Help with this waste pipe mess please...

[pompeyjim]

Ok so I am a long time visitor, first time poster.
Recently I noticed in the bathroom that the skirting board near the toilet had become damp. I lifted up the vinyl flooring to find it soaking wet with what looked like waste water.
Now I am no plumber but thought I would have a crack at finding the problem.
All the plumbing for the toilet is boxed in, both inlet and waste, so I had to pull all the wooden surround out.
When I did this I was greeted with a complete mess of stagnant water and filthy pipes. Strangely up until that point it had not smelled bad.
Now the one thing I don't get is that there is what appears to be a waste pipe just sat there, open with nothing connected. I am guessing that this is where the water is coming from. I have attached pics.
Can anybody explain to me why this is like this? as it makes no sense to me. Also how do I go about blocking it off?

Thanks in advance.

Untitled

• pompeyjim
• 12 Aug 2013
• 1

Untitled

• pompeyjim
• 12 Aug 2013
• 1

Untitled

• pompeyjim
• 12 Aug 2013
• 1

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[SimonH2]

Eewww, that's awful.

It looks like the toilet waste isn't sealed into the larger pipe, and is that another waste (sink ?) going into the top or a vent pipe ? The other open pipe may or may not be a problem, but assuming it isn't capped off at the other end, it should be capped off to keep foul air from the drains coming back out.

 

[pompeyjim]

Yes you are right it is awful!!
The one entering the wall at the far corner at the bottom is the sink waste.
I don't know who installed this, but it seems to be a bodge job. the uncapped pipe leaks ever so slightly when the kitchen tap is running and also when upstairs flushes the toilet (its a flat) so this must be what has made the floor damp.

 

[SimonH2]

Well get that capped ASAP. As an interim measure, stuff something (rolled up plastic bag ?) tightly.

Is your toilet waste well sealed into that larger pipe through the wall ? If not then you'll be wanting to deal with that as well.

And I suggest you disinfect the area well - it's going to be a veritable bug farm.

 

[pompeyjim]

Ok so I have managed to get into the cupboard the other side of the wall.
It appears that there is a main soil pipe coming straight down from above and a separate thinner pipe next to it. Seems like this is what the uncapped pipe is connected to. Would this be a vent pipe? if so why is the pipe uncapped next to the toilet?

 

[SimonH2]

My guess is that the smaller pipe is a waste pipe for the sinks, and that once your bathroom had a sink or bath connected to it. The smaller pipe probably joins into the soil stack lower down - it's sometimes done this way as joining at the same height as the toilet can allow the toilet flush to backflow up the sink waste if not done properly.

 

[Hugh Jaleak]

The open pipe would probably have been for a basin at some point in the past, why it was left open is anybody's guess.... Best plan to cap that off is to buy a waste coupling of appropriate size, (use compression waste if unsure of material of existing pipework), and fit that, (may need to cut that odd looking fitting off first), then fit a plug in the other end of your new coupling.

Get a stout pair of rubber gloves and clean out that corner with hot water and bleach, it's already bacteria r us, and may cause additional problems if left as is apart from stinking the place out.

Thinner pipe could be a vent, looking at the 4" from the toilet there is a vent attached to that, common practice was to vent every appliance some years ago especially when a stack served several floors.