Cooker hood/chimney outlet

[Deleted member 101614]

A plumber attended to work on my boiler. The same evening, or the day after, there was a strong smell of urine in my kitchen which came from water dripping through the cooker hood onto my hob. I called another plumber & went with him up to the loft, and found that someone had sealed with tape the outlet pipe of the cooker chimney together with the outlet pipe of the waste so that the two were feeding into each other. He separated the two and put them to vent out through the roof, which solved the problem, except that I have a dangerously water-logged cooker hood. My question is: does it only take a day or two, after joining the cooker chimney outlet to the waste outlet, for enough condensation to form to start dripping through into my kitchen?

 

[Ben-gee]

Yes.

 

[Harvest Fields]

I am slightly lost here mate. What has this got to do with the first plumber?

 

[Deleted member 101614]

It seems it was the first plumber who joined the two pipes, because the smell and water dripping started soon after he was in my home. The next day. (I can't remember if I noticed the smell the same evening.)

 

[dancinplumba]

cooking produces lots of condensation, vertical runs of ducting should have condensation collector

 

[Harvest Fields]

It seems it was the first plumber who joined the two pipes, because the smell and water dripping started soon after he was in my home. The next day. (I can't remember if I noticed the smell the same evening.)

Why was the plumber there isn’t he first place? Why would he need to join the 2 pipes together if he was working on the boiler. I am slightly confused. Can you say 100% that it was him? What did the second plumber think?

 

[Murdoch]

Why didn't you call the 1st plumber back?

 

[Deleted member 101614]

The second plumber commented that anyone would know that the two outlets should be put out to vent through the roof. The first plumber had changed the flue terminal from my boiler - so he had previously been working in the loft. He came back because my boiler was very noisy after this - so he came back to investigate the cause of the noise. It was either the same day, or the same evening after the first plumber came to investigate the noise, that the dripping and smell started.

 

[Harvest Fields]

The second plumber commented that anyone would know that the two outlets should be put out to vent through the roof. The first plumber had changed the flue terminal from my boiler - so he had previously been working in the loft. He came back because my boiler was very noisy after this - so he came back to investigate the cause of the noise. It was either the same day, or the same evening after the first plumber came to investigate the noise, that the dripping and smell started.

Surely coincidental. It has probably been like that years.
(In my own personal opinion)

 

[Deleted member 101614]

The water dripping was relentless, and started at exactly that point. If you were working in someone's loft and saw those two pipes taped together, wouldn't you think it strange? Wouldn't you say anything to the owner?

 

[Harvest Fields]

The water dripping was relentless, and started at exactly that point. If you were working in someone's loft and saw those two pipes taped together, wouldn't you think it strange? Wouldn't you say anything to the owner?

How do you know he saw it? Any pictures?

 

[Deleted member 101614]

My loft is very small. The plumber was working in there, installing a new flue terminal and boiler outlet. He was there for hours!

 

[Ben-gee]

The plumber there to look at the boiler would not have gone out of his way to join two fan outlets together, why would he? He was probably concentrating on his own job - not assessing everything else, especially if he was running over the time he'd allowed.

 

[Harvest Fields]

My loft is very small. The plumber was working in there, installing a new flue terminal and boiler outlet. He was there for hours!

I’m not saying that he didn’t do it. I am saying there is no physical proof that he did. Which means normally he didn’t. Have you asked him? Can you get pictures please?

 

[Deleted member 101614]

I haven't asked him. However, the 2nd plumber indicated that the floorboards of the loft were wet in that location, so the pipes had discharged recently, and thought that the pipes had been recently sealed together. I can take photos next time I'm in the loft, though I normally have no reason to go there.

Thank you to the Dancing Plumba for letting me know about a condensation collector.

I bought this flat 6 years ago, and I've never before had any kind of water dripping from the cooker hood before. I had a new cooker hood installed in August. (The installer didn't go into the loft!)

The issue now is that because it's been waterlogged, it seems it's dangerous to use and I'm not sure how long it will take to dry out, and if it will be safe to use then, or if I'll have to replace it again.

 

[Riley]

I suspect plumber 1 may have knocked your piping install when climbing through your “small” loft he’s probably saved you a flood by causing some of this run off into the cooker hood. I bet the install has been like it for years otherwise you’d just have an open branch to your waste pipe and you’d have noticed the smell long ago. Don’t be so quick to blame

 

[Deleted member 101614]

You can't accidentally knock those pipes. They are nowhere near the entry to the loft - on the other side.

 

[Riley]

Then I’d say coincidence

 

[Riley]

First you say it’s a small loft next you say he couldn’t have knocked it make up your mind

 

[Harvest Fields]

You can't accidentally knock those pipes. They are nowhere near the entry to the loft - on the other side.

Anywhere near the flue pipe?