Leaking pipe under house / in solum

troubleonline

Due to the noise of running water that has lasted a few days we believe (from having an expert engineer friend around) that we have a leaking pipe under the floor in our lounge/living room - the leak is within the boundaries of the house but before the stopcock (so between what we call the Toby in Scotland and the internal stopcock).  Our house is very old (100 years+) so it seems that the water must be leaking into the solum as no visible damage currently.  However we have hardwood engineered flooring in our lounge so this will need to be lifted to properly assess the situation.

We are insured with Aviva contents and building and the documentation states we are covered for: Sourcing a domestic water leak which is damaging the home (including making good after the leak’s been fixed) AND on optional cover we added it states "Buildings limited accidental damage – covers specific parts of the building only (e.g. glass, underground pipes and sanitary fittings)"

Am unclear from this if we would just be able to claim for 'making good after the leaks been fixed' i.e. having the floor relaid or if we are covered for the underground pipes being repaired too (not what I would think would be classed as accidental damage).  Is there any merit in getting them to source the leak when we are pretty sure we know where it is?!

Would appreciated some advice on this and whether it is best to contact our insurers to sort everything (on the understanding we might still be liable for the pipe repair costs but might be assigned a company that charges through the nose) or do we call out a plumber / builder ourselves (who might say the problem is worse than it is and rip us off -then we still have hassle of sorting our the floor repairs separately!) 

Many thanks 

Ganga

Can you turn off every tap in the house and check the water meter and see if it still runs ,this will confirm a leak somewhere ,and also as you have insurance cover why not use it as that is what you pay it for.

troubleonline

Ganga said:

Can you turn off every tap in the house and check the water meter and see if it still runs ,this will confirm a leak somewhere ,and also as you have insurance cover why not use it as that is what you pay it for.

Thanks but we don't have water meters in Scotland but we are trying to get the external tap (Toby) turned off as that will confirm (though to be honest you can hear pretty clear where it is).
not questioning claiming on my insurance am seeking advice on merits of letting their contractors do the pipe repair as assuming we’ll  need to pay that part

TELLIT01

Without knowing the comparative cost of the insurers contractor doing the making good work, and finding an independent contractor it's impossible to answer the question.  One thing to bear in mind is that good contractors are in high demand so it could take months to source your own contractor.

grumbler

Pretty often there is small hatch in old houses to get access under the floor where you can crawl under pretty much all parts of the house.

scottishblondie

How much space is there under the floor? We have a couple of hatches in inconspicuous places to access under ours, so we never need to rip out good flooring to get down there.  Perhaps you could cut a hatch under the stairs or in a carpeted area?

Eldi_Dos

Is it a straight run from the Toby to the stopcock, would a plumber be able to run a new pipe between both without lifting the floor in lounge?
The foundations of houses of that era might not take kindly to running water from a leak so it is something that needs urgent attention.

troubleonline

I think the point on finding a contractor is a good one. but just contacted insurance company and we have to arrange repair ourselves.  Only covered for any damage and making good the flooring etc from the repair.
 Going to try the Home Emergency cover we hold with the bank.
  Sadly no hatches and also not much of a gap (although enough for the cats!)

greyteam1959

Probably easier, cheaper & less disruption just to cut the pipe & either end & thread a new piece of pipe under the floor ??
It will depend if there are any tee's off the pipe of course.
Just a thought for you.

troubleonline

greyteam1959 said:

Probably easier, cheaper & less disruption just to cut the pipe & either end & thread a new piece of pipe under the floor ??
It will depend if there are any tee's off the pipe of course.
Just a thought for you.

Possibly - don't think there are any tees off.  Someone at work recommended replacing whole pipe in case leaks appear elsewhere.  thanks