No Access problems to leaking pipe.

[bengasman]

Customer has a leak in the ch pipework.

Customer has also a varnished wooden floor, I think it is tongue and groove, screwed on top of another wooden floor that is definitely tongue and groove. And then there is the part of the pipework that runs in the concrete floor.

I keep hearing rumours about some clever gadget that traces leaks, but never found anyone that has such a gizmo, nor a supplier that sells anything like it.

Tips anyone?

 

[sambotc]

Re-route the pipes or lose the floor?

Could try and put an egg in the system like the old car radiator trick?


If you are having problems locating the leak, can you cap off any sections and check for pressure loss/ level drop in f&e?

 

[malkie]

get some internal leak sealer and it comes in a sillicone type tube so get a sillicone gun and honestly ive tried it 3 times this year and 3 times it worked like you no acsess but tried it and great

 

[bengasman]

Woman owner, about to have baby when I mentioned lifting floor.

Pressurised system.

Not prepared to do botch job; I either fix it properly or she can get a cowboy to botch it, took me years to get a reputation for quality.

Boiler in kitchen, about one meter of pipe visible, after that it all disappears into walls and floors, only to come up at the rads.

I have a feeling that it is a weeping compression joint or corroded pipe in cement floor.

Got a nice red pressure tester, but am hesitant to stick it on as I expect it will blow the pipe somewhere.

 

[sambotc]

What sort of pressure drop over what period of time?

Pressure tester won;t prove anything more than the gauge on the boiler surely?

Presuming you know you have a pressure drop, it's not on the boiler? PRV is ok and the expansion vessel is sound, no weeps on rad tails?

Can you cut a trap up anywhere inconspicuous and have a nose around under the floor?

 

[bengasman]

Not exactly sure, but think it needs a weekly top up, so 1 or 2 litres a week.

Prv will give at 3 bar, pressure tester goes to 30.
Bearing in mind that the normal operating pressure is about 1.5 bar, pumping it up to 10 would probably increase the amount of water coming through the leak.

Prv has been tested for days with sandwich bag and rubber band; dry as a bone.

Pressure vessel is fine, but even if diaphragm was bust, it would be full by now.

All rads had new valves couple of years back and all is clean.

Entire floor is either cement or double wood throughout the house and very limited crawl space even if I could get in.

Had exactly same problem with another customer, weekly topup and it turned out to be weeping compression joint, hence my suspicion.

 

[bengasman]

Forgot to mention, downstairs is difficult enough, but I am definitely too fat to crawl between the ceiling and upstairs floor.

 

[malkie]

give her the option of trying internal sealer it is made for that job in mind and tell her the obvious you recommend reroute or lift floor but this is a last option you want to take but its her choice

 

[Rob]

Why not leak sealer. It's perfect for this sort of job. Wouldn't class it as a 'botch'.

 

[bengasman]

Leak sealer is not an option, I repair it or not, no botching.
Just opening floors is not really an option either as it could be in the cement floor or in the walls.

 

[malkie]

i agree with you but the time i used it was one of them "got to try it or its going into a big job and i just didnt fancy it" so i know its not ideal but it was a godsend for me

 

[bengasman]

Okay, maybe not a real botch, but hardly a real repair either. It would not withstand a a powerflush.

 

[malkie]

no chance it was on a sealed system but i know i got lucky if they go again i wont be doing that it will be full works

 

[Rob]

Specialist companies could use infra-red.

 

[bengasman]

Specialist companies could use infra-red.

Any of those working in south east london that are willing to quote a price to find the leak rather than charge per hour whether they find it or not?