Rising damp?

NornIronRose

Thanks Apodemus. It is part of the gas central heating. 
So should I just put the heating on and see how it goes? I suppose that will help to dry things out. 
I need a handyman for another problem so might see if he can sort the pipe out too. 
So glad it seems to be that rather than the DPC. 
My ex used to worry about leaks and I am now understanding why. Had a pipe burst in the upstairs bathroom and I managed to isolate it. So when I saw some evidence on the downstairs ceiling of water staining, I thought it was the residual from that. Only to realise 2 weeks later that it was a tiny leak from another pipe and has caused problems. I need to sort that out too. 
Home ownership is not cheap!

NornIronRose

Just one more question. 
Are these all things for a good handyman? Rather than a plumber. 

FreeBear

Apodemus said: Is the underfloor heating a wet system that is part of your central heating or an electric element with a separate switch?  If it is part of the CH system, I would turn it on for a few days to dry everything out and check that it is working.  If it is electric, then I think I would keep it switched off until you can get it checked out properly.

With electric UFH, I would have expected the heating element to be insulated - This should provide some protection from damp.

But as the OP's system is wet, I'd just run it at a lowish temperature for a day or three. Take the kick strip off the bottom of the affected kitchen units to allow some air to circulate whilst the floor is drying out.

Apodemus

FreeBear said:

Apodemus said: Is the underfloor heating a wet system that is part of your central heating or an electric element with a separate switch?  If it is part of the CH system, I would turn it on for a few days to dry everything out and check that it is working.  If it is electric, then I think I would keep it switched off until you can get it checked out properly.

With electric UFH, I would have expected the heating element to be insulated - This should provide some protection from damp.

But as the OP's system is wet, I'd just run it at a lowish temperature for a day or three. Take the kick strip off the bottom of the affected kitchen units to allow some air to circulate whilst the floor is drying out.

Yes, I too would expect that an electric UFH element would be installed in such a way that spillages or leaks didn't cause a problem, but you hear such horror stories of poor building work, that I would never want to advise a "turn it on and see what happens" approach on here!

Bendy_House

And ventilate the rooms well - you can expect a rise in humidity...

Where - exactly - on that pipe fitting is the leak coming from? I'm guessing, since turning the W/M valve off has stopped it - it's where the W/M hose connects? If so, is it loose? Can it be tweaked a quarter-turn tighter? If it's already nicely hand-tight, then undo it and have a gander at the inside - there should be a rubber washer there in good condition.

What's it like?

Oh, and perhaps tightly wrap a tea-towel or similar around the pipe under all these fittings, just in case there's still a wee dribble.

NornIronRose

I have the heating on. Nice and cosy and the cat is loving it. 
Turned off all of the other radiators. 

The leak is just under where the WM hose goes in. I will try to tighten it a bit more. Not sure if I have the strength but I'm willing to give anything a good go. 

Again, many, many thanks for all the help. 

FreeBear

Get yourself a pack of washers - https://www.screwfix.com/p/arctic-products-washing-machine-hose-washers-5-pack/6039j - Replace the one where the flexi hose connects to the isolation tap.

When I did mine, I needed to use two washers in order to get a decent seal. You might need to do the same.

NornIronRose

Thanks FreeBear. 

NornIronRose

Update: got it fixed in 10 seconds in the end! Asked my strong neighbour to see if he could tighten the pipe join for me. 
He hand-tightened it literally in seconds. Not a hint of a drip since. Wish I had asked him months ago! 
Just waiting for a wee while longer until it is bone dry and will redecorate. 
I'm very happy.