We just had a massive extension built. We had builders and plumbers in, while I did all the electrics.
One day my wife noticed evidence of a small leak in the downstairs bathroom above a light switch. As I installed the light switch, I knew exactly where to look.
I ripped up some (newly laid
) chipboard flooring upstairs, and, yes, there was a very slow leak where some copper and plastic pipe were joined. Firstly, I though I would try to tighten it - maybe it had been left loose. Got my spanners, off I went. After a quarter of a turn, the plastic screw-on fitting snapped (lost its thread), and the pipe came flying out. This was a pipe from the combi boiler. It fired up and the water was VERY hot, but I was keen to stop it going everywhere as I didn't want our newly plastered bathroom to get damaged - so I stood the heat. But then the hard tingles from the live side of the light switch were worrying. I raced to turn the boiler off, shouted the wife to turn the water off, then turn all the taps on, then switched all the electricity off. I caught the last few centilitres on a towel and wrung it into the toilet. I mopped up best I could underneath the floorboards.
Got a new fitting for the plumbing, still slow leaked so discovered the end hadn't been cut square. The light switch was kaput, so replaced that.
The water looked quite distributed in the downstairs bathroom, but got the electric radiator on it and thankfully no stains, but will decorate with stain preventer of course.
All this and I had a guitar pupil arriving in 30 minutes. Phew.
One day my wife noticed evidence of a small leak in the downstairs bathroom above a light switch. As I installed the light switch, I knew exactly where to look.
I ripped up some (newly laid
) chipboard flooring upstairs, and, yes, there was a very slow leak where some copper and plastic pipe were joined. Firstly, I though I would try to tighten it - maybe it had been left loose. Got my spanners, off I went. After a quarter of a turn, the plastic screw-on fitting snapped (lost its thread), and the pipe came flying out. This was a pipe from the combi boiler. It fired up and the water was VERY hot, but I was keen to stop it going everywhere as I didn't want our newly plastered bathroom to get damaged - so I stood the heat. But then the hard tingles from the live side of the light switch were worrying. I raced to turn the boiler off, shouted the wife to turn the water off, then turn all the taps on, then switched all the electricity off. I caught the last few centilitres on a towel and wrung it into the toilet. I mopped up best I could underneath the floorboards. Got a new fitting for the plumbing, still slow leaked so discovered the end hadn't been cut square. The light switch was kaput, so replaced that.
The water looked quite distributed in the downstairs bathroom, but got the electric radiator on it and thankfully no stains, but will decorate with stain preventer of course.
All this and I had a guitar pupil arriving in 30 minutes. Phew.
