Leak from somewhere but cant find out.

bretts

Hi
I had a burt pipe in my bathroom about 3 weeks ago and the plumber came and changed the pipe work and installed a new tap. My bathroom is on the first floor and the kitchen is right below it. there has been water dripping from the bathroom somewhere in to the kitchen drop by drop. It will stop at times completely but otherwise it is almost continuous. I checked the pipe work behind the vanity on the sink and it looks dry, i took out the plinth from under the shower tray and that looks dry too except a few drops on the edges near the sealant, i wiped it clean and took shower and it was still dry after it. It should not be the hot water or heating as I switched on heating for about 4 hours and not a drop came down and then after I switched it off It started leaking drop by drop after 2 hours of switching off the heating. Whether we take a shower or not or sitch on the heating or not, it will start and stop on its own. I dont think it is some stagnant old water either, any ideas of what I could do. It stayed a drop all night, sometimes there would be 2 or 3 drops formed, so its a very slow leak, I have two options, either to break the tiles in the bathroom or cut the ceiling either of which is an expensive thing to do, house has wooden flooring, I could take some of the flooring out ot expose the pipes but it is not going to be where the actual leak is. Any suggestions please.

Hasbeen

If not leaking when heating is on? could it be from bathroom radiator/towelrail?

What you appear to be describing is when pipes heat up seals leak at pipe/join.

Are you loosing pressure if you have combi boiler?

missile

Did you have any drips before you had the burst pipe? If not call the plumber who did the repair.

bretts

Pressure on boiler is 1.6 constant, I did bleed one rad once and it dropped so i topped it up but its stayed constant since. I called the plumber as well, he said what I did has no leaks so i am not responsible for any other leaks happening apart from where I fixed the leaks, I have a feeling he twisted something and in doing that he probably cracked something inside. There were absolutely no leaks before the burst. I will check the pressure again though.

Hasbeen

You have checked shower and basin, have you looked at toilet outflow and cistern?

If unable to locate and you are positive its under the tiled bathroom floor and its not residual water left lying from the last leak?

I would opt for the kitchen ceiling route initially cutting small perhaps 6" hole to have a look.

But wait for any more posts as someone might have a solution.

missile

bretts wrote: »

Pressure on boiler is 1.6 constant, I did bleed one rad once and it dropped so i topped it up but its stayed constant since. I called the plumber as well, he said what I did has no leaks so i am not responsible for any other leaks happening apart from where I fixed the leaks, I have a feeling he twisted something and in doing that he probably cracked something inside. There were absolutely no leaks before the burst. I will check the pressure again though.

I suspect you may be right, but ........ perhaps not. Frozen pipes can cause more than one leak.

You will know which pipe was repaired? It should be possible to trace that pipework to identify if there is a leaking joint.

bretts

Thanks for the replies
The pipe he changed is going behind the vanity unit, I checked the pipes to the point I could and there was no leak i could find, he did not do the job properly and I had to call him back again as the hot water pipe was leaking after he had fixed it so he had to come back and fix it once. The radiator pipes have no leaks from the top, unless there is one between the floor of first floor and ceiling of ground floor, I do have a downlight not far from the leak, I will need to take the light down and see if i can see anything apparent. I have not checked the toilet but I can check it tonight once I am home.

I feel it could be a big job taking down the ceiling and then finding the fault and fitting it all together and get all this done externally. I am not very good with diy but learning things since i have bought the house but its very expensive job to outsource I feel. I will see what I can do on my own first, when I took out the plinth under the shower, I found that the pipe that takes the water out has a huge gap and hence draughts are coming from there, I gave all the work to the builder and he messed it all up and I am having to patch and repair as I go.

Head_The_Ball

It is almost impossible to diagnose a leak remotely.

Have you checked every possible source, including those from some distance away as water can travel a long way horizontally.

For example, check the toilet overflow? Perhaps the ball valve has a slight leak and the cistern has overfilled and is slowly leaking or the overflow has a split or hole.

That is just one of many possibilities.

Good luck.

bretts

I did not check the toilet but I will do it tonight and report back.

missile

Before ripping up floor or cutting holes in ceiling, you may want to consider buying an inspection camera to poke through and have a look > https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/Inspection-Analysis/Borescope-BeneStellar-Endoscope-Camera-Andriod-Function-Compatible/B01IMZJYKG/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1485189466&sr=8-4&keywords=inspection+camera

http://www.screwfix.com/p/stanley-sthto-77363-inspection-camera/9141h

Any

We had a leak on a radiator pipe joint, it would be completely dry when the heating was on and then once the heating went off and the pipes cooled down it woul drip at a rate about 6 drips a night.
What is above the drips of water you are seeing? Ceiling? Any signs of dampness?