leaking pipe under concrete floor!

HI ferrari long time no see

Cut a channel where the pipe is with a grinder,then get an SDS breaker and take out all the screed,if its buried in concrete then highly unlikely you will be able to get to it

If it is old and copper then just put a new pipe in complete length with no joins under the ground,perhaps in channel under the floor or inside a duct

The chances are unless a joint is leaking then the copper may have been damaged and other leaks from pin holeing may occur. One local repair repair may just be temporary fix and it could occur again

 

http://www.ukplumbersforums.co.uk/members/winston.html

If it was like this job it was a nightmare hubby had decided to do some diy this picture shows a cold mains to the cloakroom. There where flexis everywhere on hot and cold supplies to rads I wish I hadnt taken the job on! Hammer and chisel sore knucles.

 

It's a very bad idea to bury copper pipes in concrete anyway. Unless they are protected from contact with the comcrete, they will perish fairly quickly. A mate of mine had this problem and had to dig out and replace the pipes, re burying them in some plastic conduit.

 

Hi Redhotlada, it's been a while. If it was me I'd replace all the pipes buried in a concrete floor. I'd use plastic pipe-n-pipe.

 

even suggested repiping system


Probably the only way to fix it - chopping up a concrete floor to find a leak on ch is rarely a success.

 

could you push plastic pipe through the pipe under concrete using old pipe as a sleeve

 

concrete using old pipe as a sleeve

***, stick some sealer in the system for the meantime,then tell to save up for a repipe, you might be the other side of the lawn when they decide to do it. :^O :^O

 

house due to the possibility of future problems,


Definitely, otherwise you will be going back to it forever more.

 

Why not trace the pipe and then replace or re-route. Can't be that difficult. Time-consuming and boring, yes. But not difficult.

Personally, unless they were existing customers, I'd give them my recommendation and they either accept it or I'd walk.

 

http://www.omegaflex.com/trac/home/

 

You don't want to be using a grinder inside! Just sds drill and chisel.

 

Hi all, I wanted to ask if the thermal imaging cameras are any good? I have a water leak that I think is under my concrete floor but before I go through the cost and effort of getting this done I wanted to know how accurate they are? Much appreciated.

 

Designing thermal imagers is my day job.
With a few, expensive, exceptions they are not very accurate in measuring temperature, but that isn't a problem since you aren't really interested in exact temperatures. What you are interested in is being able to see the effect of the leak on the surface. That requires sensitivity. Most thermal imagers on the market these days are easily sensitive to temperature differences of less than 0.1degC, which is more than enough to detect quite a small leak a few cm under the surface, or a few feet below if it is a larger leak.

A thermal imager can only see the surface though, so whatever you are trying to find has to have an effect on the surface it's looking at. Even if the leaking water is the same temperature as the concrete, evaporation at the surface will cause it to cool and the thermal imager will be able to see roughly the cold patch caused by the leak underneath. Obviously, if the water is hotter than the surface then it will heat it. So what you are looking for is a local difference - it could be hotter or colder depending on the situation you have. Of course, lots of things can cause surface temperature differences, not just leaks: buried cables and pipes or even the mortar between bricks and blocks.

 

Thank you DIY0001!

The leak isnt constant and only happens occasionally so it could be either when the hot or cold water mains is on.
I would be using this in my bathroom and kitchen which both have concrete floors and tiles on top. Would this still detect leaks on these surfaces?
Your thoughts are much appreciated!

 

What type of tiles? With something like quarry tiles I'd expect it to show up easily through the tile itself. With ceramic tiles the biggest effect is likely to be the grout between the tiles showing a bit colder/hotter around the leak. Similarly, if the leak is below a waterproof membrane the water might not get to the surface so it will be harder to find.

 

Ok thanks! I have a waterproof under lay and then ceramic tiles on top in the bathroom - in the kitchen it is just lino on top of the concrete floor. I cant see any water on the surface however it is leaking onto my neighbours ceiling.

 

In that case you probably won't see much with a TI. If you can borrow one (know any firemen?) it may be worth having a look, but I think its too unlikely to show up to be worth spending money renting or buying one.