Untraceable leak help?

[jeanette63]

Hi, I live in a 4 in a block building, I'm ground floor. A week ago I had a heavy drip from ceiling (see pic) The box is pipework to upstairs flat. It was a decent amount of water, my neighbours washing was on, she put it off, the drip stopped. She hasn't run it for a week, no drips. Plumber came to neighbours today and couldn't find anything, he ran the machine. Where else can the water have come from. We had insulated render installed a couple of years ago, but there has never been any damp etc. It's not dripping now but if it does I need to find where?

 

[sircerebus666]

I'm assuming there is only one flat above yours?

No leak is untraceable but can be difficult to trace at times

All you can do is wait for it to leak again and pop upstairs to see your neighbour like you did last time , find out what she has been doing and recreate it (i.e. turn on the washing machine, run the shower etc) don't turn the washing machine off etc until you have found the source of the leak.

It's very difficult to find a leak when it's not leaking

 

[jeanette63]

Plumber ran the washing machine, no leak. Shower is used every day and no leak, so not looking like that. Doesn't help she's adamant it's not from hers. Surely nothing in my house could leak from the ceiling?

 

[Madrab]

It's a no brainer, you're right, if you are in a flat and she is up the stairs and it's coming from your ceiling then it has to be coming from something of hers she is using. You shouldn't have anything like that in the ceiling. Unless there is a communal pipe leaking in that part of the ceiling. Either way you are going to have to open the section where the water is coming from and trace back.

2 things, take pics and a video when it happens and go and get her and show her it.

 

[sircerebus666]

Plumber ran the washing machine, no leak. Shower is used every day and no leak, so not looking like that. Doesn't help she's adamant it's not from hers. Surely nothing in my house could leak from the ceiling?

It all depends on how the plumber ran the pipes....

What pipework does that boxing in contain?

Intermittent leaks are more often than not coming from waste pipes , does that boxing in contain any?

Leaks from hot/cold feeds would happen almost continuously

The other problem is you don't know if your upstairs neighbour is being economical with the truth, the plumber might have found and fixed a fault but if she's worried if she admits there was a fault she might be liable for any damage.

All you can do is see if it leaks again.....

 

[Gasguru]

A picture where the washing machine drain hose connects would be useful...so many standpipes are too short/poorly supported, hoses are not tied down etc. or blocked pipework.

 

[jeanette63]

The box contains water pipes, no waste pipe to upstairs, the stopcocks in my flat. It hasn't happened again, just once on sat 16th Nov. If it happens again I could use my emergency number on my home insurance, but if its not my pipe leaking they may not pay for the repair. Plus they only pay up to 200 for water leaks

 

[sircerebus666]

If it's only happened the once since you have lived there then I wouldn't worry about it too much.

I find it very hard to believe that any potential sources of leaks such as the washing machine or shower haven't been used at least once in the last 11 days.

Could of been a mop bucket got knocked over and your neighbour didn't like to admit it and the water took the easiest route down and ran along the pipes dripping by the boxing in

 

[durhamplumber]

It's very difficult to find a leak when it's not leaking

I am liking your logic and humour!

 

[sircerebus666]

I am liking your logic and humour!

Couldn't resist it.....