United Utilities were testing everyone's supply pipes in my area this morning and unfortunately found that mine is leaking.
At first the inspector thought that it was most likely to be in the back yard where maybe a pipe to an old outside toilet hadn't been closed off properly. But he couldn't hear anything out there. But then he listened in the hall of my house and could hear it - clearly!
He said that I have 10 days to get it fixed (before they start pursuing court orders etc). He reckons I'll need to get a plumber to take up the floorboards and hopefully spot the leak and fix it. He reckoned it isn't tiny!!
When it's silent - e.g. late at night - you can hear a noise in the hall near the front door. I have heard it before but had always thought that it was a buzzing from my house alarm control panel which is on the wall there, but it was the same noise we could hear this morning so it must be the leak underneath.
I think I can just about hear it in the kitchen but it doesn't seem as loud, so the hall is more likely.
I dread to think what this will involve, though - and with it being a Sunday, can't really do much except stew until tomorrow! So I thought I would ask if anyone else had the same problem and what you did to fix it? I am hoping it's not a huge/expensive problem...
If it helps:
- it's an old victorian mid-terrace house (c1890).
- I have lino (stuck down but I can pull it up) over floorboards in the hall.
- there is definitely a leak - he turned the water off outside, put a full glass of water up to the kitchen tap and it sucked some of the water back up.
- I don't seem to have an internal stopcock, just the one accessible in the pavement outside.
If anyone can help or advise, I'd be very grateful. Just hearing about someone who had something similar would put my mind at rest a bit. (I did search for similar threads before but couldn't find any on this subject. Sorry if I missed one.)
Many thanks!
At first the inspector thought that it was most likely to be in the back yard where maybe a pipe to an old outside toilet hadn't been closed off properly. But he couldn't hear anything out there. But then he listened in the hall of my house and could hear it - clearly!
He said that I have 10 days to get it fixed (before they start pursuing court orders etc). He reckons I'll need to get a plumber to take up the floorboards and hopefully spot the leak and fix it. He reckoned it isn't tiny!!
When it's silent - e.g. late at night - you can hear a noise in the hall near the front door. I have heard it before but had always thought that it was a buzzing from my house alarm control panel which is on the wall there, but it was the same noise we could hear this morning so it must be the leak underneath.
I think I can just about hear it in the kitchen but it doesn't seem as loud, so the hall is more likely.
I dread to think what this will involve, though - and with it being a Sunday, can't really do much except stew until tomorrow! So I thought I would ask if anyone else had the same problem and what you did to fix it? I am hoping it's not a huge/expensive problem...
If it helps:
- it's an old victorian mid-terrace house (c1890).
- I have lino (stuck down but I can pull it up) over floorboards in the hall.
- there is definitely a leak - he turned the water off outside, put a full glass of water up to the kitchen tap and it sucked some of the water back up.
- I don't seem to have an internal stopcock, just the one accessible in the pavement outside.
If anyone can help or advise, I'd be very grateful. Just hearing about someone who had something similar would put my mind at rest a bit. (I did search for similar threads before but couldn't find any on this subject. Sorry if I missed one.)
Many thanks!