Construction/plumbing issue

Started by magpie seanie, March 26, 2008, 03:37:37 PM

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magpie seanie

Any help would be greatly appreciated here folks. Moved into our new house almost 2 years ago and did a lot of work on it and left some for now including the main bedroom and ensuite. Noticed over the time a bit of a pong in the ensuite which had all the sanitary ware installed but no tiling etc done. We assumed it was caused by not flushing to toilet or the ensuite not being used or something but its got kinda bad now. We're about to start tiling it and obviously now the potential issue has to be addressed. I am having trouble contacting the builder (probably no surprise there) but the home is covered by Homebond if its something they did badly wrong. My worry is if I get a plumber in to look at it without their say so that they might wash their hands of it.

What should I do? I really don't have a clue on these sort of things. Wife is mad to get this sorted and I do not like hassle, especially from her!


lynchbhoy

check to see where the smell is eminating from...
try covering over the sink plughole or sticking down loads of domestos etc and see if the smell remains...

I reckon I know that 'new bathroom' smell that you are on about and it can take a while to disperse.

Had a under stairs toilet installed 16 months ago and the same craic happened us - but have narrowed it down to underuse and the smell coming from the sink plughole.


Yours is a bungalow ?
My guess is that the sink is near the outbound waste pipes and the smell is coming back up the pipe..

if not, I'd also like to know what the cause is!
..........

Smokin Joe

I had a smell in my ensuite.  The cause of it was that the pipe which runs from the toilet down through the floor wasn't airtight, with the result that smells from the septic tank were rising up and were getting into the ensuite around the sides of the toilet pipe - if that makes sense.

magpie seanie

Thanks folks, something to work on. I think the smell is coming form the toilet.

Its hard to describe the shape of the house but suffice to say the ensuite bathroom has no windows. Maybe its not too serious but it needs to get sorted.

gerrykeegan

Seanie

An ensuite with no windows? have you some ventilation, the paint will fall off the ceiling with no air. It will go very moldey, with the steam from the shower resting on the walls.
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magpie seanie

There is an extractor fan alright but its never on cos its one of those that comes on when you turn on the light.

theskull1

Same as LB
Had a downstairs toilet with a basin. The water in the u bend (on the basin) would get drawn out by what I assumed to be negative pressure in the drainage pipe as toilets elsewhere in the house got flushed and it caused a bit of a whiff as a result. Had to make sure I ran the tap every now and then to make sure the u-bend did it's job.
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Norf Tyrone

Seanie..it's not your United top causing the smell is it?
;)

Same as skull there is a possible cause. Is the ensuite up or downstairs?
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ludermor

Dont even bother with homebond, they will only cover major works ( and even at that it is a struggle to get anything from them).

lynchbhoy

homebond is a load of bollix.

friend of mine lived in lucan in a 3 bed 2 floor semi. The showers in each of the 10 houses in his row all leaked and the water settled on top of the kitchen ceiling before eventually seeping through and bringing down the ceiling - or part of it.

Homebond was mentioned to the builders who replied 'fcuk off'.

it took the intervention of local FG TD Austin currie to get these house owners their ceilings and showers fixed.
This was only because the builder was in for more planning permission to build elsewhere nearby and obv didnt want this row scuppering his chances.

If there is a rpoblem and you think homebond will save you, think again.
You are still left up to the discretion of the builder (and their frequently shoddy work due to untrained unskilled cheap workers - note I didnt say tradesmen) and will have to go to the courts to try and prove the builder is responsible before they think of addressing your problem.

Best of luck Seanie, keep flushing , running the taps and see if there is any change in the smell.
..........

tyronefan

If there is a shower in the room check it to see if there is water in the u bend. Some times when the shower isn't used for a while the water can evaporate and leave no water trap. The chances are that the shower waste is connected into the sewer so that when there is no water in the u bend the smell can come out of the shower plug hole.

magpie seanie

Great advice and I dare say you guys are right. Probably the shower or the sink. Cheers.

An Gaeilgoir

What happened to a friend of mine and he had the exact same problem was that a mouse got under this shower tray and died there. He was only in his new house about 6 months when this happened. The smell lasted for over a year. Everything was checked pipes,water traps. It was only when he was changing the bathroom later that the problem was found.

theskull1

If it's the water in the u-bend emptying then listen out for some sort of "gargling" from the plughole whenever a toilet is flushed elsewhere in the house
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illdecide

Sounds like there is more than water stuck in the U bend. It's a turf spade you need ;) :D :D
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