Should I break this mortar and see if drainage needs fixing?

[Hugh Jaleak]

Cheaper and sufficient for your purposes. Bailey 94-110mm Drain Test Plug 2 Pack | Drain Rods | Screwfix.com

Unless you're brave enough to break out around the Salt Glazed, and find the Fernco coupling behind the wall, pull that off, and join back on with plastic.

 

[JP_]

I don't think I am that brave!

 

[JP_]

Cheaper and sufficient for your purposes. Bailey 94-110mm Drain Test Plug 2 Pack | Drain Rods | Screwfix.com

Hmmm, that will require me to pretty much stick my head down into the drain ... might be an inflatable one I can use from a safer distance!

 

[Nige F]

If he doesnt do drainage then hes not a plumber.
?

He's probably a gas fitter

 

[JP_]

He's probably a gas fitter

Yeah, heating and plumber. My heating was recently updated by a very good ex-BG heating engineer, but he said he doesn't do plumbing.
Contacted this plumber for a simple job, and said he was available, but has not been arrive today as morning job has overrun.

I've order the inflatable bung, so at least I can have a go at testing the drainage. Not sure what I'll actually do if it is leaking though!

 

[Hugh Jaleak]

If its leaking get a Drainage Specialist to put a Patch in, (short section of liner inside the pipe), which will seal it.

 

[JP_]

Cheers. Going to get the water pipes moved, then insulated & board the wall so can be sure where the toilet waste needs to be, then get somebody to look at the whole thing - might be best to remove what's there and put in new plastic all the way. I think I'd be happier with that.

 

[JP_]

Got somebody coming tomorrow to quote replacing all. Can't really work with it like it is - was hoping to leave gap in insulated for toilet waste, but that'll be messy and it will get damp down there.

Have cleaned it out more, still not sure where water is coming from.

Oh, found the airbrick vents that were buried!

Not much air flow, but better than nothing. They were totally buried in concrete and rubble

 

[JP_]

If this pipe is not leaking, would it be easy to just change the visible plastic parts so it is 6cm away from the wall?

Or, is it possible to workout around it and just keep it as it is - and hope everything will be hidden by the toilet, and just fill the gaps and plaster around it?

I am struggling to get somebody to look at it at the moment.

 

[JohnD]

if it wasn't a leaky bodge, why would anyone go to the trouble of applying a mortar poultice?

 

[JP_]

True

Think somebody might be coming to look tomorrow.
One person wanted £150 just to test to see if it was leaking. Seemed a bit steep, which was part of the reasoning for decided to just get it replaced and forget about testing!

 

[Hugh Jaleak]

Afraid you cant do anything with the plastic, those joints are solvent welded, once made, will never come apart again. I would also be wary of trying to reuse the socket, the seal will have hardened over time and may not provide an air/water tight joint if you try and reuse it. I am also concerned, if you place any stress on it, the whole lot may crack across the bottom end of the mortar lump, (i.e. pipe and mortar will snap off in one piece as there's no flex in it.)

My view remains as previous, you need to remove that section, find the joint under the floor where they've joined that onto the new plastic, remove the Fernco coupling and come off from there with new plastic. I'm appreciate it's not an easy accomplishment, but would be preferable to a leaking drain under the floor.

 

[JP_]

Is some sort of sleeve that spans the width of the wall, going into the new plastic, an option (with new on room side)?