Moved into the house 5.5 years ago, kitchen in decent condition so haven’t done anything to it since we’ve been here. Kitchen has been pretty much untouched since the house was built in 1995. Over the last week we noticed the lino starting to bubble up in places, then we could feel the joins in the floorboards starting to lift. So today I’ve cut the lino near the kitchen units and peeled it back to see floorboards soaking wet and mouldy in places.

Something seems to have happened in the last week to cause it. Not sure if it’s damp risen through or a burst pipe. To be honest I’m not great when it comes to building maintenance! But to my untrained eye the whole floor build looks a bit odd.

Any ideas? Photos upcoming.

I’d be getting the lino up and lifting some of those floorboards sharpish. Take photos as you go for insurance.

I’ve had the dishwasher out, nothing damp under there, none of the pipes directly under the sink- although I haven’t taken the unit apart to check pipes behind there.

One advantage we have is that the kitchen is a single storey off at an L to the rest of the house so it shouldn’t spread too easily (not an extension original build was like this).

Is it a case for getting a builder or surveyor out? Or both?

Youve got a pipe leaking somewhere and its tracking across the floor under the lino. It could be a waste pipe so check those too.

Hmmm, I’m not a plumbing expert by any stretch, but that looks like a leak from above rather than from below. i.e. a pipe somewhere is dripping and tracking underneath the lino from the edges. You’re going to have to whip the kickboards off underneath the units (they should just pull off…held on with spring plastic clips) and see where it’s coming from.

Likely to be quite a slow one somewhere.

EDIT: too slow 🙂

The good news is that if it’s a leak from above, it’s not going to be the end of world but the hardboard is going to have to come up as well. 😐

EDIT EDIT: And who nailed that bloody hardboard down. 😡

what is the appliance to the left of the last picture?

Ok thanks. Will start to pull things apart.

A new bathroom was supposed to be the next job, it’ll be a new kitchen by the time I’m finished.

B r – dishwasher. Had it out, no obvious leaks that I can tell. All dry under it and following pipes to where they connect.

EDIT EDIT: And who nailed that bloody hardboard down.

Some dodgy flooring fitter 🙂

Where abouts are you hammerite

I had a similar problem in my kitchen last year. Turned out the source of the water was a rubber washer that had perished on the dishwasher waste and was slowly dripping down the wall and running under the laminate flooring
Result was a new floor and joists – must have been like that for years.

Kick boards come off, ridiculous amount of expandable foam been sprayed under there. Quite possibly by the previous owner as there’s also a load of rolled up newspaper from 2001 under the next cupboard (the floor of which is dry). But the cupboard with the foam which the waste pipe runs down into the floor is damp too. I think that’s where the problem is.

Bit of luck it’s only happened since this cold spell started and not been a long term problem.

Dry floor underneath cupboard next to cupboard with waste pipe

This is what I found behind the kick board of the cupboard that the waste pipe goes through very damp compared to the cupboard next to it.

Eye opener regardless it’s a complete mess under there!

Looks like you’ve found your problem (if I can see patches of dark green wet chipboard alongside dry light green?).

It’s hard to tell it’s such a mess behind there.

Thanks for the advice and input all.

Beats filling in a tax return. 🙂

Dont believe you DD.

There’s no way a) you earn enough to pay tax, or b) you dont use an accountant to dodge any tax you might have to pay!

a) you earn enough to pay tax

Only just… 🙂

b) you dont use an accountant to dodge any tax you might have to pay!

😆

Actually, to be fair, I’m not filling in a tax return. Just my book-keeping. L’accountant dodges the rest.

Had similar at a customers house, small leak which got under the lino, then soaked the chipboard flooring, not green waterproof stuff, so floor ruined, puled up chipboard to find the space between concret raft ofkitchen and the void between battons supporting the flooring was full of water,not much poluystyrene insulation either, and it had spread.

An insurance job, taken on by insurance contractors.

Interesting Project, could you give us a rough estimate of the cost for that job (just in case ours is as bad)?

We’ve got someone coming round to have a look and quote us without doing insurance, but if it turns out to be a big job then we’ll get insurance involved. I’ve condemned use of the dishwasher and kitchen sink, can still use the utility room sink as it has it’s own waste pipe.

The insurance took over the job, it was caused by a leak on the washing machine hose.

Where abouts are you.

Ok thanks. i’m in Bedfordshire.

Bit far for the huskies to drag the tool sledge

If its a floating floor on a concret raft, expect the water to have spread,it doesnt look to bad ,the one i went to was 3 inches deep.

That odd-looking nailing job on the hardboard near the cooker – it doesn’t cover a previous bodge does it?

It’s possible SOG, not one of my bodges though, never had the lino up.

Do you have an external tap that feeds from internal pipes? If so, has it frozen and split in the cold?

Have a look for other internal pipe runs, or soil pipes, they may be leaking, from upstairs etc.

Old newspapers will help dry up some of the wetness, change when wet.

Thanks Project.

Csb – the external tap is in the garage. Not sure it’s that.

Home insurance not cover “trace and access”? Mine did.

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/help-water-ingress

Damp update.

Wasn’t the waste pipe, turns out a water (inbound) pipe has been leaking in our utility room and has tracked through to the kitchen, water pooled under floorboards. Insurers coming in, big clean up and repair job 🙁 water supply has now been switched off to avoid more damage.

Not too impressed so far with AA’s home emergency response, been let down by them today, earliest they can make it to us is Thursday. We have no water to drink, cook with, wash with or even flush the toilets.

Not too impressed so far with AA’s home emergency response, been let down by them today, earliest they can make it to us is Thursday. We have no water to drink, cook with, wash with or even flush the toilets.

The damage is done, surely. Couldn’t you turn the water on when you need it?

Three_Fish – Member
Not too impressed so far with AA’s home emergency response, been let down by them today, earliest they can make it to us is Thursday. We have no water to drink, cook with, wash with or even flush the toilets.
The damage is done, surely. Couldn’t you turn the water on when you need it?

.
Exactly i would turn it back on and turn it off when they arrive
But i would make a complaint to AA for there lack of response.

Three_Fish – Member
Not too impressed so far with AA’s home emergency response, been let down by them today, earliest they can make it to us is Thursday. We have no water to drink, cook with, wash with or even flush the toilets.
The damage is done, surely. Couldn’t you turn the water on when you need it?

.
Exactly i would turn it back on and turn it off when they arrive
But i would make a complaint to AA for there lack of response.

Probably could’ve done that, but turning on now actually means the water is spraying out.

Anyway, a bit of twitter bitching about AA seems to get a turn around, they’re sending someone out this afternoon.

Anyway, a bit of twitter bitching about AA seems to get a turn around, they’re sending someone out this afternoon

The chap who comes out is not responsible for the failures of AA ,so be nice to him,also seem to remember a few months ago the aa said they where overwhelmed by the responce to their new service and didnt hav eenough people or vans to attend to every emergency.

Thought it may be a big job.

Don’t worry project, i know the chap is a contractor, probably never heard of us until someone called through and gave him the job. Although if anything we’ve been let down by a combination of AA and their contractors (who made an appointment initially and then cancelled on us). We’d never take it out onan individual doing their job…. It’s the system/process that doesn’t work.

Another reason to keep the water switched off…. It was leaking through to the garage, which has dried, but there’s stuff I don’t want to give a soaking to twice over.