Should I pay again for a kitchen leak that's re-occurred after 3 months?

Some_randomer

So in my apartment I had a leak in the join where my washing machine waste pipe connects to the main kitchen waste pipe about 3 months ago, and got a plumber to fix it. He replaced the pipe that connects the washing machine to the waste pipe coming from the sink. My kitchen is small and the pipe was right in the corner under the kitchen units so it was tricky to access.

Anyway the problem was sorted then but the leak is happening again now, this time from my dishwasher which stopped working and blew the trip-switch about a week ago, and it feeds into the same black waste pipe as the sink.

I got back on to the plumber and he said he'd try to get back to me but hasn't yet. Should I have to pay again, or what typically happens in a scenario where a tradesman has to come back to fix something they didn't fix properly the first time?

(Attached a pic showing the new white white pipe coming from the washing machine to the right connected into the black waste pipe. The dishwasher waste pipe is connected to the black pipe from the left side under the sink).

apartment-pipes-15-09-2021.jpeg

Sleeper12

You say this time the leak is the dishwasher. This sounds like a leak from a different area from the way I'm reading it.

If it's leaking in the same place from the new pipe then he shouldn't charge. If it's leaking from a different area then you should pay.

Some_randomer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118498258#Comment_118498258

The dishwasher and washing machine both connect into a waste pipe in the corner, in the pic the dishwasher drain pipe is the black one on the left and the washing machine is the white one coming from the right. It was the white one that the plumber added new to fix the original leak that was at the join in the corner. So if the dishwasher is now leaking that suggests that the original fix didn't work or has come undone.

The plumber still hasn't got back to me so I'm planning to have a look at it myself this weekend. I'll try removing the dishwasher drain hose and pouring water down the waste pipe. The plumber suggested pouring caustic soda followed by lots of boiling water down the pipe but I'm reluctant to do this yet as I read that caustic soda can harden if it's not cleared away properly.

If anyone has any other tips on how to detect / fix the leak I'm all ears thx

Sleeper12

Easiest way to find out where the leak is, is to run the dishwasher on a rinse cycle or shortest cycle. When you hear the water being pumped from the machine have a look underneath at the pipework.

Not impossible to be the same leak but unlikely. The new pipe, tee & socket are glued in together. Once it sets it's watertight. If it didn't leak for 3 months then the only way it could leak now is if someone moved or hit off the pipe. Plumber seems to think that the pipe is blocked with something. I'd be interested to hear where the leak is if you find it. Quite often on boards posters don't come back & we don't hear the end of the story

Some_randomer

Thanks @Sleeper12. Ok so the plot thickens. I got a different plumber in to look at the dishwasher issue, he added a new piece to the part of the waste pipe attached to the wall that the dishwasher hose goes into, making it higher, and also reattached and tightened the u-bend pipe. He reckons the drain pipe on the wall needs to be a certain height and mine wasn't high enough.

But... after turning on the dishwasher to test it, water started coming out of the washing machine waste pipe and onto the floor (!) which is pretty baffling. The plumber then checked the pipework coming from the washing machine and said it all looks fine and doesn't see a leak, so he now reckons there's a blockage in the 4 inch pipe outside of my apartment that my dishwasher and wm feed into. After this I called the management company and they said they'll send a drainage company to check if there's an issue in the general pipework in the apartment block.

This now begs the question who's responsible. If it's a fault in the general drainage of the apartment block, should the management company pay for the costs I'm having? So far I've paid 2 different plumbers (last October and again now), and also the waste water seeped into one of the bedrooms and part of the wooden floor is now swollen and will have to be replaced. Would be interested to hear if anyone had a similar issue with blocked drainage outside their apartment. (My apartment is on the 3rd floor if that has any bearing on it).

Sleeper12

I'd imagine that you are responsible for the waste pipe inside your apartment & the management company responsible for the pipe work outside of the apartment

Some_randomer

So just to round out the story the management company organised a drain company to look at the problem and they found the issue and fixed it. There's a T join in the corner where the dishwasher and washing machine waste pipes meet, and there was a blockage between this join and the point where they connect to the main stack that serves all the kitchens in the apartment block.

So problem solved, but I'm worried now about what caused the blockage and how to know if it happens again. I only spotted the problem when water started seeping up through the wooden floor in the bedroom behind the kitchen, and if it happens again I'd really like to know before it gets to this point (!). So far I've kept the kick boards off and I look underneath the units every time the dishwasher or washing machine is on, but this obviously isn't a long term solution.

Has anyone had this problem.. how do people keep an eye out for leaks / blockages like this in an apartment? Is there some kind of monitor / moisture meter that would detect water and could be placed on the floor underneath the kitchen units? All ideas appreciated 👍️

keno-daytrader

I have one of these, handy little yokes!

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Detector-Surveillance-Detectors-Security-Kitchen%EF%BC%8CBathroom/dp/B07HP168V2/ref=sr_1_5?crid=2MFO6QGP4LLJU&keywords=Water+Leak+Detector+-Ourjob&qid=1645714213&sprefix=water+leak+detector+-ourjob%2Caps%2C85&sr=8-5