A common problem faced by property occupants is water leaks. This can be due to workmanship, weathering, use of wrong chemicals during cleaning (especially tile floors), or pouring highly abrasive chemicals into the water outlet pipes, resulting in corrosion of pipe joints.
For clarification, in this article, we are not referring to the type of water leaks that you can visually see or identify source. Meaning – these leaks we are referring to are not the typical faucet or WC overflow type of leaks.
Some typical leaks we have encountered are:
- Aircon leaking (either at Fan Coil Unit or along the piping)
- Ceiling leaking (near or inside bathroom)
- Ceiling leaking (other parts within the property)
- Wall leaking (from external)
Most common water leak sources identified:
- Drainage outlet pipes
- Aircon pipes
- Water heater
- Rainwater (roof coverings)
How to solve?
- Identify source by elimination
- Double-check to ensure source is accurate
- Repair waterproofing, (be patient), wait and evaluate
- If not successful, return to #1
Some tips for identifying source of water
- If you turn off the water mains, is the water still leaking (and leaking at the same “rate” or “speed”)? – if yes = not the main water inlet pipes.
- If you touch the water leak, is it hotter or colder than normal water in room temperature? If yes = might be related to water heater or aircon.
- If you do not use the bathroom for a few days (totally no using), will the ceiling (lower level) dry up or continue leaking? If dry up = water is leaking from outlet pipe in upper level bathroom.
- If you do a aircon servicing and “flush out” the pipes, will the water leak area get drier or continue to leak at the same rate? If get drier = source is related to aircon.
It is very difficult to pin-point with 100% accuracy where the water source is from. Be very careful during the checking process, eliminate all possibilities one by one. You must ensure the final choice of water leak source is highest probability before commencing repair works.
Repairs in bathrooms may require hacking tiles, can be a tedious project and very disruptive. There will be unhappiness if all the repair works done did not solve the water leak problem.