Hello,
In our new build, a fresh water pipe burst today, probably the supply line to the bathtub. As a result, water suddenly leaked through the ventilation openings on the floor below, from the sockets in the kitchen, and from the ceiling in the basement next to a downpipe.
Without going into the detailed plans: it is certain that the bathroom screed and insulation are completely wet. The bathtub is located at one end of the room, while the ventilation openings in the ceiling, through which the water then flowed downwards, are at two other ends of the room.
The question now is how do we _reliably_ determine how far the damage has spread?
The kitchen below also must have been affected. The sockets are next to a downpipe, and the water has run along it into the basement.
The corridor upstairs and an adjacent study might have been impacted as well. Is there any way other than removing the parquet flooring and breaking up the screed?
This will probably be quite unpleasant. Our site manager will likely try to downplay everything and suggested that we should contact our insurance… (he previously tried to pressure me into insurance fraud in a clear warranty case to avoid handling it himself) (I can share the company and the site manager’s name via private message).
Really great, another one of those incompetent plumbers has done a terrible job. This is now the third leaking pipe in the house. I can share the company’s name privately—be warned!
I could really be sick...
Best regards,
Andreas
In our new build, a fresh water pipe burst today, probably the supply line to the bathtub. As a result, water suddenly leaked through the ventilation openings on the floor below, from the sockets in the kitchen, and from the ceiling in the basement next to a downpipe.
Without going into the detailed plans: it is certain that the bathroom screed and insulation are completely wet. The bathtub is located at one end of the room, while the ventilation openings in the ceiling, through which the water then flowed downwards, are at two other ends of the room.
The question now is how do we _reliably_ determine how far the damage has spread?
The kitchen below also must have been affected. The sockets are next to a downpipe, and the water has run along it into the basement.
The corridor upstairs and an adjacent study might have been impacted as well. Is there any way other than removing the parquet flooring and breaking up the screed?
This will probably be quite unpleasant. Our site manager will likely try to downplay everything and suggested that we should contact our insurance… (he previously tried to pressure me into insurance fraud in a clear warranty case to avoid handling it himself) (I can share the company and the site manager’s name via private message).
Really great, another one of those incompetent plumbers has done a terrible job. This is now the third leaking pipe in the house. I can share the company’s name privately—be warned!
I could really be sick...
Best regards,
Andreas
I would report it to your insurance anyway. Check your contract to see if you are required to do so. It doesn’t mean they have to cover it, but they might. Especially if it leads to a legal dispute or expert assessment is needed (and needs to be paid for), it can be really helpful.
And again, my condolences.
And again, my condolences.
Hello Andreas,
If I had read all the posts on this topic more carefully, I would have noticed that you have already moved into the house. SORRY.
Now it comes down to damage minimization with a very cautious approach.
This means: waiting and observing whether floor coverings lift or if any mold/mildew appears at the floor-to-wall junction.
For monitoring, you can also place a hygrometer in the room or rooms, close them off for 24 hours so they are not used during this period, and record the climate data (temperature + relative humidity) both inside the room and outside for comparison.
From this data, you can estimate the potential risk of unseen moisture pockets beneath the insulation layer.
Before a screed (concrete floor layer) needs to be removed, all other options should be carefully examined for feasibility.
---------------
Regards, KlaRa
If I had read all the posts on this topic more carefully, I would have noticed that you have already moved into the house. SORRY.
Now it comes down to damage minimization with a very cautious approach.
This means: waiting and observing whether floor coverings lift or if any mold/mildew appears at the floor-to-wall junction.
For monitoring, you can also place a hygrometer in the room or rooms, close them off for 24 hours so they are not used during this period, and record the climate data (temperature + relative humidity) both inside the room and outside for comparison.
From this data, you can estimate the potential risk of unseen moisture pockets beneath the insulation layer.
Before a screed (concrete floor layer) needs to be removed, all other options should be carefully examined for feasibility.
---------------
Regards, KlaRa
Hello Andreas,
If I had read all the posts on this topic more thoroughly, I would have noticed that you have already moved into the house. SORRY.
Now it comes down to a damage limitation approach at the lowest level.
This means: waiting and observing whether floor coverings start to lift and if any mold or mildew develops at the floor/wall junction.
For monitoring, you can place a hygrometer in the room or rooms, close them off for 24 hours to avoid use during this period, and record the climate data (temperature + relative humidity) inside the room as well as outdoors for comparison.
From this analysis, you can get an indication of the potential risk of undetected moisture pockets beneath the insulation layer.
Before any screed removal is considered, all other options for feasibility should be thoroughly explored.
---------------
Regards, KlaRa
If I had read all the posts on this topic more thoroughly, I would have noticed that you have already moved into the house. SORRY.
Now it comes down to a damage limitation approach at the lowest level.
This means: waiting and observing whether floor coverings start to lift and if any mold or mildew develops at the floor/wall junction.
For monitoring, you can place a hygrometer in the room or rooms, close them off for 24 hours to avoid use during this period, and record the climate data (temperature + relative humidity) inside the room as well as outdoors for comparison.
From this analysis, you can get an indication of the potential risk of undetected moisture pockets beneath the insulation layer.
Before any screed removal is considered, all other options for feasibility should be thoroughly explored.
---------------
Regards, KlaRa
Hi Klara,
This concerns the upper floor (UF), ground floor (GF), and basement.
A water leak occurred in the upper floor bathroom, and then the water flowed down to the ground floor and the basement.
In the basement, there likely wasn't much damage; the water was about 5 mm (0.2 inches) high on the tiles, but they are sealed with thick silicone along the walls (tiles skirting). We completely removed the water ourselves. I’m not worried about the floor there.
However, the rooms do have screed on top of an insulation layer, partly even with underfloor heating.
The upper floor is particularly problematic because the screed insulation is extensively wet, and possibly the ground floor as well, since the water ran down the soil pipe through the basement ceiling (ground floor floor) into the basement. Now, no one knows whether the water fully went down into the basement or how much remained within the screed structure of the ground floor.
Only tiled floors were affected by the water leak. The parquet and laminate flooring did not get a drop of water directly. At the moment, there is almost no visible damage, apart from some damp spots on the walls.
Our main concern is now that the screed insulation and the screed have absorbed a lot of water.
Best regards,
Andreas
This concerns the upper floor (UF), ground floor (GF), and basement.
A water leak occurred in the upper floor bathroom, and then the water flowed down to the ground floor and the basement.
In the basement, there likely wasn't much damage; the water was about 5 mm (0.2 inches) high on the tiles, but they are sealed with thick silicone along the walls (tiles skirting). We completely removed the water ourselves. I’m not worried about the floor there.
However, the rooms do have screed on top of an insulation layer, partly even with underfloor heating.
The upper floor is particularly problematic because the screed insulation is extensively wet, and possibly the ground floor as well, since the water ran down the soil pipe through the basement ceiling (ground floor floor) into the basement. Now, no one knows whether the water fully went down into the basement or how much remained within the screed structure of the ground floor.
Only tiled floors were affected by the water leak. The parquet and laminate flooring did not get a drop of water directly. At the moment, there is almost no visible damage, apart from some damp spots on the walls.
Our main concern is now that the screed insulation and the screed have absorbed a lot of water.
Best regards,
Andreas
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