Hello everyone, I have been looking under the kitchen floor in the 1910 house we recently moved to using an endoscope, in order to check out joists etc as there was penetrating damp in two walls when we bought (have since taken steps to address this with additional airbricks, fixed guttering, removed dodgy shower etc etc).
I came across one joist that spans the middle of the room which has two copper pipes running through it close to one end (near the damp exterior wall), which appears to have a wet patch around it - photos 1-4.
At first sight I assumed one of the pipes must be leaking, though the bit below looks like a tide mark coming from the right (the damp/formerly damp wall is just to the right in these pictures). I also tried to get a look at it from the other side (photos 5-8), and (assuming I've located the same joist) the wetness/discoloration looks like it's slightly below where the pipes sit. Maybe the pipe is just leaking more on the other side, but could this be the residual damp still drying out? Or both? Not sure if the rubble underneath is slightly stained.
For context if relevant, we had a new boiler fitted a couple of months or so ago; this is on the wall slightly to the left of this joist as pictured, so presumably this is where the pipes are going. It has gradually depressurised slightly and been topped up twice since then; our plumber said this was normal and we can expect to have to do this once more before it settles. He said there were no leaks (but not sure if he meant he knew that for definite or not).
Any advice on whether this looks like a leak that we should fix pronto, or residual damp that should continue to dry out, would be greatly appreciated! There are kitchen cabinets close by, so it would be quite disruptive if we have to lift a floorboard to check. Many thanks!
I came across one joist that spans the middle of the room which has two copper pipes running through it close to one end (near the damp exterior wall), which appears to have a wet patch around it - photos 1-4.
At first sight I assumed one of the pipes must be leaking, though the bit below looks like a tide mark coming from the right (the damp/formerly damp wall is just to the right in these pictures). I also tried to get a look at it from the other side (photos 5-8), and (assuming I've located the same joist) the wetness/discoloration looks like it's slightly below where the pipes sit. Maybe the pipe is just leaking more on the other side, but could this be the residual damp still drying out? Or both? Not sure if the rubble underneath is slightly stained.
For context if relevant, we had a new boiler fitted a couple of months or so ago; this is on the wall slightly to the left of this joist as pictured, so presumably this is where the pipes are going. It has gradually depressurised slightly and been topped up twice since then; our plumber said this was normal and we can expect to have to do this once more before it settles. He said there were no leaks (but not sure if he meant he knew that for definite or not).
Any advice on whether this looks like a leak that we should fix pronto, or residual damp that should continue to dry out, would be greatly appreciated! There are kitchen cabinets close by, so it would be quite disruptive if we have to lift a floorboard to check. Many thanks!
