bathroom condensation plastic wall coverings

[neilstait70]

no tank in loft
condensing boiler in kitchen
all pipes in loft checked
no damage to bathroom ceiling
only work done on central heating was radiator removed from bathroom and towel rail put in same position
no damage to any ceilings downstairs

help

 

[wreckedit]

Well this is a tough one.

Are your gutters working correctly?

Since you have satisfied yourself that there are no leaks anywhere to be seen or gaps in the roof. I would suggest you have your domestic and central heating water pipes pressure tested.

The link below goes on about safety in pressure testing, but the amount of air being used in a water filled system is so small it is not an issue.


http://www.ultimatehandyman.co.uk/forum1/pressure-testing-pipe-work-t10082.html

The problems with domestic supplies is the leakage past the supply tap otherwise all you need do is measure the pressure drop in an already pressurized system.

If you have a sealed system on your central heating the gauge will tell you if there is a leak.

 

[neilstait70]

The central heating has been tested and is only two years old

The insurance company will not accept it may be condensation but when I returned to the bathroom there is a tide mark around the closed door, the toliet paper was crispy like it had been wet and then dried and there was a line of condensation drips on the plastic above the window. The window sill also had moisture that had dried showing on it, this item is also plastic.

The ceiling which has not yet been painted showed no signs of damage the floor has been lined with plywood and has no damage

help

 

[wreckedit]

Sounds like you had a flood.

If you are now certain there are no leaks then you will need to dry out all the surfaces use dehumidifiers, fans, ventilation and heat but it may take time since you've covered all the walls.

 

[neilstait70]

If I had a flood where did the water come from. There are no leaking pipes , no leak in the roof, no wet ceiling, no wet floors
No problems with the central heating

I have come back today and I have a large window that takes 2/3 of the one wall and the sun is hitting the window (it is south facing) and it is very warm by the window the plaster on the ceiling which is still not painted has very slight moist marks on it.

I still believe it is due to condensation from the plastic in the room, i think the only way around it is to put a blind at the window a thermostat on the towel rail and never close the room up fully

 

[wreckedit]

If you got yourself a dehumidifier in a closed room and found it was making water then it is drying it out. With luck it will eventually stop making water.
If it doesn't your problem still exists.

 

[JohnD]

I still believe it is due to condensation from the plastic in the room,

condensation is water.

plastic does not make water.

water enters the room through pipe leaks, or roof leaks, or window leaks, or possibly by someone leaving a tap on and not admitting it.

Fresh plaster and concrete are also made with a large amount of water that dries out over time, but you did not mention new plaster.

 

[neilstait70]

The plaster was 'solid' for about 4 weeks before i left the room sealed up could this be the problem

 

[wreckedit]

Yes, it is possible. if you can get to places with a damp detector that might tell you something.

If you don't have a damp detector an electrical multimeter can help.
set on M ohms. Practice the test on exposed damp and dry wall.

You only need to drill very small holes about 25mm apart through the plastic for the probes or use nails.

A drop in resistance will tell you if there is water there.

I have no idea what reading you should get but a damp detector works in a very similar way.

I have just tried it on some damp paper and it worked.

 

[neilstait70]

I have a shower that has a fitting that mists the water as I have not painted the ceiling and the plaster is still 'plaster colour' is it possible that the ceiling has absorbed the water over the 2 week period before I went on holiday when I was using the shower then this moisture has exited the plaster in the week when the room was shut up

 

[wreckedit]

Maybe, we got there in the end. Pity, you should have said about the uncovered plaster on the ceiling early on because it can act like a sponge.

 

[neilstait70]

So could this be the cause

would it have come out of the ceiling when the room was closed up

 

[wreckedit]

Spray the ceiling with water and see what happens!

 

[chappers]

sorry can't really shed any more light than has already been said .But that is one hell of a lot of water to damage an electrical fitting, leave your bog roll soaked, leave atide mark on the door and cause damage downstairs, but if you are sure that there definitely isn't a leak and the problem isnot reoccuring then it must have been either moisture coming from your ceiling or spilt/standing water drying out.But would have thought that anyh water from your plastered ceing would have been driven up into your loft space.

 

[neilstait70]

Ok what happens when you put a heat into a sealed container then turn the heat off and it cools

The moisture in the air hits a colder surface and condensation forms then repeat the cycle

This is what I believe happened as the towel rail does not have a thermostatic control