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.

"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.

Thanks BigWallop for these great tips.

The house is 15 years old and the pipes are copper. The pipe that I
think is leaking comes out of the ground with an insulation tube or
foam around it. Other pipes are coming out bare but have green oxide at
the bottom.

When the pipe is repaired would the floor of the room dry out and how
long should it be given before I cover it again.

Do you think this is ok to tackle for someone with basic skills in DIY,
I have put pipework for a shower unit in years ago and it is still ok.
Once again I would like to thank you for your kind advice.
Noel.

wrote in message
oups.com...
Thanks BigWallop for these great tips.

The house is 15 years old and the pipes are copper. The pipe that I
think is leaking comes out of the ground with an insulation tube or
foam around it. Other pipes are coming out bare but have green oxide at
the bottom.

When the pipe is repaired would the floor of the room dry out and how
long should it be given before I cover it again.

Do you think this is ok to tackle for someone with basic skills in DIY,
I have put pipework for a shower unit in years ago and it is still ok.
Once again I would like to thank you for your kind advice.
Noel.


Firstly, the green stuff you see on the pipes is corrosion, and this means the
other pipes are in need of replacing as well, or new pieces set in where the
minerals from the concrete have attacked them at least.

I honestly think it would be better for you to cut out the whole lot of the
pipes and replace them all inside a proper duct system which doesn't allow the
new pipework to come into contact with concrete at all when the repair is made.

The concrete should actually dry quite quickly once the source of the dampness
is removed. Any moisture left in will be soaked up by the new mixture you lay
in, as the mixture doesn't need to be soaking wet when you make the repair to
the floor. The only wetting time is when you come to polish the surface to make
it smooth again. That's left until you see the concrete surface turning a
lovely pale shade of green, which you'll see when you start the repair, and also
gives it its name of being "green" when not totally cured.

So, it's now up to you. Do you feel up to the job of replacing all the pipework
and concrete you remove, before you get more leaks on the other pipes?

Thanks, its really great to get help and advice like you have given me.


After giving me those tips I will go ahead and tackle it myself. I now
feel confident.

Do you mind if I look for advice again from you if I hit problems?

Many thanks again BigWallop for your generous and much appreciated
help.
Noel.

wrote in message
oups.com...
Thanks, its really great to get help and advice like you have given me.


After giving me those tips I will go ahead and tackle it myself. I now
feel confident.

Do you mind if I look for advice again from you if I hit problems?

Many thanks again BigWallop for your generous and much appreciated
help.
Noel.


We're here to help. :-) LOL Just take your time and you're fine. Always have
the kettle at the ready, for a cuppa while you think about things.

Noel wrote:

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

What's a hot press?

David

wrote:

Thanks, its really great to get help and advice like you have given me.


After giving me those tips I will go ahead and tackle it myself. I now
feel confident.

Do you mind if I look for advice again from you if I hit problems?

Many thanks again BigWallop for your generous and much appreciated
help.
Noel.

Go for it

The lads who have answered already have covered the case. I'll just add
encouragement.

Dont faff with it - shut the water off, get the floor up. Make good any
dodgy stuff and use methods described to prevent reocurrence. Then slap
down some screed and rest easy in the knowledge you have left the world
a bit better than you found it :-)

Lobster wrote:

Noel wrote:


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


What's a hot press?


Press= Irish for a cupboard
Hot press = airing cupboard.
David

"The Natural Philosopher" wrote
| What's a hot press?
| It's Posh speak for an airing cupboard, I think. :-)
| Onbly my Irish friends call cupboards 'presses'.
| less posh, and more regional I think.

'wall press' is widely used by some of the better Edinburgh solicitors'
property depairtments, so I don't think it can be anything else but regional
posh.

Owain

On Sun, 09 Jan 2005 23:17:09 GMT, "BigWallop"
strung together this:

It's Posh speak for an airing cupboard, I think. :-)

Ah, I assumed it was a machine of some sort. You live and learn,
again. (I do remember this from the past but I forgot, no doubt I will
again).
--

SJW
Please reply to group or use 'usenet' in email subject

The message
from "Owain" contains these words:

What's a hot press?

| It's Posh speak for an airing cupboard, I think. :-)

| Onbly my Irish friends call cupboards 'presses'.
| less posh, and more regional I think.

'wall press' is widely used by some of the better Edinburgh solicitors'
property depairtments, so I don't think it can be anything else but regional
posh.

IIRC press is civil service speak for cupboard so not exactly posh on
that account.

--
Roger

Hi all,

I suppose we in Ireland call it a hot press, in fact airing cupboard
sounds more posh. Definitely I'm as far from posh as you can get.
Thanks neighbours.