Questions Thread

[Free Falling Foxes]

26 minutes ago, StanSP said:

I wouldn't say the grouting has failed per se; none of the tiles appear loose. 

 

But every now and then we see water seeping in on top of the grouting. Its only in two specific places (the one near the wall), and then in a separate area in our cloakroom/downstairs WC about 2-3 metres away.  

 

We're hoping NHBC get back to us soon (!). 

 

If not, would you suggest contacting a plumber straight away, and seeing if we can claim back through NHBC or home insurance? 

Is it an outside wall? 

If its an internal one, what's on the otherside or are there water pipes running inside the stud walling?

I assume you've ruled out condensation?

Edited 12 November 2025 by Free Falling Foxes

[StanSP]

1 minute ago, Free Falling Foxes said:

Is it an outside wall? 

If its an internal one, what's on the otherside or is there pipe inside the stud walling?

I assume you've ruled out condensation?

Yeah it's not condensation. 

 

Internal wall. No idea where the pipes are inside! 

[Free Falling Foxes]

1 minute ago, StanSP said:

Yeah it's not condensation. 

 

Internal wall. No idea where the pipes are inside! 

Can you get into the roof space above where the wall is? That might give a clue.

[NAKC20]

24 minutes ago, StanSP said:

I wouldn't say the grouting has failed per se; none of the tiles appear loose. 

 

But every now and then we see water seeping in on top of the grouting. Its only in two specific places (the one near the wall), and then in a separate area in our cloakroom/downstairs WC about 2-3 metres away.  

 

We're hoping NHBC get back to us soon (!). 

 

If not, would you suggest contacting a plumber straight away, and seeing if we can claim back through NHBC or home insurance? 

Assuming its a shower tray and not above the bath. Is the tray sat directly on the floor or is it raised with a panel around it? Is it possible to remove the panel and if so is there any sign of water under the tray either on the walls or floor. The trouble with this kind of leak is finding it as water can travel along a join in the plasterboard or a cable etc under the floor and can then finally show quite a distance from the original leak. Not sure how the NHBC works now but usually your house insurance wont cover the cost of finding and repairing the leak, that will only cover the work that the leak has damaged.

[StanSP]

7 minutes ago, Free Falling Foxes said:

Can you get into the roof space above where the wall is? That might give a clue.

It's downstairs/ground level. 

 

 

3 minutes ago, NAKC20 said:

Assuming its a shower tray and not above the bath. Is the tray sat directly on the floor or is it raised with a panel around it? Is it possible to remove the panel and if so is there any sign of water under the tray either on the walls or floor. The trouble with this kind of leak is finding it as water can travel along a join in the plasterboard or a cable etc under the floor and can then finally show quite a distance from the original leak. Not sure how the NHBC works now but usually your house insurance wont cover the cost of finding and repairing the leak, that will only cover the work that the leak has damaged.

This wall is in our hallway. Above it is a bedroom, which then does back on to our upstairs main bathroom (and bath). 

I will check behind the bath panel as hadn't thought of that. 

 

 

[splinterdream]

On 30/10/2025 at 21:25, NAKC20 said:

As a plumber myself and I turn up on a job for the first time i always remove my shoes. You get customers saying "oh dont bother i need to hoover anyway" or "we have dogs so it wont make a difference" Probably if he worked for a company the famous 'health and safety' came into it so he cant remove his footwear. It does make me laugh though when tradespeople put on overshoes upon entering a property but then keep them on when fetching tools from the van or walking around outside, whats the point in that.

Gas/heating engineer, I use shoe covers but do take them off if I got to the van, dont wear big boots, I generally wear dark coloured clean looking trainers as I try looking smart, impressions and all that 

[davieG]

Will AI mean the end of Google Search and Wikipedia?

[Zear0]

6 minutes ago, davieG said:

Will AI mean the end of Google Search and Wikipedia?

Google one for sure. Why search for something, find a link, then find your answer. 

 

Worry is most of the answers you get are garbage and will have the worrying effect of making users more stupid. 

[foxy tiler]

On 12/11/2025 at 12:32, StanSP said:

House question! 

 

We've started to see water come through the grout in between our tiles. And this morning noticed small water marks on the wall above the skirting board not far from where it is on the tiles. 

 

Newbuild house, but we're the 2nd owners. 

 

Have contacted NHBC, but wondered if anyone else knew what it could be? Is it likely to be very serious? Easy fix? 

 

Worrying to see but trying not to worry too much without knowing the extent of the issue... 

In my experience the silicon could have failed and I suspect the plasterboard has gone soft tiles then move grout cracks. Might need stripping back and then new plasterboard and tanking before retiling. 

[UniFox21]

6 hours ago, davieG said:

Will AI mean the end of Google Search and Wikipedia?

No, AI is a brilliant tool and does well to summarise things, however in many cases it brings up incorrect information or opinion pieces rather than actual fact.

[davieG]

24 minutes ago, UniFox21 said:

No, AI is a brilliant tool and does well to summarise things, however in many cases it brings up incorrect information or opinion pieces rather than actual fact.

True but with time wont it get more accurate?

[StanSP]

For anyone remotely interested, we had a trace and access team investigate our issue today - it was a leak on our toilet underneath the cistern. 

 

Because there is casing around the toilet itself, and held against the wall with silicon, it would have been impossible to know without their investigation today that this was the cause. So we wouldn't have seen it or been able to stop it earlier. There would appear to be a rubber washer that perhaps has failed, so the water has had to find somewhere else to go effectively, and that's down under the floor. 

 

Thankfully the guy reckons it's not a big leak, and that it is relatively easy to fix. The only issue being that the rubber washers used on the toilets in these new builds aren't universally used, so may be difficult to find 🙄. 

 

Relieved to know where it's coming from now, and just hoping we can get insurers to cover the costs of that repair and damage to wall/flooring... 

[Parafox]

Has anyone else tried this old time remedy for mild respiratory ailments?

 

Blackberry Vinegar. My wife swears by it and it was handed down by her dad. I poo-pooed it as it didn't seem to work for me but, it seems I could be wrong:

 

Key benefits of blackberry vinegar include:

• Relief from cold and flu symptoms Traditionally used as a home remedy, a tablespoon of blackberry vinegar in hot water can help soothe coughs, colds, and sore throats. The high vitamin C content in blackberries contributes to this immune support.
• Rich in antioxidants Blackberries are packed with antioxidants like polyphenols and anthocyanins, which help protect the body against free radicals and may lower the risk of chronic conditions like heart disease and certain cancers.
• Anti-inflammatory effects The compounds in blackberries have anti-inflammatory properties that can help with intestinal inflammation and soothe conditions like pharyngitis and laryngitis.

[NAKC20]

1 hour ago, StanSP said:

For anyone remotely interested, we had a trace and access team investigate our issue today - it was a leak on our toilet underneath the cistern. 

 

Because there is casing around the toilet itself, and held against the wall with silicon, it would have been impossible to know without their investigation today that this was the cause. So we wouldn't have seen it or been able to stop it earlier. There would appear to be a rubber washer that perhaps has failed, so the water has had to find somewhere else to go effectively, and that's down under the floor. 

 

Thankfully the guy reckons it's not a big leak, and that it is relatively easy to fix. The only issue being that the rubber washers used on the toilets in these new builds aren't universally used, so may be difficult to find 🙄. 

 

Relieved to know where it's coming from now, and just hoping we can get insurers to cover the costs of that repair and damage to wall/flooring... 

Never heard of them kind of people. So exactly how did they trace it? I had a similar instance with a neighbour a couple of years back and i must have spent 15-20 hours looking for a leak. Regarding a different type of washer in new builds ive never heard of that. A toilet is a toilet wether it goes in a new build or a 200 year old terrace. Hopefully now you know the source you can get it sorted fairly easily.

[NAKC20]

26 minutes ago, Parafox said:

Has anyone else tried this old time remedy for mild respiratory ailments?

 

Blackberry Vinegar. My wife swears by it and it was handed down by her dad. I poo-pooed it as it didn't seem to work for me but, it seems I could be wrong:

 

Key benefits of blackberry vinegar include:

• Relief from cold and flu symptoms Traditionally used as a home remedy, a tablespoon of blackberry vinegar in hot water can help soothe coughs, colds, and sore throats. The high vitamin C content in blackberries contributes to this immune support.
• Rich in antioxidants Blackberries are packed with antioxidants like polyphenols and anthocyanins, which help protect the body against free radicals and may lower the risk of chronic conditions like heart disease and certain cancers.
• Anti-inflammatory effects The compounds in blackberries have anti-inflammatory properties that can help with intestinal inflammation and soothe conditions like pharyngitis and laryngitis.

Had it for years, got a bottle in a kitchen cupboard as we speak. Tend to have it about 50/50 with hot water just to take the sharpness away

[Parafox]

21 minutes ago, NAKC20 said:

Had it for years, got a bottle in a kitchen cupboard as we speak. Tend to have it about 50/50 with hot water just to take the sharpness away

 

I might try the 50/50 next time I have a cold. The sharpness and the resulting heartburn really detracting from any noticeable benefits

[NAKC20]

7 minutes ago, Parafox said:

 

I might try the 50/50 next time I have a cold. The sharpness and the resulting heartburn really detracting from any noticeable benefits

Remember as a kid we used to have it on Yorkshire Puddings before our sunday dinner

[Parafox]

1 minute ago, NAKC20 said:

Remember as a kid we used to have it on Yorkshire Puddings before our sunday dinner

[The Bear]

Just now, Parafox said:

Yeah that's just weird. 

[NAKC20]

2 minutes ago, The Bear said:

Yeah that's just weird. 

Used to have probably half a bag of sugar on it as well 👍 Mmmmm

[Parafox]

1 minute ago, NAKC20 said:

Used to have probably half a bag of sugar on it as well 👍 Mmmmm

 

And now you have diabetes?

Edited 19 November 2025 by Parafox

[NAKC20]

Just now, Parafox said:

 

And now you're diabetic?

No

[The Bear]

I've had left over cold Yorkies with jam on with a cuppa, as they're just pastry essentially. 

[AyewJoking]

1 hour ago, Parafox said:

Has anyone else tried this old time remedy for mild respiratory ailments?

 

Blackberry Vinegar. My wife swears by it and it was handed down by her dad. I pooed in it it as it didn't seem to work for me but, it seems I could be wrong:

 

Key benefits of blackberry vinegar include:

• Relief from cold and flu symptoms Traditionally used as a home remedy, a tablespoon of blackberry vinegar in hot water can help soothe coughs, colds, and sore throats. The high vitamin C content in blackberries contributes to this immune support.
• Rich in antioxidants Blackberries are packed with antioxidants like polyphenols and anthocyanins, which help protect the body against free radicals and may lower the risk of chronic conditions like heart disease and certain cancers.
• Anti-inflammatory effects The compounds in blackberries have anti-inflammatory properties that can help with intestinal inflammation and soothe conditions like pharyngitis and laryngitis.

 

[StanSP]

1 hour ago, NAKC20 said:

Never heard of them kind of people. So exactly how did they trace it? I had a similar instance with a neighbour a couple of years back and i must have spent 15-20 hours looking for a leak. Regarding a different type of washer in new builds ive never heard of that. A toilet is a toilet wether it goes in a new build or a 200 year old terrace. Hopefully now you know the source you can get it sorted fairly easily.

They used a device above the tiles which beeped (fairly strongly) where the water was coming through, and nothing at all as he veered away from it. 

 

He eliminated it being a mains water issue (there's a small black dial he showed us on the water meter that would turn rapidly if there was a leak - he checked it and it was static) and also eliminated a central heating issue. 

 

As the water on the tiles was also near the toilet, he checked this - he had a cctv cable and examined the inside of the casing. Luckily he was able to identify the drip leak from within. 

 

I'd never heard of different types of washer for toilets either but he was honest enough to tell us not to pursue with him as it'll be more expensive than a normal plumber, and said we'd probably be better off going through insurance to get it repaired (plus any damage caused already).