"Noel" wrote in message
om...
Hi all,

Today I found out, to my horror, that I have a leak under my cement
floor in the kitchen or hot press.

I emptied out the hot press and noticed that one of the pipes going
underground had damp insulation around it where it went into the
ground
and could hear noise so I guess the leak is somewhere near this area.
The floor is damp and in the kitchen I took up some lino and it was
also damp. This has been going on for a long time but put it down to a
bad joint somewhere, as air built up in the radiators after a few
days.

There are two pipes going from the hot press underground, out of the
house
and to the oil boiler in the garden.

Is this a DIY or should I get a plumber in, what is the best
way to approach it, should I take up the floor just inside the hot
press hoping that is where the leak is? and do I break up the cement
to one side of the pipes so as not to damage them. How deep will the
pipes normally be buried.

I would appreciate any helpful advise or tips.

Kind regards,
Noel.


Placing the tip of a screw driver on the floor and putting your ear on the
handle should give a better idea of where the leak is likely to be. It should
get you a bit closer to it anyway.

You should hear the sound of the leak getting louder as you get closer to it,
especially if it's under a bit of pressure, so use this method to get a better
idea of where the leak is.

You are better to break up a good bit around where the leak is, about 6 inches
to a foot around it, so you can get in and fix it without making the hole to
small for tools and hands to get in.

What material are the pipes? If copper or iron, then they should actually be
inside a hard plastic conduit to stop corrosion happening with the interaction
of the minerals in the concrete. Plastic pipes should also be wrapped in Denso
Tape, or the likes, to give them a bit more protection from the sharp edges and
salts in the concrete. When they expand and contract inside a concrete tomb,
even with a softer wrap of insulation, they are more susceptible to damage.