (Air admittance Valve).

I would suggest that you reject the report from the Management Company as it is not based on any viable evidence and insist they call in a qualified engineer who should inspect properly and issue a professional report. In this matter i would suggest someone who is either plumbing NVQ, or RP or MIOP or MIPHE.

Furts

After three years you stand no chance with NHBC. This is because the builders defect period ended after two years. NHBC covers major structural defects and also has an excess on claims.

But carefully consider your scenario. The stack and pipes should have received a water test, or air test, prior to handover. This is a requirement, because drainage is part of the Buildings Regulations. Regardless of whether this occurred, (and it is for you to seek the inspection records on this), the builder will try to argue that it was tested. It will then be argued that the pipes were OK for three years hence somebody has damaged them. This can occur - think of standing on a horizontal toilet waste pipe, think of someone screwing into, or nailing into a stack - just a couple of scenarios.

If the verdict is correct, and the inspection could have been undertaken by cowboys, then the problem is yours. You could, and should seek a second opinion and you could, and should, endeavour to get the drains tested.

anotherbaldrick

Sorry one important thing i forgot. How many floors of dwellings are there in your block or apartments ? I ask this because their could be a design issue with the installation caused by compression of air in the soil stack if there are more than three floors . If you could advise on this I could say if it is likely or not.

Showstopper88

Thanks guys

sorry its taken a few days to reply, i'll try to answer these questions the best i can

The maintenance company have sent there contracted plumber out who made a hole in the wall by the toilet see what he could see and this is what he told the better half

there is a issue in the boxing behind the toilet that runs to the soil stack, he also saw a small wet patch at the bottom of the soil stakeout no puddle also on outside of the pipe running down from upstairs there is a stain as if something had previously leaked but that could have been from when it was built and nothing to do with the smell as its dry

but essentially he wants to remove the toilet to confirm where the leak is and fix what is needed. i can see me ending up with a big bill about this

the apartment block is 3 floors. the thing i find most strange about it is the smell is noticeable worse when my neighbours above are in, nobody seems to think this could be connected though, but when they were away for two weeks we hardly had any smell

hope this made sense?