Need advise with underground pipe leak.

[Noel]

Hi all, Today I found out, to my horror, that I have a leak under my cement floor in the kitchen or hot press. I emptied out the hot press and noticed that one of the pipes going underground had damp insulation around it where it went into the ground and could hear noise so I guess the leak is somewhere near this area. The floor is damp and in the kitchen I took up some lino and it was also damp. This has been going on for a long time but put it down to a bad joint somewhere, as air built up in the radiators after a few days. There are two pipes going from the hot press underground, out of the house and to the oil boiler in the garden.

Is this a DIY or should I get a plumber in, what is the best way to approach it, should I take up the floor just inside the hot press hoping that is where the leak is? and do I break up the cement to one side of the pipes so as not to damage them. How deep will the pipes normally be buried.

I would appreciate any helpful advise or tips. Kind regards, Noel.

[BigWallop]

Placing the tip of a screw driver on the floor and putting your ear on the handle should give a better idea of where the leak is likely to be. It should get you a bit closer to it anyway.

You should hear the sound of the leak getting louder as you get closer to it, especially if it's under a bit of pressure, so use this method to get a better idea of where the leak is.

You are better to break up a good bit around where the leak is, about 6 inches to a foot around it, so you can get in and fix it without making the hole to small for tools and hands to get in.

What material are the pipes? If copper or iron, then they should actually be inside a hard plastic conduit to stop corrosion happening with the interaction of the minerals in the concrete. Plastic pipes should also be wrapped in Denso Tape, or the likes, to give them a bit more protection from the sharp edges and salts in the concrete. When they expand and contract inside a concrete tomb, even with a softer wrap of insulation, they are more susceptible to damage.

[noeloneill]

Thanks BigWallop for these great tips.

The house is 15 years old and the pipes are copper. The pipe that I think is leaking comes out of the ground with an insulation tube or foam around it. Other pipes are coming out bare but have green oxide at the bottom.

When the pipe is repaired would the floor of the room dry out and how long should it be given before I cover it again.

Do you think this is ok to tackle for someone with basic skills in DIY, I have put pipework for a shower unit in years ago and it is still ok. Once again I would like to thank you for your kind advice. Noel.

[BigWallop]

Firstly, the green stuff you see on the pipes is corrosion, and this means the other pipes are in need of replacing as well, or new pieces set in where the minerals from the concrete have attacked them at least.

I honestly think it would be better for you to cut out the whole lot of the pipes and replace them all inside a proper duct system which doesn't allow the new pipework to come into contact with concrete at all when the repair is made.

The concrete should actually dry quite quickly once the source of the dampness is removed. Any moisture left in will be soaked up by the new mixture you lay in, as the mixture doesn't need to be soaking wet when you make the repair to the floor. The only wetting time is when you come to polish the surface to make it smooth again. That's left until you see the concrete surface turning a lovely pale shade of green, which you'll see when you start the repair, and also gives it its name of being "green" when not totally cured.

So, it's now up to you. Do you feel up to the job of replacing all the pipework and concrete you remove, before you get more leaks on the other pipes?

[noeloneill]

Thanks, its really great to get help and advice like you have given me.

After giving me those tips I will go ahead and tackle it myself. I now feel confident.

Do you mind if I look for advice again from you if I hit problems?

Many thanks again BigWallop for your generous and much appreciated help. Noel.

[BigWallop]

We're here to help. :-) LOL Just take your time and you're fine. Always have the kettle at the ready, for a cuppa while you think about things.

[Lobster]

What's a hot press?

David

[BigWallop]

It's Posh speak for an airing cupboard, I think. :-)

[The Natural Philosopher]

Go for it

The lads who have answered already have covered the case. I'll just add encouragement.

Dont faff with it - shut the water off, get the floor up. Make good any dodgy stuff and use methods described to prevent reocurrence. Then slap down some screed and rest easy in the knowledge you have left the world a bit better than you found it :-)

[The Natural Philosopher]

Press= Irish for a cupboard Hot press = airing cupboard.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Onbly my Irish friends call cupboards 'presses'.

less posh, and more regional I think.

[Owain]

"The Natural Philosopher" wrote | >>What's a hot press? | > It's Posh speak for an airing cupboard, I think. :-) | Onbly my Irish friends call cupboards 'presses'. | less posh, and more regional I think.

'wall press' is widely used by some of the better Edinburgh solicitors' property depairtments, so I don't think it can be anything else but regional posh.

Owain

[Lurch]

On Sun, 09 Jan 2005 23:17:09 GMT, "BigWallop" strung together this:

Ah, I assumed it was a machine of some sort. You live and learn, again. (I do remember this from the past but I forgot, no doubt I will again).

[Roger]

The message from "Owain" contains these words:

IIRC press is civil service speak for cupboard so not exactly posh on that account.

[noeloneill]

Hi all,

I suppose we in Ireland call it a hot press, in fact airing cupboard sounds more posh. Definitely I'm as far from posh as you can get. Thanks neighbours.