Advice Needed, neighbours mains water pipe leaking in my flat

thegasmon

If the pipe feeds his flat alone it's his pipe unless there's some form of shared ownership on the deeds. It's unlikely to be condensation if it's been there for along time and never had condensation before.

If there's a valve turn it off, if the water stops leaking then it's a leak. Keep it turned off until it's repaired by the owner. Speak to your insurance.

EssexExile

baldelectrician wrote: »

Dry the pipe thoroughly and then wrap it in toilet tissue.


Then any leaks in the pipe will make the tissue go damp giving you a more precise location

Then, if you can get at it, hammer the hole closed. Lead is very soft.

akira181

Warwick_Hunt wrote: »

Since the leak isn't in your neighbours property, is it his problem?

Just asking as I don't know how flats work but I'm only responsible for my water main once it enters my property.

If your water main runs through someone elses property, it's still your responsibility unless they take a supply off it.

Otherwise, I'd just remove this leaking pipe. It doesn't serve my flat and if I need to pay for repair, I'd just cut and cap it so it won't ever leak again.

thegasmon wrote: »

If the pipe feeds his flat alone it's his pipe unless there's some form of shared ownership on the deeds. It's unlikely to be condensation if it's been there for along time and never had condensation before.

If there's a valve turn it off, if the water stops leaking then it's a leak. Keep it turned off until it's repaired by the owner. Speak to your insurance.

There's two flats above, so not sure if it's just his or both but it serves nothing in my flat. My supply comes directly from the mains at the front of the building and I think the two flats tap into my supply at the back of the building.

It's definitely a pinhole leak somewhere and no valve. I've managed to direct the water into a bucket for now and the wall is drying, my plumber isn't back from holiday until Sunday so I'll do the repair and give the upstairs flat a choice.

They can either pay for the repair themselves or we can split the bill and the cost to repair the damages will also be split.

another_casualty

If it’s a leasehold flat, is it an idea to contact your managing agents?
If so, I would think the best course of action is to send a few pics by email explaining everything .

JohnB47

thegasmon wrote: »

If there's a valve turn it off, if the water stops leaking then it's a leak. Keep it turned off until it's repaired by the owner. Speak to your insurance.

Not necessarily. If you turn off the supply and the problem is caused by condensation, the pipe will slowly warm up and the surface water will disappear, proving nothing.

I would go for the earlier suggestion to use a fan heater to really warm that pipe and its contents up - at a time when you know the upper flat owners won't be drawing water. If the water doesn't return after drying like this and with kitchen roll, then it's condensation. Then you need to think of lagging that pipe with a really efficient insulation - starting off with it really dry.

Jackmydad

If you've got any that blue paper that comes on a roll is great for showing leaks. Shows darker blue on the paper.
If it's condensation insulate the pipe with the tubular foam stuff the nearest size.