My flat’s been leaking for a week straight. I haven’t slept in days. I have to empty this bucket every 15 mins.
That’s going to be a mold issue too.
I’m well aware. They are going to pay for the whole wall to be replaced as well as the table.
Who’s they? I thought you were the owner? Either way, glad to hear it’s getting sorted. That looks like a nightmare
Building management company, it’s their issue as they’re the ones dealing with the cladding replacement.
is this england? Who's the company?
Wales, company is employed by the building management, they’re chartered surveyors. That’s all I know.
i do block management, raise a formal complaint with the building management company (assuming it's an agent rather than leaseholder owners) and threaten with the ombudsman. The service charge will pay for the roof repair and the insurance will pay (other than excess) for repairing the damage to the property. Obviously doesn't help the current situation unless they're there and repairing asap but still
Lol I love this bits of story everywhere in the comments /s
It's like collecting clues in a mystery game to try to piece together a story lol.
It's like someone who learned everything they know about communication from observing Tinder conversations.
User deleted comment
11mo
Average Tinder response: "Do you breathe when you laugh?"
Man this is a rollercoaster isn’t it. Mans like columbo in here “one more thing”
OP owns flathouse may not be owned by OP, thats why they do not have acces to the roof so the house owners will be liable
Bingo!
Prob insurance
Just buy a submersible pump and a long discharge line straight to the sink. You prob can do it all for like $40-50 on Amazon. Get some sleep.
I assume you have, but have you told the landlord?
I am the landlord. I own the flat.
Can you not shut off the water then?
It’s rainwater coming from the roof.
Ah yeah, can’t turn that off then. That really sucks. Can you put a tarp over the roof for now?
I don’t have access to the roof.
If you can, contact the person who does have access
How funny would it be if op said "I do have access, there's a tree blocking the way"
"I can't move the tree because it's a protected species"
It ain't protected no more
Can you climb the tree to access the roof?
Roof too high to access. Do you have ladders? Yes, but ladders broken. Can ladders be repaired? Yes but ladder repair shop 10 miles away. Do you have a vehicle? Yes but tyre is flat etc……..
Seriously I get the vibe this guy is just gonna have an excuse to everything
“I do have a tarp on the roof, but it has holes in it” lmao
It works better when you aren't the tennant yourself 🤣🤣🤣
At least the only person being bothered by an incompetent homeowner is the person responsible for all this shit to begin with lmao
You’re giving your story in bits. You gotta elaborate completely
If he hasn’t slept in days, then what do you expect.
I guess he’ll never get help then, as he gets more tired and has to explain in smaller and smaller bits eventually he’ll just have his roof cave in.
Fucking hell. Call a builder and stop wasting time on Reddit, what are people like these days.
I ageee
But only relevant bits. Stuff like Tony, the guy who you’d purchased it from, won it in a game of chance while lighting his arse on fire from a bloke named Clarance who’s life started out so promisingly as an accomplished author at age 15 but has since gone down hill and now spends his days gluing himself to the street in protest whilst he gets the wet end of a ribbed nobler patting his ear-hole by Esther, the 80-yr old window washer who feeds glitter to pigeons in the park every odd Tuesday, ‘round about half-past 6 o’clock after checking off the next item on her bucket list before the show is over. God speed, Esther, ya whirly old bird. God speed.
My dude, after a week of this I would’ve made access to the roof. Not sure what the prices are like over there, but I’m willing to bet that renting a lift to at the very least put a tarp on the roof would be significantly less expensive than replacing the entire roof once it has rotten away… but then again, would this be coveted under insurance? Tho they are 100% gonna play the negligence card.
I would at least hooked up a hose to the bucket and came up with a way to auto empty it while I slept.
How about just a bigger bucket? A trough perhaps?
This is what I was thinking, get a section of gutter or something and direct the flow of water out into a common area or something belonging to the people who won't fix OP's problem with the leaky roof.
OP is the one who won’t fox OPs problem though.
Go get a gutter from the hardware store and run it towards a drain or a bucket with a float switch sump pump.
Sleep tight!
Sadly they don’t open for another few hours. Even then, I don’t know where I’m supposed to be draining this to. Off the balcony and 7 stories down on the main road with people walking there?
I think they meant a drain like your shower or sink.
I mean, it's raining, isn't it? Those people do not have any reasonable expectation of water not falling on them.
😂
Dude you’re coming up with every excuse lol. Wear a fucking snorkel and sleep on it.
I was about to write almost the same thing. Op would die in a few minutes if stranded on an island.
🤣 the way my stomach hurts. I can't stop laughing 🤣
Well, presumably it is raining if there's water on the roof leaking into your apartment.
So yes, you'd drain it onto the street.
yes. It's already raining, what will a little more water do?
I thought y’all meant just dumping the whole ass bucket on some poor guys head 😭😭
Sump pump, hose and into a sink or something.
yes. jesus man. seriously?
So there's someone else in charge of roof maintenance then? Contact them!
I have continuously over the last week
Then call your insurance. This is a problem that needs to be addressed NOW.
Plot twist: OP is in purgatory, and this is his infinite punishment
The insurance is in his mom's name and she said "no".
He is the insurance
Gonna have to elaborate here or end up looking dumb. Are you on top floor and it’s like locked? Or is there some other unit w access. Or??
I agree. Please share more because from the outside, it seems like there could be some obvious solutions here. Tell us your problems, this is a safe place (sometimes)
I’m on the top floor and there isn’t a way up there. I would have to climb the Side of the building 8 stories up
There is a locked door at the top of the staircase and a super secret code for the elevator, both of which I don’t have access to.
So who does?
The guy who owns the flat above / the penthouse, I’m not sure how it works to be honest but there’s no building above the leak, it’s just roof. but there is a building above my flat
Are you from post Soviet country?
Not with that attitude
Do you have access to like….BUY A BIGGER BUCKET?!
Tell the rain dancers to stop dancing for a few days
It a tarp on the roof silly. It may look 3rd world but better than this.
Right, but have you tried turning off the rain? You're welcome. /s
Something’s not adding up. Fix the damn leak.
The only situation in which saying "I'm the manager" is actually not good
Invest in a larger bucket
Oh damn, good luck to you. I hope somebody has some knowledge and can you give some advice of value, unlike myself 🤙
Thank you
Have you tried going up under your roof to see what's leaking? I get that it's rain water.
1) try a tarpoline over the leaky area so the water drains to a less leaky area?
2)if you are on the roof, use a big tube of "flex seal" to coat the entire area leaking until it stops and a proper fix can be done
3) get a garden hose and a pump, set them up in your bucket to drain so you can go work on or hire a professional. Posting on reddit while your walls are washing away in a rental unit is fucking ridiculous. How are you allowed to rent someone a home and don't know how to deal with a roof leak? Did some family member stuff you with an extra flat because they knew you wouldn't have a real trade? Ffs
My advice is get a bigger bucket so you don't have to empty it every 15 minutes
Get a bigger bucket
Surely you’re joking
Put the bucket up higher than a window, then run some tubing from the bucket out the window. It doesn’t really matter how low the tubing falls in between the two points, as long as the bucket is at the highest point.
This will run as a siphon to empty the bucket, and the inlet tube diameter will determine how quickly the bucket empties
Thank you. I will try this tomorrow when the shops are open.
Poster forgot to mention that you have to start the siphon manually every time the water level in the bucket is lower than the tubes intake
Could buy one of those keg-style jars with a spigot at the bottom and run the tube from it. I bought one for $4 and it holds 4 liters. Plenty big enough to catch a roof leak and siphon to a sink. Doesn't need to be reset since it'll just keep draining from the bottom.
Get a garden hose, cheap one. Drill 2 screws in the ceiling, assuming it’s not rotten by the water yet, hang the bucket with those.
Drill a hole in the bottom of the bucket, just about the size of the garden hose, get the garden hose in, sticking out about half an inch above the bottom of the bucket.
Seal that as you can, heavy duty tape, glue gun or what have you. Drive the hose to the closest sink, and go get some sleep.
No need to hang the bucket, op can just prop it on some books or something under the leak, just needs to be high enough for the hose to fit.
Hey, we had a nightmare leak. There is a little pump. You can put it right in that bucket and attach a hose. It plugs in and will pump it out.
Wayne waterbug.
Just pop the hose out the widow or in the sink.
Funnel to sink possible?
I mean there’s gotta be something better than this solution. Staying up for days and not sleeping to empty the small bucket every fifteen minutes sounds like the most labor intensive solution to the problem I could imagine.
It hasn’t been continuous. It has been slow most of the week with short breaks. It was filling a very small bucket once an hour before. I upgraded the bucket but the leak has also upgraded itself since. I can not lift this bucket so it requires constant bailing, roughly every 10 minutes or 2-3 minutes of work.
This leak started at 6pm, after all the hardware shops have shut.
I'm sorry for your situation but amused by the bucket-leak arms race.
The leak is getting larger... I do not like where this is going.
Op's gonna wake up at like 4am when a section of the roof finally caves in and dumps a ton more water.
Op: Reddit my roof caved in.
Reddit: get the fuck out of there!
OP: can’t.
Reddit: why?!
OP: the door
Reddit: try the windows?
OP: doesn’t work
OP dies.
The hardware stores closed a week ago?
It only leaks after 6pm daily
Do you have a hose? If so, you could try setting up a siphon and securing it near a drain.
You'd have to drill a watertight hole in the bucket to attach the hose to or use a pump cause the siphon wouldn't self start, but yeah a siphon was my first idea too
I was thinking just put it in the bucket and use your mouth to create suction until it's flowing. There are machines that do something similar for aquariums
Get a water pump with a motor from the hardware store, shouldn’t cost much and it will stop the bailing at least
Also I’m sorry this is happening, it does indeed suck.
I am so sorry!
What about some sort of funnel with a really long tube attachment that you could tape to the ceiling and have empty into a sink or toilet or something?
I’m not sure I’m handy enough to manage this but I’m going to try tomorrow:
Spitballing here, but maybe you could get a hose to siphon the water from the bucket to a sink/tub. I’m thinking like how people steal gas from cars and put it in a container?
Siphoning. Yes, that is what I would recommend as well.
You need to prime those somehow. If it completely empties the bucket, the tube will fill with air and stop siphoning.
He should setup a sump pump pit for a huge bucket, with a pump, seems like accepting rain water flowing into the interior of the built environment may be the new normal as per the authority having jurisdiction over roof leaks. Be sure to call a licensed insured fully bonded and grounded plumber and elecfrician and pull all requisite permits for your new permanent top floor rain sump. The next buyer will want to see that the rain sump was properly permitted and inspected.
Edit: this was mostly a joke, but some kind of gravity based water draining system would be preferable to emptying a bucket all week. Maybe op can elevate a container that is collecting the water and run a drain hose to a drain or out a window……. seems absurd that it’s being allowed to go on long enough that this would actually be preferable to the current manual bucket emptying situation.
Yes, but depending on the size of the bucket and relief, it could at least help the process.
Duct tape one end of a hose to where the leak is, and run the other end out a nearby window or to a sink drain.
You could buy a plastic bucket with tap at the bottom. Connect hose to tap and put the outlet at the sink
Exactly. Stop messing around with buckets, a funnel comes with a long end with a hole that you can conveniently jam into one end of a hose. Then you simply make sure the rest of the hose leads downwards towards a sink/drain/out the window/wherever. The only issue left is how to prop up the funnel under the leak so it catches the dripping water, and this shouldn't be too difficult.
flex seal?
Was looking for this LOL
If this was AU and you had home and contents insurance. This is how it would go. You'd call your insurance and say it's raining in your house and you need to make a claim. They would then send a roofer out to do a make safe. This roofer would then somehow get access to your roof and put a tarp and probably some sandbags over the tarp to hold it down. It would help until you could organise to have the roof repaired/replaced.
By doing nothing except for changing that bucket every 15 mins you'll just make the problem worse.
I have done this. They ‘sent someone Friday who didn’t come, then they were supposed to come yesterday but the weather was ‘too bad’ (rainy)
Keep calling them until they come out and do the make safe
Someone from strata management, or someone from your insurance?
This is a strange idea. If you have access to a hose you could just put one end in the bucket and the other out of a window. You could potentially siphon it out. It may work idk.
Get a bigger bucket
No access to the bucket store.
A week? Why not buy a water pump to pump it to a drain at least?
Just cut a hole in the floor and let it become the next guy’s problem 😁
pass the evil forward
Anyone say bigger bucket yet?
Actually no, you’re the first.
Find a bigger bucket
That's a 70L tubtrug, you aren't going to easily find buckets bigger.
A trash can is better than this…
That wall and plasterboard is fubar so first thing I would be doing (maybe not now at 0130) is taking that all down to see if you can locate the issue internally.
I can’t update the post. Not sure who will see this but:
The bucket is large, it looks small in the photo.
It was the middle of the night, I had no access to larger buckets or siphons, I had plans to get one today if it was not fixed.
This has been ongoing for a week and they promised to send someone to fix it last Friday but they never came. It suddenly got worse the night that I posted the picture. I should have been prepared but I was not.
The building management’s plumber came today and fixed it easily. Turns out there was a small crack in the air pipe thing. See if you can spot it.
I live in a flat that I own with no access to the roof. This was not a problem I could fix by myself without risking thousands in damages and making things worse.
I did not need a bigger bucket. That would have just cost more money and not fixed the issue.
For those suggesting a bigger bucket, I hear you, it’s actually quite a large bucket even if it doesn’t look that way.
I appreciate the suggestions for a larger bucket, however I do not have one and it was the middle of the night.
I understand your suggestions for a larger bucket but this will not fix the leak.
I did not need a larger bucket.
you can make a new post with "update" in the title, more people will see it that way.
glad it's fixed, leaks are the worst when you're not responsible for fixing and are waiting around on someone else.
with all the people who said get a bigger bucket, I would've gone and gotten a freaking kiddie pool :P that's a bigger bucket, right????
That looks like a PVC bend for the stormwater drainage above, if I'm understanding your replies so far it seems like it's part of the roof drainage for the complex (assuming the penthouse above doesn't cover the entire area above your flat).. and explains why you were getting such a flood.
I'm glad the leak was repaired, that's a significant indoor water feature you gained from this last downpour!
Obviously I assume you have already contacted some sort of repair person, but in the mean time, I would highly suggest you get a dehumidifier to help keep any more moisture from getting further stuck in the rest of the house. Definitely run it continuously for a couple days after you are able to get it fully fixed right, to prevent any mold from growing.
Can you get a pond pump and hose out of the window just so you don't have to empty the bucket every 15mins.
Is the building not under a body corporate? They would be liable for the roof repair and subsequently damages to your flat.
They sell buckets with a spout that you can attach a garden hose to, that you can route to the sink. Or you can DIY a funnel and hose. You can also place tarps on your roof as long as it's not too windy.
Assuming that the bucket is 26L (look similar to this and using what looks like a Villeda bucket as reference point.), that would 1.733L per minute. Therefore, to get a recommended 8 hour of sleep, we would need approximately a 832L bucket. OP, you might be able to find a 1000L bucket somewhere, good luck!
It looks small but I think it is the 70L version of this.. the bucket is huge. The water is just coming in so fast.
Have you talk to building management ? it will getting worst.
Yes I have, they were going to fix it last Friday
Let them know that any flood damage to your apartment is their financial responsibility. That should get their attention. And of course, document all communication in writing/email.
I have done already.
Build some sort of channel to a window if you're just going to leave it draining. Might take an hour but it's better than monitoring a bucket you have to dump every 15 min.
Buy a float pump and hose. When the water level gets over a certain level, the pump turns on, empties the bucket, turns off.
Look at boat supply places, for a bilge pump, or home depo for garage pump, flooding pump, or float pump
I think your upstairs neighbor might be dead. You should call someone, and have them check.
Depending on where you are in the world, this could be a job for the fire department, as this seems to be an immediate danger to the property of multiple people.
Problem: Water is flooding my home. Solution: Stop water. You're welcome 😚
Make a funnel out of an empty 2lt bottle connect a hose and direct it to the nearest drain for a quick fix
So if the leak is coming from the balcony above, the first question is whether the floor of the balcony is legally demised to the penthouse or falls within the definition of the building. If the latter then it's the responsibility of the Building Manager to fix; the former it's down to the owner of the Penthouse. However, it sounds like the issue might be connected to ongoing building cladding works which might then mean it's a BM responsibility either way. I would certainly be seeking to make contact with the owner of the Penthouse to ensure they understand that water ingress originating from their balcony is having a major impact on you and your property. At the very least this should help tee them up to the requirement for them to grant access to their property to contractors to both assess and remediate. However it sounds like you have also engaged Building Management who have booked a contractor who hasn't yet shown up so it's imperative that you are getting concrete information from them about who is coming, when, who they work for, what the visit will entail, and if any of this does not play out as articulated then you pin the BM on that and you insist on clear updates and timelines, immediately. If you don't feel like you are getting what you need, then you have to fork out for an initial chat with a solicitor/lawyer and potentially have them draft up a letter to the building manager because you cannot afford to live like this or have a week's worth of rainwater rotting the structure and fabric of your property.
This isn't real right? Please tell me you only actually had to empty it a couple times while you found a solution that allows you to sleep. Please...
How's it going lad
seems like a nightmare
edit: think he drowned
It’s like one of the sub plots in Lost. Remember when they had to push the button every 15 minutes?
Order a aquarium pump on Amazon to automatically empty bucket and then go to sleep
Yes, just use some vinyl tubing to run from the pump to a sink drain.
Omg this can’t be a serious post! Just in case it is I will give a detailed description of how to fix the problem.
Answer: Go to your nearest hardware store and purchase a larger bucket!
Punch a hole in the lower end of the bucket, run a hose to your sink.
Is there no way of sticking a pipe to the bottom of a bucket and lead it out of the window? Like an old garden hose or something. You just need to have the bucket elevated above the hoses level.
Sure when the shops open but now the leak has stopped as it has stopped raining. Just have to pray for good weather in a city that rains non stop.
How about you set it up while u have time just in case?
Idea: attach some tubing/pipe together with a funnel/bucket and run that to a drain or sink.
get a funnel and tubing and run the tube to the nearest sink/drain
... to show you the power of FlexTape...
Damn this from what I can tell looks like Australia.. unless I’m wrong. What city??
Swansea, Wales
Alright yeah we just have the exact same Vileda mop bucket 😂 but yeah sucks to see dude. If it were me, but as much cheap PVC pipe as you can and make a pipe systems to send the water outside. You know if that’s possible.
Get a piece of pvc pipe and have it running outside until you can get it looked at
Take away the bucket, find a new place and move out.
Build a pipe to lead the water to the drain.
Has it rained for a week straight?
OP lives in Wales, so probably. I'm in the North of England and it's been raining for the last few weeks.
Get another bucket, hot glue long hose into it and put on some table or something, anything higher than your sink and put the hose there. Lets you sleep at least.
Can you build a ramp to a sink or someone
Can you Rig a pvc pipe or gutter to catch the water and drain into a sink
Make a hole in the bucket, connect a hose into the sink or any other outlet
?? profit
Make a hole in the bucket, connect a hose to it and place one end outside or in the bathroom or whatever.
Buy a drip net and hang it route the hose to a drain. At least you’ll be able to sleep
Who needs to fix the problem when you can make Reddit karma
Got yourself a bigger bucket ✅
Set up a siphon hose to the toilet or other acceptable drainage area.
Get a bigger bucket
get a tube or funnel or something and run it to the sink
Try a bigger bucket
Get a bigger bucket
Buy a bucket twice the size and you could fit in 30 minute naps
There are many, many solutions to this problem other than just continuously emptying the bucket for a week straight
Get a bigger bucket?
It can't rain all the time
Have you tried a bigger bucket?
Get a bigger bucket
Get a bigger bucket?
bigger bucket?
Have you tried flex tape?
Put a funnel on a ladder with a plastic pipe to the lowest plughole
Why hasn’t somebody shut off the water yet? That’s not rain water, is it?
Every 15 min? At this point it might be worth it to slap together a funnel and hose and drain it to a sink or outside
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