i live in a mid 70s built block of flats in London and ever since I've lived there have experienced the occasional leak through my bathroom ceiling.
After much effort and investigation, it would appear to be coming from an overflowing cistern two floors up. The plumber who visited thinks the communal overflow pipe down the main riser is blocked (or it may have been removed when someone refitted their bathrooms). The original configuration would appear to have been that bath and cistern overflows were connected to a communal overflow pipe. Now the majority of the bathrooms above have been refitted with modern cisterns and baths with internal overflows - but there are at least a couple that are old style.
I'm trying to identify the path of the original overflow - does anyone know whether in the 70s they would have used plastic overflow pipe or would it have been copper? There is certainly some plastic overflow pipe in the riser so I'm thinking that's probably original.
The best practical solution would be to try to get those bathrooms with old fittings upgraded to internal overflows but that obviously depends on the cooperation of other flat owners.
After much effort and investigation, it would appear to be coming from an overflowing cistern two floors up. The plumber who visited thinks the communal overflow pipe down the main riser is blocked (or it may have been removed when someone refitted their bathrooms). The original configuration would appear to have been that bath and cistern overflows were connected to a communal overflow pipe. Now the majority of the bathrooms above have been refitted with modern cisterns and baths with internal overflows - but there are at least a couple that are old style.
I'm trying to identify the path of the original overflow - does anyone know whether in the 70s they would have used plastic overflow pipe or would it have been copper? There is certainly some plastic overflow pipe in the riser so I'm thinking that's probably original.
The best practical solution would be to try to get those bathrooms with old fittings upgraded to internal overflows but that obviously depends on the cooperation of other flat owners.
