Damp under bath - help please!

sbird90

Hey!

so I was doing my big Christmas clean and took the bath panel off, noticed the floor seemed damp, I had been cleaning using a lot of water (rinsing with the shower head) so was hoping water had just gone down the sides (seals not great, need redoing so normally careful but I was rushing today) anyway I’ve let it dry a few hours and it seems to be drying but the mould(?) suggests it’s been damp under there a while. No dripping I can see but don’t want to empty a full bath until it’s dried more to really try find the source. The floorboard where black is is soft so I know will need replacing however we are due to get the bathroom renovated in April anyway so my main question is, can I leave this how it is until April or does it need immediate attention? If immediately how quick, can I at least wait til the New Year? Don’t fancy paying Christmas emergency plumber prices I’ve not got any money. I’m going to put a plastic tray down under the u-bend to see if that catches anything as seems to be darker there so presuming that’s the source of the leak and keep an eye on it over the next few baths we have. The bath feet are on floorboards that are solid and not soft, so the weight isn’t on that area in the photo. Would love opinions please as I’m trying not to let my anxiety take over! 

grumbler

To locate the leak put a plastic sheet/film on the floor and then sheets of kitchen roll on the top. Then you'll see how serious the leak is and whether a plastic tray will suffice - I think it will if you empty it regularly.

Most likely, it's the black part that needs attention - either its connection to the white one or  to the bath.

sbird90

grumbler said:

To locate the leak put a plastic sheet/film on the floor and then sheets of kitchen roll on the top. Then you'll see how serious the leak is and whether a plastic tray will suffice - I think it will if you empty it regularly.

Most likely, it's the black part that needs attention - either its connection to the white one or  to the bath.

Excellent tip about the kitchen roll thank you! Will put some down tomorrow (no one will be using the bath tonight). 

Yeah that black stuff looks gross!! Hoping just a new ubend (or this one taken off and a good clean) should do the trick until the renovation in April and then we can replace the floorboards (and check the joists) too. Worried I’ll go through the ceiling when I’m in the bath now! But the rot(if it is rot) doesn’t seem too bad? (From a none expert eye) 

Johnhowell

We thought we had a leak of the u-bend under a bath, but first turned out to be the sealant around the plug hole piece, as it had worked loose.  Took it apart, cleaned and re-sealed, tight.

Later on, damp re-appeared, so investigated when this occurred and was when my ex had baths so full that it overlapped the overflow which again the sealant was not working as it should, loose again... took apart, cleaned and re-sealed, tight.  All sorted...

Good luck

neilmcl

By the look of all the gunk on the waste I would say that was your likely culprit, that or the overflow.

sbird90

neilmcl said:

By the look of all the gunk on the waste I would say that was your likely culprit, that or the overflow.

Great, hopefully a quick fix! Just hope the floorboard doesn’t give way before April and the bath and I end up in the kitchen below!

FreeBear

neilmcl said: By the look of all the gunk on the waste I would say that was your likely culprit, that or the overflow.

I would hazard a guess that it had leaked in the past, and someone whacked a load of sealant in to seal it. Taking the U bend off could open up a can of worms and result in leaks when reassembled. Might be worth replacing the plug hole piece (& overflow) along with the U bend.

sbird90

FreeBear said:

neilmcl said: By the look of all the gunk on the waste I would say that was your likely culprit, that or the overflow.

I would hazard a guess that it had leaked in the past, and someone whacked a load of sealant in to seal it. Taking the U bend off could open up a can of worms and result in leaks when reassembled. Might be worth replacing the plug hole piece (& overflow) along with the U bend.

Wouldn’t surprise me; landlord owned it before,
some of the stuff we’ve had to sort out that they f’ed up for a quick fix is getting silly. What kind of worms? How would also replacing the plug help? I’m clueless so thank you for the info!

FreeBear

sbird90 said: How would also replacing the plug help? I’m clueless so thank you for the info!

The black piece above the U-bend forms part of the plug hole. If the bodger just piled loads of sealant on without cleaning the area properly, removing it may reveal a rough surface. Worst case scenario is you find the sealing washers to be ruined. Wouldn't be at all surprised to find the rubber seals missing from under the white ring nut.

sbird90

FreeBear said:

sbird90 said: How would also replacing the plug help? I’m clueless so thank you for the info!

The black piece above the U-bend forms part of the plug hole. If the bodger just piled loads of sealant on without cleaning the area properly, removing it may reveal a rough surface. Worst case scenario is you find the sealing washers to be ruined. Wouldn't be at all surprised to find the rubber seals missing from under the white ring nut.

Great thank you! I’ll leave it to the experts then!! 

Apodemus

If it is all coming out in April, I would just put an ice-cream tub under it and empty it as often as it needs until then.  I certainly wouldn't consider paying emergency call-out fees for a plumber in the meantime!