**The wtf plumbing thread**

Friend of mine gave me a call a few weeks ago, he could hear water running in the utility room near the washing machine, so we started an investigation.

First job was pull the washing machine out, and turn off the supply taps to the machine, which didn't stop the noise, so that confirmed the suspicion, the problem was not the washing machine.

The good quality wooden floor had to be lifted, and then when we got a few boards out, the old floor could be lifted, and the hope that it was a leaking joint under the floor was dashed, the leak was close, but inside the 9" block that the pipe was passing through.

Now the fun started. Outdoors to find the first obstacle.





The pipes were in behind the oil tank, and it was clear that whoever had put them in had not done the most wonderful job of insulating or protecting them. We could just about see the pipes, but getting to them to actually work on them was going to be a very different story.

That put a stop to repairs for the day, the one redeeming feature being that there was a lever valve in the kitchen that isolated the area, so we could at least temporarily stop the leak.

Return the following day with 4 x 205 litre oil drums, and the other things needed to drain and then move the oil tank, which took a while, and then we could get in to the area to investigate what was there, and what needed doing.





The insulation on the pipes was not exactly great, and exposed to the elements, so a fairly significant job was needed to get the damaged pipe out, replace it, after enlarging the hole in the block to remove the restriction that caused the damage, and having repaired the pipe, put some decent insulation on them, then some spray foam to improve the insulation, put some boards around the foam to keep the weather out, put the tank back into place, and then get the oil back in the tank.




The pipe had been there for over 25 years, so I suppose the one redeeming feature is that I won't be repairing this fault again if it recurs, but you know it's getting serious when it takes over a day's work to repair a small leak in a water pipe.