How can I cut a hole in this tiled area to get access to stop valve?

[Gary111]

Hi , I have a back to wall toilet that has caused leaks.
I didn't fit it but I know there's a stop valve somewhere behind those tiles.
I'm wondering whether it's feasible to cut one tile out to investigate?
They are on plywood.
Would I need a multi tool kind of saw?
Thanks

 

[HERTS P&D]

Have you thought about opening the door under the basin to have a look?

Andy

 

[Gary111]

Yes it's not there unfortunately

 

[CountryFan]

Unfortunately then, due to the “creative” design, tiles will have to come off. You could use a muti tool, but a hammer and scraper might be just as quick.

 

[endecotp]

Is one of the tiles fixed in place with silicone rather than tile grout, or similar?

I had a similar problem. After removing the bath side panel and holding a mirror at arms length, I spotted a red valve handle in a tiled-in box behind the toilet. I hacked out the tiles on the top of the box to get at it, requiring a lot of work afterwards to repair. But with the top removed, looking inside it was clear that the tile in front of the valve was held in place with silicone and could have been removed with a stanley knife and easily replaced. From the outside, the silicone and the grout both looked equally grimy. I felt a bit stoopid when I discovered that.

 

[Alec_t]

I'm wondering whether it's feasible to cut one tile out to investigate?

If you don't know where the pipework is behind the tile, you risk cutting into a pipe. Chisel/lever a tile off.

 

[simplesteve]

Getting the tile off is the easy part; whether you lever it or smash it doesn't really matter. The relevant question is " how do I get behind plywood "?
There are two main ways :
Get a mult-tool and cut out a square under a tile, or drill a hole to allow you a starting point for a jigsaw or padsaw to cut a hole. As alec_t says, to avoid cutting a pipe, you have to watch your depth.
How many of those tiles do you have spare ?

 

[Gary111]

Thanks for all your help, I may have some spare but I'm not sure.
Ideally I would like to get rid of all the dated tiling long term, but it's a big job.

 

[foxhole]

I would go in from the top, remove top left of loo and you can always cover the top with a timber or uvpc facia if you don’t have the tiles.
Is the isolation for the sink cold tap under sink , may well also isolate loo.
How about a photo?

 

[cdbe]

Remove toilet and pan connector - stick your head or phone in the hole and have a look.

 

[Old Salt]

Those 2 tiles on the shelf above the flush handle and the pan both look suspicious. I would be looking at removing them for a look see.