Browse Forums General Discussion 1 Sep 22, 2014 10:43 am We just got our handover and discovered a serious water leakage coming out of the bottom of the stair and kitchen cabinet walll besides the stairs. A bit of information - the upstair ensuite bathroom and shower is besides the stairwell. I think this is quite serious - since the stairwell is structural wall and the leaking must have gone through subfloor to be leaking out of the kitchen cabinet wall. My question is, how can they (the builder) fix it? Is there a reliable way to detect water leakage inside the wall?? How can I be sure if this won't be happening again? "Occam's Razor. The simplest explanation is almost always somebody screwed up." Re: OMG! Newly built house with serious water leakage!! HELP 2Sep 22, 2014 11:21 am It really depends on the sort of leakage. If it is continuous its probably a leaking joint and it should be possible to put a small tv camera into the cavities and look at the pipes, to minimise the holes that need to be cut. If it is intermittent it may be a failure of the bathroom waterproofing which may involve removal of tiles. and redoing the waterproofing. The Harder You Try - the Luckier You Get ! Web site http://www.anewhouse.com.au Informative, Amusing, and Opinionated Blog - Over 600 posts on all aspects of building a new house. Re: OMG! Newly built house with serious water leakage!! HELP 3Sep 22, 2014 10:32 pm Thanks bashworth! That makes me feel a lot better. Hopefully the leak is just a small one and easy to fix. But currently we don't know. The site manager turned off the water and it seems to dry up for now. He is going to sent a plumber to take a look tommrrow. "Occam's Razor. The simplest explanation is almost always somebody screwed up." Re: OMG! Newly built house with serious water leakage!! HELP 4Sep 22, 2014 11:47 pm Thermal imaging can be useful for detection of leaks and paths of travel. I have found many otherwise invisible roof leaks and wall dampness. However like any other tools it has limitations and should be used together with other investigative techniques. Foremost Building Expert in Australia,assisting with building problems/disputes, building stage inspections,pre-contract review advice for peace of mind 200 blogs http://www.buildingexpert.net.au/blog Re: OMG! Newly built house with serious water leakage!! HELP 6Sep 23, 2014 8:56 am Try not using the ensuite shower for a week. If the leak stops, then the leak is associated with the shower, either the shower tray (most likely) or the connections to the shower taps (less likely). Also remove the floor grate and put a hose in it to ensure that the water is draining away quickly ( I have seen floor drains blocked with grout where the tiler must have washed his tools & poured the slurry down the drain.) If the leak is continuous, then I suspect that a nail or screw has pierced a pipe. Re: OMG! Newly built house with serious water leakage!! HELP 7Sep 24, 2014 10:10 pm The plumber came today and he first use a metering device attached to the outside main to find the pressure difference to locate roughly which pipe had the problem since water pressure is always constant. He then drilled couple of holes and used his Telescoping Inspection Mirrors to find the leaks. I think it is fine now, I turned on all the taps and flushed the toilets for a good 20 minutes and no more water came out. Hopefully this fix it. Fingers crossed! And thanks everyone for the suggestion! "Occam's Razor. The simplest explanation is almost always somebody screwed up." Re: OMG! Newly built house with serious water leakage!! HELP 9Sep 25, 2014 11:22 pm I think so. We will find out, we are still not quite moving in yet. We tested it before letting the water running for a good 20 minutes and it seems to be fine and not leaking. "Occam's Razor. The simplest explanation is almost always somebody screwed up." I agree with Althom but there also may be a problem with the terra cotta stormwater pipe discharging water in that areas as well. You can just see the top of the pipe at… 2 14909 The unit normally clips into a metal plate screwed to the wall, either plate is not flush, or unit not hooked in and could be hanging from the pipes partly, either might… 2 15775 DIY, Home Maintenance & Repair We purchased a 1960s property that is on timber stumps mostly, and a newer section is on concrete stumps. We had a building inspection initially and they reported some… 0 12739 |