On Saturday around 6pm I went up to our son's bedroom and noticed water
dripping from the light fitting onto the bed below. A large wet patch
was visible on the bed (ie. it hadn't just started).

Went into loft and saw a large area splashed with water - this appeared
to have come from an expansion pipe directed at the cold water tank -
but the tank had managed to get itself covered with insulation - meaning
when water came out the expansion pipe - it hit the insulation and
splashed over the loft area.

The expansion pipe was hot, but no water was coming out it. It seemed
to have stopped.

I then went down into the bedroom again and into the airing cupboard to
work out which of the pipes the water had come out of. I noticed that
the cupboard was VERY warm - usually warm. I checked the immersion
heater plug and it was plugged in and turned on. We never use our
immersion heater (no need for it and only used it briefly once or twice
shortly after we moved in a few years ago) but we had used the socket in
the cupboard earlier - turned out rather than plugging the bedside light
back in, we'd plugged in the immersion heater.

So, immersion heater had been on for about 4-5 hours generating VERY hot
water. I'm guessing that the thermostat doesn't work on it and it
caused hot water to spew into the loft, splashing around and eventually
coming through the light fitting (only hole in the ceiling in that
room). The loft is insulated to rafter depth and partially boarded -
house is 1930's semi.

Now, it stopped dripping by mid-evening on Saturday and all looked fine.
However today we've noticed some brownish water marking in the area
where it got wet, but didn't leak through, which we hadn't noticed
before. Is this just it drying out - or would the marking have been
present immediately it got wet?

Is there anything we should do to try and dry it all out? It would
involve lifting much of the boarding (some of which has things stored on
it), and possibly removing the insulation. Will it dry out by itself
given time? The loft is very airy as we do not have sarking under the
tiles, so huge amounts of ventilation!

Thanks

D

On Mon, 12 Dec 2005 12:21:17 +0000, David Hearn
wrote:

| On Saturday around 6pm I went up to our son's bedroom and noticed water
| dripping from the light fitting onto the bed below. A large wet patch
| was visible on the bed (ie. it hadn't just started).

*First* Make a hole in the ceiling to let the water into the bucket
you have conveniently placed to catch it.

Water collecting on a plasterboard ceiling can quickly bring it down.
--
Dave Fawthrop dave hyphenologist co uk Sick of Premium SMS scams,
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IME they work :-)

In my experience of water ingress, redecorating can be a pain - emulsion
paint does not cover the marks on the ceiling. You may be adviosed to use
primer or an oil based paint to sel it (when it it dry obviously) and then
you can use emulsion over the top.

Hzatph wrote:

In my experience of water ingress, redecorating can be a pain - emulsion
paint does not cover the marks on the ceiling. You may be adviosed to use
primer or an oil based paint to sel it (when it it dry obviously) and then
you can use emulsion over the top.

....or seal with diluted PVA first. This will stop the water stain
coming through the new paint.

Andrew

Dave Fawthrop wrote:

On Mon, 12 Dec 2005 12:21:17 +0000, David Hearn
wrote:

| On Saturday around 6pm I went up to our son's bedroom and noticed water
| dripping from the light fitting onto the bed below. A large wet patch
| was visible on the bed (ie. it hadn't just started).

*First* Make a hole in the ceiling to let the water into the bucket
you have conveniently placed to catch it.

Water collecting on a plasterboard ceiling can quickly bring it down.

IME plasterboard is quite resistant to water pulling it down and if the OP's
leak had stopped by the time he discovered it and the water had soaked into
insulation rather than pooling on the board then it's unlikely to make much
difference putting a hole in it (but no harm in doing so either). It sounds
as if much of it has found its way down through the light fitting anyway.

Now lath and plaster is a different kettle of fish altogether shudder

John Stumbles wrote:
Dave Fawthrop wrote:


On Mon, 12 Dec 2005 12:21:17 +0000, David Hearn
wrote:

| On Saturday around 6pm I went up to our son's bedroom and noticed water
| dripping from the light fitting onto the bed below. A large wet patch
| was visible on the bed (ie. it hadn't just started).

*First* Make a hole in the ceiling to let the water into the bucket
you have conveniently placed to catch it.

Water collecting on a plasterboard ceiling can quickly bring it down.


IME plasterboard is quite resistant to water pulling it down and if the OP's
leak had stopped by the time he discovered it and the water had soaked into
insulation rather than pooling on the board then it's unlikely to make much
difference putting a hole in it (but no harm in doing so either). It sounds
as if much of it has found its way down through the light fitting anyway.

Now lath and plaster is a different kettle of fish altogether shudder

Not quite sure whether it is plasterboard or laths. Most, if not all,
is lath/plaster - but this particular room has confused me for a while.
I think it has laths in the loft, but looking at it from inside the
room, I've always been able to see lines which look like edges of
plasterboard.

I'll probably drill a hole or two to see if any water comes out - but so
far, no more water has come out the light fitting, and I'm guessing that
the water marks are just as it dries out.

Thanks for the help

D

David Hearn wrote:
Not quite sure whether it is plasterboard or laths. Most, if not all,
is lath/plaster - but this particular room has confused me for a while.
I think it has laths in the loft, but looking at it from inside the
room, I've always been able to see lines which look like edges of
plasterboard.

It's a dodgy P&L ceiling that's been overboarded with PB using long
clouts to hold it on.

Chris Bacon wrote:
David Hearn wrote:

Not quite sure whether it is plasterboard or laths. Most, if not all,
is lath/plaster - but this particular room has confused me for a
while. I think it has laths in the loft, but looking at it from
inside the room, I've always been able to see lines which look like
edges of plasterboard.


It's a dodgy P&L ceiling that's been overboarded with PB using long
clouts to hold it on.

Well, the ceiling is still up, 3 days after this happened. Drilled 3
holes where the water marks are, and nothing came out, although it was
noticably soft.

Shame it's not the summer, but I'm sure it'll dry out.

Thanks

D

In an earlier contribution to this discussion,
David Hearn wrote:


Well, the ceiling is still up, 3 days after this happened. Drilled 3
holes where the water marks are, and nothing came out, although it was
noticably soft.

Shame it's not the summer, but I'm sure it'll dry out.

Thanks

D

Allow it to dry completely before trying to paint it. Then use an oil-based
paint first, to cover up any brown stains before painting with emulsion. If
you just use emulsion, the stains will show through. You can buy proper
stain-block paint - but white oil-based undercoat is just as good.
--
Cheers,
Set Square
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