Our moving in disaster - if you don't laugh...

[jamiehamy]

Ah well, we got over it pretty quickly so thought I should share - partly to give y'all a chuckle but also to share to hopefully avoid someone else making such a bloody silly gaff! Adding to the list of @recoveringacademicand his gables, @pocsterand his big hole and @Tin Soldier and his gammy finger - and more elsewhere! These things happen!

 

On the night we moved in, Craig did dinner and I'd been footering about with lots of things. I had buzzed up to Screwfix to get a HEP20 fitting for the washing machine and fitted it - then ceremoniously put on the first wash. So far so good. Now, a bit of history - the bath trap supplied with the bath is a piece of crap - it's shallow and I don't think actually functions as a trap and has an odd outlet size (30mm - doesn't fit with any UK sizes that's for sure. Anyway, I've been trying to find a replacement because I'm convinced it can't work properly and in the meantime, to block potential smells if I'm right, I put a bung in the 40mm pipe which feeds into the stack (I can access it from the AAV). So - first wash on - a wee glass of prosecco, dinner made by Craig and some music. Something made me check the bathroom - really not sure why - and found it flooded. The washing machine drain is linked to the bath - with the bung in it! I stopped the machine right away and flung towels down on the tiled floor and put the UFH on full. Anyway, we finished dinner and as I walked back through the utility room, I felt the floor moving and could hear water - it had come through and flooded the utility! My heart sank. It was like a swamp. We dismantled the whole room and put it outside, lifted the flooring and cleared it back to the concrete subfloor. Fortunately, the water hadn't gone any further i.e the other way through to the bar, but the place was soaking. We got it dried, put the MHRV on full bung, and waited until morning. The floor has completely dried out although the bottom of the stud wall is damp (two days later I'm checking it and it's drying out okay as far as I can tell) - have rebuilt and will keep an eye. Won't put skirting on so hopefully most of the moisture will dry out over time. What a disaster! All because I forgot I had put that bung on there. Feel stupid but heyho, these things happen. Will make me doubly check in future. Nonetheless, we had a great sleep, and have rebuilt the utility in the morning- no obvious harm done. 

 

It was just such a silly oversight when you have a million and one things going on. I've removed the bung and put the trap on and placed the bath - no smells yet but I'll monitor it closely. 

 

But there we go - Noahs Ark on the first night! Poor Craig - I was pulling the floor up barking out orders - dry this, stack that, dry this, hold this, move that, get the trolly dolly. Lift this. We were too much in a good mood (maybe the prosecco helped!?) to get annoyed for long tho and we're back to normal. 

 

 

 

 

[ProDave]

You will have to explain to me why putting a bung on the branch to the missing bath trap made the washing machine flood?

 

But regardless, this confirms my view that a room containing a washing machine or dishwasher should be built to near wet room standards to contain any leaks.

[joe90]

So sorry to hear of your misfortune but good on you for sharing and laughing about it. I confess our washing machine is in the cloakroom built to almost wet room standards because of the horrors I have heard over the years about floods. 

[jamiehamy]

35 minutes ago, ProDave said:

You will have to explain to me why putting a bung on the branch to the missing bath trap made the washing machine flood?

 

But regardless, this confirms my view that a room containing a washing machine or dishwasher should be built to near wet room standards to contain any leaks.

The washing machine cupboard is next to the bathroom - the waste goes through the wall and joins onto the bathwaste (around 100mm upstream of the stack). I had bunged at the stack opening, hence also blocking the washing machine run. It's a really good point - I could fairly easily tank the washing machine cupboard - although not sure about the threshold to contain any leak. PIc of space - there is a filler panel for the RHS of the machine. I could tank the floor and up the walls, but would need to create a threshold to hold any water or it would just go everywhere. What have others done as whilst I don't expect any leaks soon, who knows when machines get old.  (the worktop was purely by coincidence a spare offcut we had from the main unit and fitted almost perfectly hence gaps at side)