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Leak from ceiling

74 replies

purpleme12 · 19/09/2022 21:25

I left the bath water running
And look what's happened! On kitchen ceiling
What do I need to do now??

Leak from ceiling
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6
LIZS · 20/09/2022 20:15

You need to give it time to dry out. If you are claiming on insurance you will need quotes agreed, so best speak to them first.

User1754983 · 20/09/2022 20:18

Check your insurance excess as many policies have a higher excess for damage from water loss.

purpleme12 · 20/09/2022 20:23

LIZS · 20/09/2022 20:15

You need to give it time to dry out. If you are claiming on insurance you will need quotes agreed, so best speak to them first.

But the schedule says I'm not covered for damaged for leaks from water overflowing from bath with taps left running.

So what is my next step? After the plumber has solved the cause of the leak? If it needs to dry out?

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Geneticsbunny · 20/09/2022 20:27

The bath wasn't overflowing, the overflow pipe has a leak in it so you should be covered I think. Ring them and find out.

purpleme12 · 20/09/2022 20:30

Oh ok you think I still might be in with a chance?
It's true that it didn't go over the bath

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LIZS · 20/09/2022 20:35

Geneticsbunny · 20/09/2022 20:27

The bath wasn't overflowing, the overflow pipe has a leak in it so you should be covered I think. Ring them and find out.

Exactly my thought.

purpleme12 · 20/09/2022 20:38

Oh ok so I should call them after I've had this confirmed by a plumber?

If I make a claim does anyone know what will happen? Will they come out and see it? Are we still able to use the kitchen?

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Lonecatwithkitten · 20/09/2022 20:39

Having had an escape of water get your insurance company involved mine sent in someone the next day with industrial dehumidifiers and fans to dry out the house, remove the damaged carpets.
Ours was a much bigger escape of water, but it travels sideways as well as down so various walls and the next rooms need checking too.

LIZS · 20/09/2022 20:42

You carry on. Unless there is more water leaking it won't get worse. They are likely to look at your quotes along with the description or may request photos.

purpleme12 · 21/09/2022 10:39

The plumber has come and fixed the cause.
The invoice says 'repaired waste connection under pipe as found to be leaking '
I believe it is the overflow pipe?
Should I ring insurance now?
Should I lie and not say I left the taps running?

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LIZS · 21/09/2022 10:52

If it was the waste pipe itself that may have been leaking previously if overflow and plughole go the same way. It happened when the bath was filling.

purpleme12 · 21/09/2022 10:55

Ok so I found ring them and just say I found it leaking?

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purpleme12 · 21/09/2022 10:57

He sealed it, put sealant on it

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LIZS · 21/09/2022 10:57

You say you have had a leak from the pipework under the bath and it has damaged the ceiling. If asked , say you noticed it when the bath was filling. Was the board under the bath ok?

purpleme12 · 21/09/2022 10:58

I believe the board under the bath is ok yes

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PuddlesOnFire · 21/09/2022 11:11

Hiya. I've had similar to yourself and yes it is very stressful.

In my case it was poorly sealed tiling that let water drip down and into electrics and blow the main fuse. It then dried and was okay until the next shower. It took ages to figure out what was the issue and where the water was coming from.

I didn't claim on my insurance and to be honest, if you are okay with the look of the roof, then you should be okay. Its hard to tell from the picture how bad it is, but it seems its been a couple of days so should all be dried out and should - for now - be okay.

If the water went to your electrics you would know about it. It will have evaporated now so you are okay on that front. If the plasterboard is not bowed or looking like it is likely to come down, then it should be okay to leave if you are concerned about a claim and the excess. I've had two other leaks and with the making a hole trick (its so the water doesn't build up above the plasterboard with no way "out" and bring the plasterboard down with its weight) meant that the damage was slight. I've left them like that and they were a couple of years ago.

Worst case, you would have to get someone in to replace the affected plasterboard. It sounds like a huge and scary job, but its not. The person would cut out the affected area, hammer up a new piece of plasterboard, seal the joints and plaster over it (the bit I dont think I could do). As has been said it can be messy due to all the crud on top of the plasterboard.

Good luck. I survived and so will you. Well done getting through this so far.

purpleme12 · 22/09/2022 23:13

@PuddlesOnFire thank you for your post it's helpful and then you for the encouragement, much needed to be honest!

Update - it hasn't leaked when I've ran the bath.

However it is leaking when I use the shower! The shower is above the bath. At the side (so not above the bath taps)
I have taken the bath panel off and I can see wet patch under where the shower is positioned

Here is a picture of the shower

Does anyone know what might be the problem here?

Leak from ceiling
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purpleme12 · 22/09/2022 23:15

I can take another picture of under the bath panel again if needed

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Geneticsbunny · 22/09/2022 23:18

Check the sealant around the bath. That might need replacing.

purpleme12 · 22/09/2022 23:23

Here is the bath beneath the shower

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purpleme12 · 22/09/2022 23:24

Is this what you mean

Leak from ceiling
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PuddlesOnFire · 23/09/2022 07:01

Hi. As you can see the wet patch , I would put a towel or container there and then run the shower. Firstly check if it's leaking when you're just running it with the head in the bath. This will check if it's the corrections to the shower
You can then spray the shower at various areas around the bath and find the leak that way.

My guess would be the sealant which you can fix yourself. However, an alternate cause could be a clumsy plumber who knocked something while fixing your first problem as it seems odd that you've two leaks at the same time - unless the shower leak is so small it normally wouldn't have been noticed.

Geneticsbunny · 23/09/2022 07:52

purpleme12 · 22/09/2022 23:24

Is this what you mean

Yep but that is sealant strip rather than sealant so they don't tend to leak much. Try what @PuddlesOnFire says and spray round with the shower to see where it is leaking.

LIZS · 23/09/2022 07:56

Is it coming from using the shower spray or the pipework behind/underneath. Is the waste outlet still leaking perhaps? Did the plumber also check it when running the shower?

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