Big pipes in attic?

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Hi,

I live in a ground floor maisonette. My neighbour above has discovered a leak coming from the attic through the bathroom ceiling. She doesn't have a ladder to access her loft so hasn't been up there for a number of years.

We shone a torch up there and I noticed that there are 2 thick pipes that run through and up out of the roof.. one of these have disconnected from each other.

What are these pipes? What do they do? And why would it have come away?
 
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Sorry, the batteries have run out in my crystal ball! :D

How big is "big"? How thick is "thick"? Is there any sign of water coming from the "disconnect"? What's on the outside where those pipes emerge through the roof? What are the pipes made of? Are they round or square?

They could be anything!
 
Sorry, the batteries have run out in my crystal ball! :D

How big is "big"? How thick is "thick"? Is there any sign of water coming from the "disconnect"? What's on the outside where those pipes emerge through the roof? What are the pipes made of? Are they round or square?

They could be anything!

Ok big as in diameter at a guess 20-25 cm. all I could see in there was from the landing shining in! I wondered if they may be vent pipes? The pipes are round and leads straight up to the top of roof and out by the looks. There are 2 identical pipes that both are supposed to go out roof. One has disconnected at an elbow.
 
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Go and get a ladder and take some pictures!

Andy

It's not my flat. She doesn't have a ladder to access the flap to get in the attic Anyway.

She is calling someone out to fix but I was just wondering what the pipes do? They're similar diameter to pipes that you have on the outside of house that take water from guttering to drains but a bit thicker I think. Also looks as though they are made of metal? Could be wrong as couldn't see that far.

The water is only coming through her ceiling when it rains - I think
 
Its possibly a soil vent pipe - that allows air to enter the drains.....they pass through the roof void to keep smells at bay.
They aren't 25cm diameter though! Can you see the roof of the property, and see if there's a pipe poking through? Some of these pipes are grey plastic, which can look like metal from a distance.
John :)
 
Its possibly a soil vent pipe - that allows air to enter the drains.....they pass through the roof void to keep smells at bay.
They aren't 25cm diameter though! Can you see the roof of the property, and see if there's a pipe poking through? Some of these pipes are grey plastic, which can look like metal from a distance.
John :)

That sounds like it! Sorry rubbish with guessing measurements. It does poke out of the top of roof. It's the part inside that had just separated. Is it just for air then?
 
Yep - when you flush the loo, air has to enter the drains to prevent a vacuum - which is why its called a soil vent pipe, or SVP.
If the joint has parted for any reason (most unusual), rain water can enter the pipe through the top, and drip through the failed joint onto the ceiling below.
John :)
 
Yep - when you flush the loo, air has to enter the drains to prevent a vacuum - which is why its called a soil vent pipe, or SVP.
If the joint has parted for any reason (most unusual), rain water can enter the pipe through the top, and drip through the failed joint onto the ceiling below.
John :)

That's exactly what's happening! Lol. No one has been up there for years so now I'm wondering what could have caused it to separate lol. Do you think it's wear and tear? When we looked up there with a torch it looked like a lot of tape was used around the pipes. Is this normal or had a previous owner done a lot of bad DIY?
 
For sure, joints in SVP's don't need to be taped....it sounds like some clown couldn't be bothered to secure it properly!
There's no wear and tear issue here - everything should be completely stable, unless someone has been up in the loft for some reason. The joint could have been separated for years.
John :)
 
For sure, joints in SVP's don't need to be taped....it sounds like some clown couldn't be bothered to secure it properly!
There's no wear and tear issue here - everything should be completely stable, unless someone has been up in the loft for some reason. The joint could have been separated for years.
John :)

Is it a big job to fix? My neighbours initial thoughts were to claim on insurance?
 
Not a big job to sort - or shouldn't be.....as for an insurance claim, I don't know if the insurers would wear it, as the damage to the pipe could have been caused ages ago.
Best to go up into the loft and see if its actually the problem - the chances are the insulation is soaking so that should be a tell tale.
(Sorry for late reply - had a couple of days away).
John :)
 

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