ᐅ Water damage. Possible puncture of the underfloor heating system?
Created on: 5 Feb 2017 17:16
U
uwe81
Hello!
We moved into our new single-family house nearly two years ago. Last late summer, the laminate flooring in the hallway in front of the bathroom started to warp. At first, I thought, “Oh no, since I installed it myself, maybe I didn’t leave enough expansion gaps, and now it’s expanding due to the heat.” Now the problem has appeared again, much worse this time, so I wanted to repair it. That’s when I noticed that the entire screed is wet.
We see about 1 square meter (about 11 square feet) of wet screed in front of the bathroom door. Of course, I don’t know how wet it is under the bathroom tiles. Since we are still under warranty, the question for me is who is responsible…
I installed the floor (click laminate) myself. Unfortunately, I screwed the transition profile to the bathroom floor, which means I drilled into it (yes, I know now that was a bad idea—I had a bad feeling back then but relied on advice from the hardware store). So it’s possible that I damaged the underfloor heating. I tried not to drill too deep (the anchors are 3cm (1.2 inches) long) and used a depth stop while drilling.
My main question is: If it came from the underfloor heating, shouldn’t a significant pressure drop be measurable in the heating system? I have never refilled water. The last maintenance was last spring. The chimney sweep in autumn definitely wouldn’t have refilled anything either. We currently still have just under 1.5 bar (about 22 psi) pressure shown on the heating gauge in the basement, although the leak would be on the upper floor, about 6 meters (about 20 feet) higher.
The builder and my insurance have already been informed.
* Could this come from the underfloor heating, and if so, how can I find out?
* If yes, what steps would be necessary for repair (this is probably guesswork without inspecting the damage), and what kind of costs might be involved (my estimate is several thousand)?
* Would a good insurance policy typically cover this kind of damage (we have comprehensive coverage with Debeka)?
Thanks a lot for any advice,
Uwe
We moved into our new single-family house nearly two years ago. Last late summer, the laminate flooring in the hallway in front of the bathroom started to warp. At first, I thought, “Oh no, since I installed it myself, maybe I didn’t leave enough expansion gaps, and now it’s expanding due to the heat.” Now the problem has appeared again, much worse this time, so I wanted to repair it. That’s when I noticed that the entire screed is wet.
We see about 1 square meter (about 11 square feet) of wet screed in front of the bathroom door. Of course, I don’t know how wet it is under the bathroom tiles. Since we are still under warranty, the question for me is who is responsible…
I installed the floor (click laminate) myself. Unfortunately, I screwed the transition profile to the bathroom floor, which means I drilled into it (yes, I know now that was a bad idea—I had a bad feeling back then but relied on advice from the hardware store). So it’s possible that I damaged the underfloor heating. I tried not to drill too deep (the anchors are 3cm (1.2 inches) long) and used a depth stop while drilling.
My main question is: If it came from the underfloor heating, shouldn’t a significant pressure drop be measurable in the heating system? I have never refilled water. The last maintenance was last spring. The chimney sweep in autumn definitely wouldn’t have refilled anything either. We currently still have just under 1.5 bar (about 22 psi) pressure shown on the heating gauge in the basement, although the leak would be on the upper floor, about 6 meters (about 20 feet) higher.
The builder and my insurance have already been informed.
* Could this come from the underfloor heating, and if so, how can I find out?
* If yes, what steps would be necessary for repair (this is probably guesswork without inspecting the damage), and what kind of costs might be involved (my estimate is several thousand)?
* Would a good insurance policy typically cover this kind of damage (we have comprehensive coverage with Debeka)?
Thanks a lot for any advice,
Uwe
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