Leak in boxed in soil pipe

[Scuzi]

Long story short, the soil pipe from the upstairs bathrooms runs down through the kitchen and is boxed in. It was surrounded with insulation inside the box. There is a leak at the top of the swan neck of the soil pipe. The hole is about 10-12mm and due to its position at the top of the bend, thankfully not a lot was able to leak out. However it has been like this for a couple of years and the small leak was only detected a few days ago when the skirting board started to show signs of damp.

I made a few holes to inspect and once the box was opened it was obvious there was a leak. Clean up was not so bad as the insulation had effectively filtered the leaking contents and held all of the solid matter. That has all been pulled out.

The problem now is the mould. I had a builder round to take a look at it and he reckons the mould just needs a quick spray with mould killer and the box closed back up again. I’m not convinced. My view is that the box needs ripped out, and the wood and plasterboard replaced. Mrs. Scuzi is asthmatic and the exposed mould is already causing her problems.

Meanwhile whilst it is open we cannot use our kitchen as there is effectively exposed foul waste.

What would you do based on these pics?

The company appointed by the house insurance is inspecting it tomorrow but I have no idea what to expect from them. Any accounts of previous experiences or advice from those in the know would be much appreciated.

 

[Scuzi]

You need to rip all of the effected area out for peace of mind, and spray down with some kind of bleach solution. It's only timber framing and plasterboard after all.

Have you been able to fix the leaking bend, do you know what caused it? I'm surprised the smell didn't alert you to it sooner.

The plumber has stuffed a bit of silicone into it until he can replace it on Monday. Seems to be holding okay.

Surprisingly there was no smell, probably as a result of the boxed section being well sealed, the copious amounts of insulation in there, and the small hole. I have to rely on the wife to tell me as I haven’t smelled a thing since I got covid back in January!

 

[Scuzi]

Well it turns out it is a lot worse that initially assessed. The insurance adjuster came round today and discovered, using some sort of moisture detector that can read through the Amtico flooring, that the entire downstairs concrete floor is wet. Not soaking but holding more water than usual. Suspicion is that it has leaked for a while and the slab has soaked it up. It’s going to be a complete ripping out of all downstairs flooring, drying for a period yet to be determined, sanitisation, and then eventually repair. It goes without saying now that the boxed in section is also going to be ripped out and replaced.

I’m hoping we don’t have to move out but it is looking increasingly likely. It never rains, it pours

 

[Scuzi]

Ouch not good. Are the insurance company going to accept the claim then? What level of cover do you have? I need to look at mine really, a leaking pipe can cause havoc as you've discovered.

What caused the pipe to fail, I assume it was done during installation?

Not sure what caused it to fail. I’m guessing it failed somewhere near the join at the swan neck. We’re covered for escape of water and the insurance has accepted the claim. The scale of the repair work is unknown until the drying company come in to assess with their specialist equipment.

Ouch concrete does take moisture and I suspect they’re looking to replace in health & safety grounds.

Ours is boxed in and similar - we had a new kitchen put in and by removing the unit clip on skirting we can see the base if it. However it’s always concerned me having a soil pipe through the kitchen..

I have to agree, it makes little sense having it internal to the house. Aesthetically it wouldn’t detract from the overall look of the house if at the rear, and the consequences of failure when outside are minimal compared to an internal failure.

 

[Scuzi]

Pretty much as above. The whole downstairs floors had to be ripped up to dry out the slab, then a new floor was laid. The box around the pipe was ripped out, damaged section of soil pipe replaced, a new frame built around it, insulated with rockwool and boarded up. It has been fine since.