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Plumbing

Pipe only leaks when tap is turned on.

Anonymous user 03/03/2024 - 3.19 PM

I have a leak coming through the Landing ceiling, but only when I turn on the cold water bath tap. It's not pouring through, but is a very quick drip in a few places in close vicinity to each other. Just about directly above the area the water is coming through is the cold water tank in the loft. The bath tap is about 2.5m away from where the leak is coming through the ceiling. There are no leaks when the hot bath tap is used, or the shower (over bath) is turned, or when the basin taps are used, or when the toilet is flushed. I'm disabled and cannot get in to the loft to look at anything. It's been like this for about two weeks now but, as the bath never gets used and there's no sign of leaking when the tap is turned off, it's not been top of my list to deal with. Funds are very tight so I can only call a Plumber in extreme circumstances. However, I know at some point sooner or later it's probably going to turn in to a big problem. Can anyone tell me how a pipe can leak only when a tap is turn on please? Many thanks for any answers :)

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1 Answer

GDN Plumbing and Heating

Rating: 5 out of 5
Brighton
Hard to see without seeing but with a low pressure/Gravity fed system like yours its possible that if the pressure is low and dependant on where the actual leak is that without the tap on the pressure is low enough to let the pipe leak until it stops if the pipe has very small damage like a corroded or failed solder joint for example. Or the water pipe could be on a vertical run coming down from the CWSC in the loft and therefore clearing once the tap is on and leaking, tap goes off pipe leaks until water is expelled from the pipe. Best guesses.. as i say hard to say without seeing but either way there seems to be a definate leak.
Answered30 October 2018
2