Mysterious water leak underneath floorboards

[Tony2016]

Hi All,

I was wondering if any diy gurus could shed any light on a very peculiar problem that we have at our house.
Roughly 2 months ago we decided to renovate our house in doing so moved out to my mums.
Anyway, in doing these renovations noticed water underneath floorboards on ground floor. it became apparent that this was flowing water. Long story short after various diagnostics came to conclusion water coming from next door up. We live on a slopes street. Got environmental health involved who confirmed water leak isn’t actually in our house. So the kind lady from EH did a dye test from next door but nothing came through. Got United Utilities out who conducted similar dye test but again to no avail. Matter is so serious that UU started at top of block and dye tested all properties above ours and again no dye came through.

At a total loss and it’s driving me crazy. think I’ve lost my sanity.

Any advice/suggestions most welcome.
Thanks

 

[SammyInnit]

If top brass can't find it what do you expect us to suggest

 

[Brigadier]

UU have tested everyone else, but not you?

 

[SammyInnit]

UU have tested everyone else, but not you?

Utilities like to drag a job out but I don't think they'd overlook the obvious just to get the hours in.

 

[bernardgreen]

Water could be from a spring. Did the diagnostics test the water for chlorine ( as in tap water ) ?

 

[Ian H]

Have they listened to everyone’s external stop tap?

Also they can do dye tests wrong, for example, if they put dye in a rainwater gully pot then stick a hose in it, they could miss that it’s leaking from the hopper. The best way would be to dye test from the gutter if possible otherwise from the adjacent ground.

Same with a kitchen, best to dye test from the sink rather than the drain.

 

[Brigadier]

Utilities like to drag a job out but I don't think they'd overlook the obvious just to get the hours in.

They might have taken the eho on their word, that there was no leak from the property in question.

 

[mattylad]

Turn your water off and see if its still leaking.
Get next door to turn their water off, see if the leak stops after a short time.
You may even need to go underneath next door to find out where this is coming from - it may also be from a neighbor further up.

If your neighbors complain about it and say you cannot look underneath, point out to them what damage it may be doing to their property too and that it needs sorting out ASAP.

 

[HERTS P&D]

I was called to a tenanted property that had a leak under the front garden, they told me that they were going away for the weekend. So I turn off their water mains in the front garden. Monday morning I got a call from the estate agent telling me that 5 houses in a row had no water over the weekend. The stopcock done all of them. But at least I found the leak.

Andy

 

[Bodd]

I was called to a tenanted property that had a leak under the front garden, they told me that they were going away for the weekend. So I turn off their water mains in the front garden. Monday morning I got a call from the estate agent telling me that 5 houses in a row had no water over the weekend. The stopcock done all of them. But at least I found the leak.

Andy

I've had that in stortford

 

[Bodd]

Are the houses on water meters

 

[gasbanni]

Water could be from a spring. Did the diagnostics test the water for chlorine ( as in tap water ) ?

As quoted is it foul, treated ? if neither probably ground water.
Different coloured dyes in surface and foul water should eliminate them.

 

[Tony2016]

Apologies for late reply, couldn’t get it to login.
Anyway, to answer some of the queries above:
1. UU have listened to everyone’s outside stop tap. All 11 houses above. No leaks.
2. UU have dye tested ours. No leaks.
3. EH testing everyone’s “internal” drains using dye. Nothing came through, ie dye
4. EH did an ammonia test, water is foul. Even though has no smell no colour etc. She did admit the ammonia tablets were out of date! duh she gonna order some more
5. UU did conduct a chlorine test...tablet did not turn pink hence not clean water.
6. Turning out water off makes no difference. Same thing with next door.
7. Not a spring as water would be constantly flowing (not the case)
8. Not ground water as problem is impervious to the weather.

So, at the moment we are simply firefighting or should that be water fighting the problem.
Made the channel (that the water created) deeper and tried to drill a hole to the outside (losing battle as ground outside is higher than the floor inside).
No choice left but to install a submersible flood pump. Not ideal but ran out of ideas.
When the water starts to flow (randomly) fully I can empty buckets! and then it suddenly stops like someone somewhere has just finished having a shower or drained a bath! when it happens I go into panic mode and knock on a lot of doors asking if anyone using shower/bath...no is the answer most of the time or if theyve had one it was much earlier ie not in progress.
Next door up definitely have water underneath their floorboards as I have seen it through party wall using a cavity wall camera (after drilling a hole through). But because they don’t have damp etc they’re not willing to lift the floorboards as they’re “tiled” over.
EH claim they can’t make next lift floorboards up as there is no “evidence” that next door is the source of the problem!

Thanks everyone for you advice...any further suggestions would be much appreciated. Can’t sleep no more!

 

[bernardgreen]

I would suspect a broken sewer pipe somewhere higher up in the neighbourhood that is leaking into the ground. The leakage has then developed a route through the ground to your and your neighbour's houses. Lack of colour and smell would be explained by the water having been filtered as it oused through the ground.

UU and/or EH may need to extend the search for the leak some distance further away from your house and street.

 

[Bodd]

The state of plumbing in this country running a dye could be totally missing the problem

Say they put a dye down the loo into a stack. Yet someone has a shower that's waste has broken before the main stack... Then chiquitosdye is going to show.
The need to dye test each
sink
Basin
Appliance
Shower
Bath
Individually
I would start from the next door then move up.