Bathroom Leak - what to do?

Maffy52

Have just noticed I have a leak in my bathroom - the floor is wet and there is a stain on the ceiling in the room below. See photos. It is a modern house so the floor is not easily accessible (the floor is a sheet of plywood).
I have never experienced a problem like this before so I'm unsure what to do.
    - Is this a problem I can claim on house insurance?
    - Do I need to get a plumber to take a look first and then contact insurance?
    - How do I get access under the floor, do I need to 'cut out' a section of the floor sheet?
Any advice would be appreciated! THANKS!

WIAWSNB

Hi Maffy.

The first step is to stop the supply to the cause.

It'll either be the toilet, or the basin, or the shower. So, stop using them all

Then, check the supplies to them all - do they have isolating valves? Chances are they will, so turn them all off. 

That means to have a look at each bathroom item, trace the supply pipes, and look for 'thingies' on them - post photos. 

The 'damage' to the ceiling looks fixable with just decoration - no repair required. Keep it that way.

Yes, most insurance policies should cover this, but there will be an 'excess', so the Q is, is it worth claiming? 

So, call up your insurance and ask. They may have 'emergency' cover or similar.

Next Q - did the ceiling stain appear overnight, or develop slowly over time? 

Can you feel any 'wet' on the floor? If so, trace from whence it came.

WIAWSNB

Take a pic of the back-underside of that cistern. Feel any visible pipes - any wetness? 

Oh, and stop using it...

knightstyle

DD had similar and it was the pipe that goes from the cistern into the toilet pan had come out slightly from the pan. I pushed it back firmly and she now checks it occasionally damp soon went.

Boohoo

You can claim on your insurance but the excess will be hundreds of pounds due to escape of water.

They may pay out if it's a leak that just happened but not if due to something that's been going on for a while.

The plywood is so the tiles can be layed on a glue surface. Other people will correct me with the correct terminology.

Swipe

Find the source of the leak and fix it. Forget insurance. A tin of stain blocker and a fresh coat of paint and it will be like new again. 

Emmia

We had a toilet leak caused (probably) by rats eating away at a pipe (apparently common in London) the water went just onto the tiled floor whenever the toilet flushed - but I can see how it could have leaked below depending on the flooring ..

otb666

we had a slow leak from kitchen tap and eventually leaked enough to go under tiled kitchen floor to wood lounge floor this was over at least 5 years. The insurance paid for a new lounge floor and under sink cabinet  about £1500 from memory and we got dyno to fit new kitchen tap.

sheenas

Tracing leaks can be very difficult. Definitely a plumber job unless you can see the leak without cutting holes in the floor. I would put my money on it being the shower. It may seam scary cutting holes in the floor but done correctly it’s not an issue.

Maffy52

WIAWSNB said:

Yes, most insurance policies should cover this, but there will be an 'excess', so the Q is, is it worth claiming? 

So, call up your insurance and ask. They may have 'emergency' cover or similar.

Next Q - did the ceiling stain appear overnight, or develop slowly over time? 

Can you feel any 'wet' on the floor? If so, trace from whence it came.

Thanks, really good advice. Will call the insurance to see what they say. Yes, the floor is wet, which is how I first noticed it, but this confuses me, if a pipe under the floor has a leak how can the floor above be so wet? 
For the stain, just went to check ceiling below after noticing the wet floor. strangely, the ceiling was dry to the touch. I am honestly baffled by what has happened!

Maffy52

WIAWSNB said:

Take a pic of the back-underside of that cistern. Feel any visible pipes - any wetness? 

Oh, and stop using it...

Thanks, good idea. Have checked the back of the sink, can't feel any water. The cistern pipes are 'enclosed' in a box. Maybe I can drill a hole in the side to see if something is going on.