Orange patch on bathroom ceiling

[DayTripper]

Hi everyone,

The other day, I noticed a relatively small (about 6”x 3”) orangey coloured patch had appeared on our white bathroom ceiling - quite close to the centre of the room.

I got the step ladders out and wiped it away with a damp cloth, but it has since appeared to come back...

Any ideas what this might be? The bathroom ceiling is below our insulated loft space and we live in a Victorian terrace.

 

[footprints]

Try cleaning with an anti mould treatment and ventilate the bathroom well after use, it sounds like mould / bacterial growth from condensation. We have it from time to time in the shower enclosure.

 

[DayTripper]

Try cleaning with an anti mould treatment and ventilate the bathroom well after use, it sounds like mould / bacterial growth from condensation. We have it from time to time in the shower enclosure.

I've lived in a property before where there was a bit of black mould problem on the bathroom ceiling, but I've never come across this orangey-rusty colour before. Is that the colour of the mould you are experiencing?

There is a ceiling extractor fan right over the shower, which is one side of the bathroom and we always open the window, which is on the opposite side of the room. The room has seemed to get quite humid particularly during the colder spells.

 

[JohnD]

orange mould often grows on shower curtains that are frequently wet. I think I hear it feeds on soap residue.

An extractor fan works best if the door and window are shut

if the window is open the fan can suck air that comes in through the window, instead of clearing the room.

in still air, water vapour, which is lighter than air, will rise towards the ceiling so the fan can take it. Cool dry air entering through the gap under the door will stratify beneath it, and rise up to fill the room as the warm moist air is extracted.

Check that the insulation covers the ceiling without gaps; and that steam is not rising through the holes in the ceiling for lamps, cables or pipes and making the insulation wet.