Leaking ceiling, due to toilets?

[Ron2710]

Hi all,

In a bit of a predicament here.

So i started renting a house from a friend of mine back in September.

It was noted that the ceiling would leak intermittently (mainly in the master bedroom upstairs) and that my friend would paint over it as a solution.

My friend also says that this is due to the 'non-flushing' of the toilets, and thus one of the conditions of me living there waa to regularly flush the toilets. I didnt think too much of this and accepted.

Since then the ceiling has leaked thrice.

First time it was raining heavily, and I was also flushing the toilets regularly (but not the upstairs ones as they are broken/locked). I concluded it was from the heavy rain.

Second time it leaked, it was dark and dirty, in the same spot, the mast bedroom, but this time it wasnt raining. The only thing I could thinl of was that I had turned the CH off for a period and recently turned it on, so may be due to some condensation.

The third time was in the last week. I went home to my mums for xmas and told my friens Ill be back a few days after xmas. I fell sick during that time and therefore could not make it back. I have just been called and notified that there has been significant leaking and damage to the ceiling.

I have a feeling that some blame will be pinned on me that I didnt return to the house on the agreed date and did not flusbthe toilet which caused this.

My question is: Is it possible for the non flushing of toilets to cause the ceilings to leak? My friend reasons that due to the non use of the toilets, damage builds up.

I have tried researching on google and cant find anything of the kind. They just say leaky pipes/ leaky roof/ condensation.

Help me out here!
Thanks

 

[ShaunCorbs]

no thats stupid the issue should off been sorted

im guessing its something to do with the cistern water level eg the inlet valve washer letting by / needs replacing

 

[Pickwickpick]

No, that is not normal, you should be able to not flush your toilet indefinitely without any leaking.

Just to clarify, do you mean if you don't flush the toilets this leak happens by iteself, or after a long time of not flushing them it leaks the first time you flush it?

 

[ShaunCorbs]

they could be done under the regulation wastage of water

 

[Ron2710]

No, that is not normal, you should be able to not flush your toilet indefinitely without any leaking.

Just to clarify, do you mean if you don't flush the toilets this leak happens by iteself, or after a long time of not flushing them it leaks the first time you flush it?

Yes the leaking of the ceiling seems to be independent of the flushing. Ie. The first two leaks occurred during regular flushing. The third time I am away, so there hasnt been flushing for about 10 days.

And no I have been away for a few days before and flushed and no leaking. So I am thinking its not to do with that.

 

[steadyon]

A possible explanation is that the toilets are fed from a cold water storage cistern in the loft, with other cold outlets from mains. If the float valve in the cistern is not sealing properly, and the overflow pipe is blocked / broken. Then, if the toilets are not flushed for a while, water builds up in the cistern and overflows, causing damp on the upstairs ceilings.

If the cause is as above, its a very simple solution, replace float valve and check / correct overflow system. In my opinion this should have been done before the let. However, if you took the property on the understanding that you would prevent damage by flushing toilets you will probably take some share (from zero to 100%) of the blame.

Perhaps you could get round it by paying a plumber to sort out the real issue, leaving your friend to paint the ceiling as he / she has apparently agreed at the outset.

 

[Ron2710]

no thats stupid the issue should off been sorted

im guessing its something to do with the cistern water level eg the inlet valve washer letting by / needs replacing

Okay so theres not a possibility, not even the wildest where the non flushing of toilets would cause a leak?

 

[Ron2710]

A possible explanation is that the toilets are fed from a cold water storage cistern in the loft, with other cold outlets from mains. If the float valve in the cistern is not sealing properly, and the overflow pipe is blocked / broken. Then, if the toilets are not flushed for a while, water builds up in the cistern and overflows, causing damp on the upstairs ceilings.

If the cause is as above, its a very simple solution, replace float valve and check / correct overflow system. In my opinion this should have been done before the let. However, if you took the property on the understanding that you would prevent damage by flushing toilets you will probably take some share (from zero to 100%) of the blame.

Perhaps you could get round it by paying a plumber to sort out the real issue, leaving your friend to paint the ceiling as he / she has apparently agreed at the outset.

Um okay, so there is a possibility. How much roughly would a plumber cost to fix this kind of issue?

Thats a bummer

 

[Ron2710]

A possible explanation is that the toilets are fed from a cold water storage cistern in the loft, with other cold outlets from mains. If the float valve in the cistern is not sealing properly, and the overflow pipe is blocked / broken. Then, if the toilets are not flushed for a while, water builds up in the cistern and overflows, causing damp on the upstairs ceilings.

If the cause is as above, its a very simple solution, replace float valve and check / correct overflow system. In my opinion this should have been done before the let. However, if you took the property on the understanding that you would prevent damage by flushing toilets you will probably take some share (from zero to 100%) of the blame.

Perhaps you could get round it by paying a plumber to sort out the real issue, leaving your friend to paint the ceiling as he / she has apparently agreed at the outset.

Edit: oh i see what you mean. Fed from a cistern in thw loft. Sorry im ill! I guess I can check if there is a cistern in the loft then when I go bck!

 

[snowhead]

Um okay, so there is a possibility. How much roughly would a plumber cost to fix this kind of issue?

Thats a bummer

It's not the lack of flushing that causes a leak.
There is a problem that needs fixing and flushing the toilet regularly hides the issue.
It is NOT YOU FAULT, it is the fault of the property owner for not getting it looked at.

 

[Ron2710]

But the fact that the first two times was leakng during regularly flushing may suggest otherwise. The heavy rain would suggest some kind of hole in the roof right?

 

[Ron2710]

It's not the lack of flushing that causes a leak.
There is a problem that needs fixing and flushing the toilet regularly hides the issue.
It is NOT YOU FAULT, it is the fault of the property owner for not getting it looked at.

Yes but I kinda agreed to it, so i am partly to blame. What I want to know is what the issue actually is and whether it IS to do with the flushing, because that will truly clear my name. I will check if there is a cistern in the loft when i go back.

Thanks!

 

[Pickwickpick]

There's also a strong likelihood that its a coincidence that this leak happens when toilet hasn't been flushed in a while.

 

[Pickwickpick]

But the fact that the first two times was leakng during regularly flushing may suggest otherwise. The heavy rain would suggest some kind of hole in the roof right?

Yes but I kinda agreed to it, so i am partly to blame. What I want to know is what the issue actually is and whether it IS to do with the flushing, because that will truly clear my name. I will check if there is a cistern in the loft when i go back.

Thanks!

I think the heavy rain is probably a coincidence too seeing as its occurred without rain. Equally there could be a number of different things going on, impossible for us to say without seeing the property/pipework. I personally think its more likely that this nothing at all to do with the flushing, but this is just educated guesswork without being there .

 

[Deleted member 32524]

Should be an easy fix. Sounds like something from a Faulty towers sketch, flush the toilet regularly. Lol.

 

[Welder]

Ron
Poorly or not. IT IS NOT YOUR FAULT
Poor maintenance, poor design or poor installation are the root cause. End of.
The points to be investigated are:
- each wc's fill valve - to a) see if they are set correctly, b) see if they carry on running when they should have stopped, c) that the overflow for each wc is correctly installed so that any overfill eoither runs away to outside or back into the pan without leaking - std plumbing practice.
- loft tanks to check those tanks fill valves and overflows for the same issues.
THIS IS NOT YOUR FAULT
Your numpty landlord will also have himself an insurance claim, if he's savvy, for consequential damage to the ceilings.
Painting over will NOT stop the stains reappearing so sometimes it may not be that the leak has reoccured, but that his painting is Rubbish. When it's this bad only removing the damaged plaster board will stop the stain reappearing.
THIS IS NOT YOUR FAULT
Happy New Year. Start 2019 by finding yourself a proper landlord cos your friend is a plonka.

 

[Jim Goodenough]

It was noted that the ceiling would leak intermittently

Since then the ceiling has leaked thrice.

Hey everyone in many years in this game it's the 1st time I've heard of a ceiling leaking ....

 

[JCplumb]

Let us know how you got on with this.

 

[Ron2710]

Hi all,

So when I got back, my friend told me that they had already brought in a professional to fix both the ceiling collapse (which was horrendous btw, a massive hole in the ceiling) and the water tank in the loft and that to not worry about it.

So all in all, no blame was placed on me, I didn't query any further as to what it was specifically, but I think we came to an unsaid agreement that it is not to do with the non flushing of the toilets.

So everything is all good. Thanks guys!

 

[snowhead]

Good result.

 

[WC1]

tbh agreeing to this "flush the toilets to prevent flooding" arrangement was always going to end in tears.
Good to hear all's well that ends well.

 

[Rob876]

There's a leak, trace every pipe and fitting from the toilet cistern to the supply pipes for the problem toilet and you should find the leak.

 

[Harvest Fields]

There's a leak, trace every pipe and fitting from the toilet cistern to the supply pipes for the problem toilet and you should find the leak.

Did you read this post fully mate. It has been sorted?

 

[Rob876]

Oops I missed the conclusion