a few months ago I made an enquiry re a leak in hot water system under the floor preventing central heating working. thanks for help in my last post.
The solution was to divert around the leak and install new pipes.
The pipes were well hidden and several visits were needed to track the pipe route. After dismantling the upstairs bath room we found pipes from downstairs coming in thru a wall. The other side of the wall was a small loft over a single storey extension where the back of the house had been pushed put by 1.5 m.
Access to the loft was not easy, fibre glass over joists. I built a crawlway a couple of metres, and found the pipes going between RSJ and original joist inside the house. completely in accessible. A large hole had been knocked out through the double skin of the cavity wall. Made good inside by covering with plasterboard, big hole left in original exterior wall connecting the small loft to space beneath upstairs floor boards, and directly connected to kitchen beneath via non-fire rated downlighters.
Next day I proceeded slowly down the loft. The pipes had an interesting route. They passed through 2 holes drilled in the web of the RSJ to the other side. Then along inside the RSJ, behind the ends of the rafters supported by the RSJ. Totally inaccessible - the plumbing must have been put in at an early stage in the build of the extension. The pipes went to the ground floor behind plasterboard in exterior corner.
I came across another big hole where the cavity had been breached to connect a soil pipe to the original. Soil pipe supported on paint can and bricks resting on plasterboard ceiling. The inner skin was bricked up. The old bath waste hadn’t been capped off.
It took 4 days to re route the pipes under a bedroom floor, into the very very cramped loft space and connect to the original as I did want inaccessible pipes still carrying water.
Some pix, the first is the only place where pipes were accessible, lookin from loft through hole in cavity.
This is the re routed hot water
Still got to block up the holes in the brickwork as I am not happy with it re. Fire safety.
The solution was to divert around the leak and install new pipes.
The pipes were well hidden and several visits were needed to track the pipe route. After dismantling the upstairs bath room we found pipes from downstairs coming in thru a wall. The other side of the wall was a small loft over a single storey extension where the back of the house had been pushed put by 1.5 m.
Access to the loft was not easy, fibre glass over joists. I built a crawlway a couple of metres, and found the pipes going between RSJ and original joist inside the house. completely in accessible. A large hole had been knocked out through the double skin of the cavity wall. Made good inside by covering with plasterboard, big hole left in original exterior wall connecting the small loft to space beneath upstairs floor boards, and directly connected to kitchen beneath via non-fire rated downlighters.
Next day I proceeded slowly down the loft. The pipes had an interesting route. They passed through 2 holes drilled in the web of the RSJ to the other side. Then along inside the RSJ, behind the ends of the rafters supported by the RSJ. Totally inaccessible - the plumbing must have been put in at an early stage in the build of the extension. The pipes went to the ground floor behind plasterboard in exterior corner.
I came across another big hole where the cavity had been breached to connect a soil pipe to the original. Soil pipe supported on paint can and bricks resting on plasterboard ceiling. The inner skin was bricked up. The old bath waste hadn’t been capped off.
It took 4 days to re route the pipes under a bedroom floor, into the very very cramped loft space and connect to the original as I did want inaccessible pipes still carrying water.
Some pix, the first is the only place where pipes were accessible, lookin from loft through hole in cavity.
This is the re routed hot water
Still got to block up the holes in the brickwork as I am not happy with it re. Fire safety.
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