Problem with pipe

Walter lemon · 14-03-2013 04:00PM #1

Howdy Folks

I have a pipe that is leaking, I am presuming this is the pipe going from the upstairs bathroom (I will be happily corrected if not)

Since the cold weather last week it is dripping water, is it a big job to change this out?

thanks in advance

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Irish Steve · 14-03-2013 06:25PM

Not sure that the cold weather is anything to do with the problem, looking at the photos, the 90 degree connector on the pipe that comes through the wall is being forced, and going beyond the angle it is supposed to be at.

Which joint is the leak coming from. It's just possible that the pipe inside the join was cut a bit short, and the seal is no longer connecting correctly between the 2 surfaces, and the recent weather has caused some movement, the other possibility is that the wrong angle on the pipe has caused some mechanical deformation of the pipe or the fitting, which is now leaking as a result.

Walter lemon · 14-03-2013 06:43PM

Irish Steve wrote: »

Not sure that the cold weather is anything to do with the problem, looking at the photos, the 90 degree connector on the pipe that comes through the wall is being forced, and going beyond the angle it is supposed to be at.

Which joint is the leak coming from. It's just possible that the pipe inside the join was cut a bit short, and the seal is no longer connecting correctly between the 2 surfaces, and the recent weather has caused some movement, the other possibility is that the wrong angle on the pipe has caused some mechanical deformation of the pipe or the fitting, which is now leaking as a result.

It looks like the black pipe is dripping ever so slightly
It has been okay since we moved in over a year or so ago

Irish Steve · 14-03-2013 08:56PM

OK, let me step back a bit. The black pipe connected to the grey that comes through the wall from the bathroom has 2 connections on it, and each one has a rubber or neoprene seal in the joint to prevent leaks. There is then a short piece of pipe that goes into the 3 way join that is on the vertical pipe, and each of those 3 connections also has a seal on it, so in the ares that I think is causing problems, there are 5 different seals. Which one of these does the leak appear to be coming from?

Walter lemon · 14-03-2013 09:11PM

Sorry for being so incoherent mate it looks like the connection from the black pipe attaching onto the pipe going into the wall so if you look at the first picture it is the joint closest to the hole in the wall

Apologies i hope this makes more sense and thanks for your help

Irish Steve · 15-03-2013 11:12AM

It makes sense, and no problems.

The good news is that of all the points, that's the easiest to check, due to it's position.

How much is it dripping, and for how long? if it's a long while, be careful if you go to remove the elbow, just in case there is a blockage further down line, and a significant quantity of outflow is being held back.

Two possibilities. The black pipe may have moved out from the wall slightly due to thermal creep over time, and if the grey wasn't cut quite square, or was damaged by the saw when it was being cut, the ring in the black fitting may not be sealing completely, or the seal may have been damaged when it was originally fitted. the other aspect is that the elbow is not quite aligned correctly due to the angle back to the T, so there might be some distortion damage to the grey pipe.

The black pipe that makes the 90 degree turn is a push on fit at each end, so as long as you can get to it safely from a secure ladder or platform, it will pull off the grey pipe first, then off the black connecting pipe that goes to the T.

Close inspection (rubber gloves advised) of the pipes and the seal should provide a clue. If the grey pipe is damaged, that's not helpful, but the more likely scenario is that the seal in the black elbow fitting may have been damaged.

The grey pipe should fit into the black to the depth of the socket, if it's short, or has damage from a bad saw cut, or is even cracked, then that's going to need to be replaced, which may or may not be easy, depending on how tight the render round it is.

The Elbow pipe is a standard fitting available from most builders merchants. To make it easy to get the pipe back on, the seal is best lubricated, ideally with plumbing silicon grease, but i have seen (and used) neat washing up liquid. The end of the pipe ideally will have been slightly tapered with a surform file or similar before the pipe was fitted, so there is slight slope on the end, so that the pipe end doesn't jam on the seal. If the ends are not tapered, getting the fitting back on can be a pain.

Beyond that, can't help much, without seeing exactly what's happened, or the condition of the various pipes and seals, it's down to an inspection.

Hope that helps

Walter lemon · 15-03-2013 12:12PM

Irish Steve wrote: »

It makes sense, and no problems.

The good news is that of all the points, that's the easiest to check, due to it's position.

How much is it dripping, and for how long? if it's a long while, be careful if you go to remove the elbow, just in case there is a blockage further down line, and a significant quantity of outflow is being held back.

Two possibilities. The black pipe may have moved out from the wall slightly due to thermal creep over time, and if the grey wasn't cut quite square, or was damaged by the saw when it was being cut, the ring in the black fitting may not be sealing completely, or the seal may have been damaged when it was originally fitted. the other aspect is that the elbow is not quite aligned correctly due to the angle back to the T, so there might be some distortion damage to the grey pipe.

The black pipe that makes the 90 degree turn is a push on fit at each end, so as long as you can get to it safely from a secure ladder or platform, it will pull off the grey pipe first, then off the black connecting pipe that goes to the T.

Close inspection (rubber gloves advised) of the pipes and the seal should provide a clue. If the grey pipe is damaged, that's not helpful, but the more likely scenario is that the seal in the black elbow fitting may have been damaged.

The grey pipe should fit into the black to the depth of the socket, if it's short, or has damage from a bad saw cut, or is even cracked, then that's going to need to be replaced, which may or may not be easy, depending on how tight the render round it is.

The Elbow pipe is a standard fitting available from most builders merchants. To make it easy to get the pipe back on, the seal is best lubricated, ideally with plumbing silicon grease, but i have seen (and used) neat washing up liquid. The end of the pipe ideally will have been slightly tapered with a surform file or similar before the pipe was fitted, so there is slight slope on the end, so that the pipe end doesn't jam on the seal. If the ends are not tapered, getting the fitting back on can be a pain.

Beyond that, can't help much, without seeing exactly what's happened, or the condition of the various pipes and seals, it's down to an inspection.

Hope that helps

You sir are both a gentleman and a scholar

Do you do nixersðŸ˜„

Irish Steve · 15-03-2013 07:02PM

Walter lemon wrote: »

You sir are both a gentleman and a scholar

Do you do nixersðŸ˜„

it's been known to happen.

Away for a family wedding in the UK for a week, and not a clue where you are.

Best of luck

freddyuk · 17-03-2013 05:02PM

The soil pipe plumbing is not what they would teach you in plumbing school I would imagine but just a lazy way to get the soil pipe round the gutter down pipe as everything is now stressed.
However I am looking at the "staining" on the wall which may be the damp creeping up the wall from a leak. If this is damp then I am surprised the stain goes so high up from the pipe you are referring to. I can see a cable coming down from the gutter area and disappears into the wall. Does this in fact happen? Is this an aerial cable which does go through the wall? It is possible water is running down this cable and introducing damp into the the wall higher up. Once the wall is completely saturated the water will drip off anything on the wall. If your gutter happens to be full of muck it is possible for any water to wick up and over the edge of the gutter and find it's way down the cable to a point where it hits the wall which is a way above the pipe joint. Aerial installers may use the gutter as a conduit as another lazy way to avoid proper fixings.
Maybe worth checking before you call out a plumber.

Walter lemon · 19-03-2013 10:54AM

Hi Freddy

No its not damp, its just not painted so an extension was completed some years ago.

The cable is a live and neutral for an outside light

thanks for your help on this too

freddyuk · 19-03-2013 11:00PM

That's a live mains cable???!!! My god i would not worry about the leak except it may be very close to a live cable which is clearly unsupported and unprotected from the weather.
Just my opinion.

Walter lemon · 20-03-2013 08:48AM

Ha no mate its switched off at the switch, lets focus on the pipe

The cable is about 5 feet from the pipe

thanks for your help dude

Problem with pipe

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