Water dripping down kitchen wall intermittently

[CurlyhairedAssassin]

We have a small leak (one drip every 11 seconds or so) where our tongue and groove kitchen ceiling meets the outside wall. It is difficult to know where it's coming from as its right near the boiler too. It also isn't there all the time. We have experimented to see if it happens when we have a bath or shower (had a new bathroom put in above kitchen about a year ago) and it doesn't seem to be linked to that. Doesn't seem to be linked to central heating coming on/going off etc.

It seems to be really random till I had a thought this morning and wondered if could be the hot water feeder pipe to the kitchen sink (which is next to where the drip is). The hot water tank is upstairs in my son's bedroom so I'm assuming the hot water pipe to the kitchen runs from that under his floor boards and down to the kitchen sink somehow.

To test this theory I'm trying not to run the hot water tap in the kitchen for a few hours to see if it stops and then run it again to see if it starts up again. But would it only leak if the hot tap was on? Or would it leak all the time? Ie would a hot water pipe from upstairs to the kitchen taps have water in all the time or only when the tap is actually on? (clueless)

I really hope it's not a leak in our lovely new bathroom which is fully tiled so want to try and eliminate causes before the tiles get ripped off. We have sealant all neatly done where the bath panel meets the walls so I can't easily look under the bath.

There is always water in the pipe, so I don't think it would prove anything - when you turn the tap on there isn't a long delay to get the water, which there would be if the pipe was empty IYSWIM?
But it might get better or worse when you change the flow through the pipe, so it might still be worth a look.

But if the drip only appeared after the new bathroom was put in, then I'm afraid I would be blaming that and trying to get the fitters to come back and look into it.

Of course, yes, I should have realised that - its obvious now you point it out!

What about hot water going from the boiler to the cylinder upstairs? Would water only flow through those pipes when the boiler is on?

Uh oh, just got up ladders with a torch and had a good look - its definitely coming from upstairs where bath taps, waste and shower are, so yes, looks like bathroom fitter will have to come back.

Water always ends up at the lowest point, so it is probably coming from somewhere in the general vicinity (not directly above).

Might be something as simple as the seal around your bath/shower letting water through...

You need PigletJohn on this one! Hopefully he will be along soon.

first, pull off the bath panel and look behind

look under the sink and WC

if it is under the shower it will be a pig.

otherwise, start lifting floorboards

(don't go wo, wo, wo, we've just put down new laminate)

Thanks. I won't go "wo, wo, wo, we've just put down new laminate". It's more like "wo, wo, wo, we've just put down new bathroom floor tiles"!!!' Even worse!!!!

cries

Been burying my head in the sand about this for a few days (I know, I know but been trying to get bloody dh to be more proactive about this kind of stuff instead of leaving it to me!) but will ring the bathroom fitter in the morning.

By the way, Is there any point in going UP to investiigate? Ie through kitchen ceiling? That's disgusting and ancient so not bothered if a hole had to be made in that, will be getting replaced eventually anyway.

take the bath panel off first.