Water mark on ceiling.. In from above or below to fix drip?

[TedMaul]

In the hallway, downstairs, a small mark, about an inch in diameter that has grown over the last 12 months....

Directly above the mark is the airing cupboard with the hw cylinder. There are no obvious leaks in the cupboard and the chipboard floor looks dry, so I'm assuming a pipe (hot water for downstairs wc I imagine) that runs below has a slight leak.

Option a) is to move the whole bloody hw tank, option b) is to go up through the ceiling, patch up the pipe hopefully and fill in the ceiling...

In a Claksonesque way, I'm thinking 'how hard can it be', but also envisage myself in teh hall, covered in debris with a water tank embedded in my head and Mrs Maul handing me divorce papers...

So any pitfalls going up and in?

[jas xjr]

You might be able to get some floorboards or parts of them , up around the h/w tank . Using a mirror and a torch you might just be able to see the source of the leak .

I would not take parts of the ceiling just yet . Water can take the strangest of routes. Having a problem with a flat roof at the moment.

[yellowbentines]

TedMaul said:

Directly above the mark is the airing cupboard with the hw cylinder. There are no obvious leaks in the cupboard and the chipboard floor looks dry, so I'm assuming a pipe (hot water for downstairs wc I imagine) that runs below has a slight leak.

It's not a Megaflo tank as part of a pressurised system is it?

I have one, it used to leak frequently, I watched the plumber the first time he sorted the problem and he went in from below. Cut square out of plasterboard in ceiling, keeping it in one piece, just used a huge heavy duty stanley knife! Sort problem with pipework. Put up two or more battens into hole that are slightly bigger than hole so that they overlap so you can screw through the ceiling to secure them, put plasterboard cut-out into hole (battens will ensure it sits really nice and flush) and screw into battens also, then skim over.

Dead easy, kind of like this

[Ray Luxury-Yacht]

I've done a couple of similar bits of microsurgery to fix faults!

I had a leak from one of those ghastly plastic pipes that supplied a radiator. As it would have been a similar PITA to go in from above, I went in from below, cutting a square in the ceiling. Fixed the leak, put the square back in, skim of plaster, job's a goodun.

And on a Volvo I used to own, the servo motor that moved the 'fresh / recirculating' flap in the heater mechanism was fixed to the bulkhead behind the dashboard.

Luckily it was behind the glovebox - so glovebox off, Dremel out, cut a square out of the dash behind the glovebox - replace motor, glue square back in, replace glovebox, can't see the repair

Other option was a whole day and endless aggro removing the entire dashboard!

[TedMaul]

yellowbentines said:

TedMaul said:

Directly above the mark is the airing cupboard with the hw cylinder. There are no obvious leaks in the cupboard and the chipboard floor looks dry, so I'm assuming a pipe (hot water for downstairs wc I imagine) that runs below has a slight leak.

It's not a Megaflo tank as part of a pressurised system is it?

I have one, it used to leak frequently, I watched the plumber the first time he sorted the problem and he went in from below. Cut square out of plasterboard in ceiling, keeping it in one piece, just used a huge heavy duty stanley knife! Sort problem with pipework. Put up two or more battens into hole that are slightly bigger than hole so that they overlap so you can screw through the ceiling to secure them, put plasterboard cut-out into hole (battens will ensure it sits really nice and flush) and screw into battens also, then skim over.

Dead easy, kind of like this

Thats the sort of keyhole surgery i was thinking of.... but the idea of lifting an adjacent board and looking down with a mirror is a neat trick, esp as there s no carpet or covering in the cupboard itself..

Thanks for all the suggestions, much appreciated and i'll post back with the results, tho not for a few days!

[spikeyhead]

you need a B&D workmate and a pump action 12 bore. Take two cartridges, the first loaded as is into the 12 bore and the second, remove half the charge and replace the shot with finishing plaster.

Fire the first shot will create the perfect sized hole.

Repair the leak, wet the area round teh hole and fire the second cartridge whihc will neatly fill the hole. What could possibly go wrong?

[Laurel Green]

If going in through the plasterboard; angle the knife at forty five degrees (tip of knife pointing towards centre of hole) and use filler/plaster/no more nails, or equivalent to fix back in place once sorted.

[TedMaul]

Laurel Green said:

If going in through the plasterboard; angle the knife at forty five degrees (tip of knife pointing towards centre of hole) and use filler/plaster/no more nails, or equivalent to fix back in place once sorted.

Like carving the hole in the top of the pumpkin at halloween....... I like it, thanks

[TedMaul]

job done as suggested, just using a bit of filler and paint to finish the job. Thanks for the advice, much appreciated

[Laurel Green]

TedMaul said:

job done as suggested, just using a bit of filler and paint to finish the job. Thanks for the advice, much appreciated

[TedMaul]

Laurel Green said:

My 6yo son came home from school and said "daddy, you'd never know there was a big hole in there last week"

let him eat as many biscuits as he wanted, good lad....