Chipboard floorboards and damp

[TSM99]

I live in a 3 story house built in 1996. We have a large open plan kitchen on the middle floor which includes a peninsula. The joists are strong and numerous and covered with chipboard fllorboards (I should have replaced them at time of the refurb 5 years ago, but didn't). On top of the chipboard is in an attractive thick solid wood slotted floor board and the kitchen units are mounted on this. About 2.5 years ago the fridge leaked (several times - boring story). The top layer of solid boards warped a little in front of the fridge - and also several meters away along the edge of the peninsula. The leak was stopped and the warp corrected itself - thankfully. That happened 3 times (yeah, yeah!) and then I replaced the fridge. No more leaking. My problem is this. At the time of the leaks, I also noticed a slight sogginess to my footing in the areas most effected. I figured the chipboard beneath had lost some of its integrity. Now - 2.5 years later, I get the sense that the loss of integrety has spread somewhat. My question is whether that is possible. What is/was actually going on in that chipboard? There is no easy way to lift the boards to inspect. There is also no sign if dryrot.

 

[Doggit]

Can you get hold of an inspection camera, and find somewhere to drill that's not going to be seen, under a nearby kitchen unit.

Was it P5 chipboard, or the ordinary stuff.

 

[TSM99]

It would not be possible to get a camera in to the trouble spots without drilling a visible hole. I'm not sure what P5 is, but Im pretty sure it was regular crummy chipboard...

 

[Doggit]

P5 is water resistant, so a lot more durable with leaks. It's unlikely to be dry rot, but if the chipboards got wet and crumbled, then the area that weakened could now be getting bigger due to wear and ear. As it's first floor, could you push an inspection camera up from the ground floor. Aldi did one a few months ago for about £40, but you might be able to hire one. It'd only need a 10mm hole, and that can be filled afterwards, but it looks as though at some point in the future, you're going to have to consider some remedial action.

 

[TSM99]

Thanks Doggit - yes, inspection from the living room ceiling below is a possibility, though I suspect it might be half a dozen holes or so, given the number of joists. I think my main concern was whether there might be something biological that was slowly spreading - seemed unlikely, but still... A mechanical spread is still a problem, but less so since I imagine it will tend to stop at the boundaries between chipboard sheets at the joists. I think I will just keep an eye - err, foot - on it for now. £40 for an inspection camera sounds like a good idea...

 

[John D v2.0]

Agreed with the way you're going, it could just be water that's unable to escape. One possible solution if the water is still in there soaking through the boards would be cut a hole in the ceiling somewhere and point a fan through the hole. I used an old cooker hood fan for this kind of thing. Then with a few weeks of warm weather you might be able to dry them out from underneath.

 

[vinn]

Dont go cutting holes in your ceiling - supply a little more info please.

First post photos of the kitchen area of sogginess.

Is the new fridge installed in the old fridge's slot?
Did the old F/F or the new one have an ice maker?
Does the peninsula contain a sink?

Is the finished flooring solid wood or laminate?

 

[foxhole]

Mistake on top of mistake on top of mistake, kitchen should not be on top of timber flooring which should not be installed in a Kitchen( as you found with the leak). Chipboard once wet looses integrity ( not that it has a Lot to start with.)
Rip it out and replace . All a camera will tell you is it's ruined, which you already know.