leak from bath - weight dependent

Hi guys, hope someone can help,

We have a leak under the bath (coming down into kitchen lightly for months).

On removing bath panel, nothing, running taps nothing, overflow nothing BUT this morning OH took a bath, usu has showers but occasionally has a bath, and we had bath panel off and when he got out after emptying bath, there was water under the ?outflow pipe? (am clueless!) - pipe water drains away into after a bath - and it trickled across floorboards and down to my kitchen - so we found it at last.

My question, however, is how do we fix this as it seemed to be OH's weight and weight of bath water that ?opens the pipe joints? (he's big). So i'd imagine it drips after showers as well as we've had water stains in kitchen from it (small).

Is it a new u bend pipe or just sealent of some sort or is a plumber needed?

Things are very very tight so i really can't afford the plumber at the moment.

Can anyone give a few words of wisdom? I'm optimistic

PS house built 1997 i think

Ladybird - sorry I can't help; but did you get to the bottom of this?

I had a similarish issue with the bath when pregnant, and house insurance covered it.

Thanks for asking spear, I got it sorted. Plumber discovered it was unsealed overflow pipe and i had to apologise profusely to the OH !!! Apparently the builders just thought it was for decoration - not the right size and not sealed. BREATHE!!!

Mynydd, thanks but a good drying out and a bit of paint over stain paint and it's being sorted.

I should also add that i thought i'd checked the overflow by pouring a kettle down it but this missed the leak.

Ironically, I was trying to save water doing it that way rather than filling the bath!!!

Interesting. Same thing with a bath overflow happened to a friend of mine's house, built c2004. Seems to have been builders taking short cuts, as the overflow pipe was not connected to an outflow. It just sort of hung there!!!

i know - mine looked so secure from the front! Well you live and learn and pay.... but in truth, we're only here a few years and i'd say we only leaked about 10 times. I'm glad it's sorted as i don't like to see water leaking anywhere in the house - i was terrified it was a bigger (roof) problem as garage roof over part of kitchen.

Did you have a plumbing problem Spear or were you just sympathetic to mine?

Yes, I was doing a search on leaks and found yours. Mine is related to grouting/tiles in the shower. I found the advice on this site very useful, though!!

Can't help you i'm afraid - but that seems to be a common problem - my neighbour recently had whole bathroom redone and her dad (plumber) was showing us where the water ran down the back of her tiles to cause her leak and my cousin had to have all her showers redone last year as ?bottom row of tiles had no bonding/ sealant on the board behind the tiles to make it waterproof? (not sure if that's right but you get the idea).

Boards has great diy section as well.

Best of luck with it!

Ladybird