Choa Chu Kang Living Room Wall Leaks Every Time it Rains; Owner had to Drill Hole to Drain the Water

Last Updated on 2023-03-20 , 9:37 am

While most of us might feel extremely lucky if we are able to stay at home and avoid being caught in the rain, it seems like the situation’s not quite the same for this family living in Choa Chu Kang.

In fact, when it rains, it pours (in their living room).

Yup, it’s a case of water leakage in the wall of a Housing Development Board (HDB) unit.

Recently, the homeowner, who has been facing such issues for the past two years or so, sat down with Lianhe Zaobao to explain his and his family’s plight and exasperation.

Here’s what he has to say.

Initially Thought that Humidity Caused the Leaks, but Found Out Afterwards That Other Units Did Not Experience the Same Thing

When speaking to Zaobao, the homeowner, Li Guohua (Hanyu pinyin), explained that water leaks through a power socket on a wall of his living room whenever it rains.

Mr Li, 60, recalled how he had initially thought that the yellowing of the wall and water leakage were caused by the humidity in the area.

However, he soon realised that that was not the case after talking to his neighbours and finding out that they were not facing the same issue.

According to Mr Li, whose unit is located on the tenth storey at Block 463 Choa Chu Kang Avenue 4, the leaks cause power trips.

The wall surrounding the socket, which is near the unit’s toilet, started to turn yellow around two years ago as well.

Mr Li added that his HDB block, which stands at 14 storeys tall, is only nine years old.

According to him, he did not face any issues at all for the first seven years of living in his current home, and that the water leakage issues only surfaced around two years ago.

Complained to Relevant Authorities, but Authorities Couldn’t Find the Source of the Water; Homeowner Took Things Into His Own Hands

Mr Li also revealed that he contacted the relevant authorities to ask for their help.

However, the authorities could not find the water source after sending relevant personnel to conduct extensive checks.

However, as the water leakage situation worsened over time, Mr Li started to get increasingly worried about it.

Hence, he took matters into his own hands.

Literally.

Mr Li, who has experience in the renovation industry, decided to drill a hole under the socket as he suspected that there was a problem with the waterproofing of the wall.

He also connected a 10 cm-long plastic water pipe to the hole, allowing the accumulated water to be drained out of the area as water had begun to accumulate in the corners of the wall.

According to Mr Li’s observations, the amount of water that flows through within two to three hours after it rains is enough to fill up an entire bottle of mineral water.

Apart from that, Mr Li also shared that the water leakage situation has affected him and his family’s daily lives as they have to worry about water leakage and power trips whenever it rains.

Wooden Furniture Has Started to Become Affected by Water Leakage

Additionally, the family’s wooden television cabinet has also been affected as it is near the yellowing wall.

In particular, the outer layer has peeled off while the inner part of the wooden cabinet has turned damp as well.

Part of the cabinet has been thoroughly soaked by the water too.

Regarding the issue, Mr Li also mentioned that he recently brought the issue up again with HDB and the Town Council as well.

Contractors’ Response

And here’s what the experts in the field of renovation have to say.

Several contractors who declined to be named told Zaobao that such cases of water leakage are extremely common.

As for how they can figure out the source of the water leakage, they must first confirm if the homeowner had knocked on or smashed the wall in any form in the past.

This is because the impact of the knocking or smashing could cause cracks in the wall, which would, in turn, cause water seepage.

Apart from that, pipes buried in the wall could also cause water leakage if they are damaged.

Additionally, cracks in the wall due to poor construction quality or issues with the waterproofing treatment of the outer layer of the wall could also cause water leakage from rainwater.

The contractors added that professionals in this area would be able to identify the source of the water leakage by using special equipment to observe the water leakage situation.

They added that Mr Li’s act of drilling a hole in the wall is highly inadvisable as the process of drilling holes might cause cracks in the walls and result in a safety hazard.

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Town Council’s Response

When responding to queries by Zaobao, the Choa Chu Kang Town Council said that it is currently working closely with the relevant residents to identify the cause of the water leakage.

The property officers of the Town Council have since contacted Mr Li as well.

According to the Town Council, they are scheduled to visit Mr Li’s unit tomorrow (17 March) to conduct checks and identify the cause of the water leaks.

Afterwards, they will come up with a repair programme to solve the issue.

It was also reported that the HDB is currently monitoring the progress of the incident.