Leak above ceiling - joists need repairing/replacing?

[daisy12345]

Hi all, first thanks to those of you who've replied to my humidity issue post. Glad to report that the humidity has dropped to around 65% now that I've turned up the heating. The dehumidifier has just arrived too which should help further.

Now I need to address one of the causes of the humidity in my kitchen - a leak from a pipe above the ceiling. The leak has been fixed by the plumber, but the joists next to it still feel damp in the bottom half, and worse still, have turned into black colour. We don't know how long the leak was there for (just small drips from a crack in the pipe), but I've attached the photos to assess the damage of the joists.

Do I need to replace the joists please (and if so, is it possible to do it from underneath, i.e. not by ripping up my newly tiled bathroom floor above)? Or can I get it repaired somehow please?

As usual, any advice/comments would be much appreciated!

 

[JohnD]

get the joists dry first. The black is probably mildew or similar (unless it is stained by a leak from central heating pipes) Scrape away any covering such as plaster or paint.

Plenty of airflow will encourage drying. Even an ordinary domestic room fan.

you can test the soundness of wood by probing it with a flat-ended* screwdriver of medium size. Press hard. It will penetrate into rotten or wormy wood.

*Don't use anything pointed or round because the marks it leaves will look like insect boreholes, and mislead future inspections.

 

[daisy12345]

get the joists dry first. The black is probably mildew or similar (unless it is stained by a leak from central heating pipes) Scrape away any covering such as plaster or paint.

Plenty of airflow will encourage drying. Even an ordinary domestic room fan.

you can test the soundness of wood by probing it with a flat-ended* screwdriver of medium size. Press hard. It will penetrate into rotten or wormy wood.

*Don't use anything pointed or round because the marks it leaves will look like insect boreholes, and mislead future inspections.

Thanks a lot! Will try to get it dry first then. Have put some dehumidifying boxes up there but so far haven't seen much water extracted yet. Will run the dehumidifier in there too.

 

[oldbutnotdead]

As above, plenty of air movement around them (chop the ceiling back til all the damp timber is exposed- if the timber has got wet then so has the plaster).
Looking at it i wouldn't be too alarmed- give it the screwdriver test as above when they've had a few weeks to dry out (never occured to me that a bradawl prod could be mistaken for worm, good tip that).
Worst case yes you could sister fresh timber to the sides as long as the end bearings haven't gone soft.