Plumbing leak fixed itself???????

Kashkai

I had to take up the wooden floor in my hallway as I noticed the laminate bubbling. My fears were realized when I saw that the concrete floor underneath was wet. I let it dry out and it left me with one dark damp patch outside the hotpress. I put a plastic sheet back down and the laminate on top until I could get a plumber out.

I had a plumber out this morning and when he took up the laminate and plastic, it was dry underneath. He dug ip where the dark damp patch was but no leak. The pipes were dry. He said to run the heating for a while and then check the pipes for leaks.

How could a leak fix itself? The floor was wet over an area of 12 ft x 4 ft when I first uncovered it so it wasn't a minor leak. It still felt wet under the plastic sheet up to 3 weeks ago when I last checked.

The plumber said there's no leak but I don't want to replace the floor in case this reoccurs.

yoshytoshy

Water travels in the wierdest ways ,
Try about in the attic and make sure water isn't traveling through a wall and out underneath the laminate flooring.
Look for any stains on the joists above and also check your roof ,make sure nothing is coming in.
After that ,it could be anything. But I'd be inclined to look around at dry lined walls ,for water coming down or from a nearby bathroom.

*Could also be dampness ,cold floor and warm room.

Kashkai

It's a bungalow and all the walls are solid 4 inch brick. No dry lined walls. All the heating pipes are underground. There's no sign of water coming down walls.

I did initially think it might be a leak from the adjacent bathroom as a shower backs onto the hallway but we stopped using this shower for a few weeks and the damp patch persisted.

Your theory about the cold floor is interesting but this hallway is in the middle of the house, ie there are no exterior walls and it's in the warmest part of the house.

The plumber didn't do a track and trace and he just relied on the pressure guage in the hotpress for his "pressure test". Is there any other way to pursue this mysterious leak?

Btw, our pump on our pressurized water system kicks in for a few seconds when no water is in use. Is this another indication of a leak cause it's topping up the system as pressure falls?

yoshytoshy

Prosperous Dave wrote: »

Your theory about the cold floor is interesting but this hallway is in the middle of the house, ie there are no exterior walls and it's in the warmest part of the house.

The plumber didn't do a track and trace and he just relied on the pressure guage in the hotpress for his "pressure test". Is there any other way to pursue this mysterious leak?

Btw, our pump on our pressurized water system kicks in for a few seconds when no water is in use. Is this another indication of a leak cause it's topping up the system as pressure falls?

*Re pump.
You more than likely have a toilet ballcock that is very slowly dripping ,after a couple of hours the pump will repressurise. I wouldn't say thats anything to worry about.

I'm no expert on misterious leaks (thank god) ,maybe someone in the diy forum might be surveyor or a thermal expert. If you have solid floors and walls ,it's very hard to imagine what it could be ,from a plumbers point of view (apart from what you've done already.)

Sorry I can't be of more help.

Outkast_IRE

maybe someone spilt water on the floor and just wiped it up thinking it wouldnt be a problem

Kashkai

Checked plumbers work and found that he dug up the wrong part of the fecking floor. I told him over the phone where I thought the leak was (dark damp stain above two known pipes) but he dug elsewhere. Then he left two exposed channels in the floor saying he'd be back with some plywood to cover them but he never showed. What an eejit. Another "professional" that's made a balls of the job.

paddy147

Sounds like someting that you would seee the corporation lads doo.

1 to dig the hole and 4 more to look in.:rolleyes:

yoshytoshy

Prosperous Dave wrote: »

Checked plumbers work and found that he dug up the wrong part of the fecking floor. I told him over the phone where I thought the leak was (dark damp stain above two known pipes) but he dug elsewhere. Then he left two exposed channels in the floor saying he'd be back with some plywood to cover them but he never showed. What an eejit. Another "professional" that's made a balls of the job.

Sorry to hear that dave ,you seem to be having a run of bad luck:(

PM me whenever you want ,I carry kango's and hiltis with me all the time ,might be able to call if your in dublin.

Kashkai

yoshytoshy wrote: »

Sorry to hear that dave ,you seem to be having a run of bad luck:(

PM me whenever you want ,I carry kango's and hiltis with me all the time ,might be able to call if your in dublin.

Cheers Yoshy

this plumber is part if a crowd that do insurance work, ie they come out , assess the claim, deal with the insurance company, carry out the repairs and restore the house to the original condition eg new floor and any decorating necessary.

That's the theory. The reality is they've missed four appoinents, left the floor in a hazardous condition ( I've five kids, four of then under 5 years of age) and two channels dug in the hallway outside their bedrooms with no attempt to make the place safe. They ignored my advice about where to dig and then reported back that they couldn't find a leak. Bit hard when they're digging in the wrong place.

I'm now pretty pissed off as this crowd are supposed to take the hassle out of this insurance work but they're just causing me grief.

yoshytoshy

You seem to have had your share of chancers ,between one thing and another. Luck like that never lasts ,hold out another while and keep the fingers crossed.