Any idea whats happening to the plaster?

dontmess666

Does anyone recognise the following symptoms on my plastered walls? It appears to exhibit patches of dampness where the top layer is flaking away? Its an internal wall with bathroom behind it, but not sure why any damp would localised and there is no evidence of any moisture on opposing side of wall?

Doozergirl

That's clear evidence of a leak, to me. 

You say bathroom, but what exactly is on the other side of the wall?  

rob7475

definitely looks like a leak. I'd put money on their either being a shower on the other side or pipework running up the cavity if it's a stud wall.

dontmess666

There's nothing directly on opposing side. Shower is along the same wal but further along, and there aren't any pipes to my knowledge. The wall is solid not stud also.
There is a towel radiator I think in the room directly above. I'm starting to think its probably leaking, although pipework is running in the walls behind tiles so hard to be sure.

rob7475

Are you on a combi boiler for your heating? If so, have you noticed the pressure dropping regularly? That would indicate a possible leak within the heating system somewhere

dontmess666

Good shout. Yes there has beena very slow and gradual drop in pressure.

FreeBear

dontmess666 said: There is a towel radiator I think in the room directly above. I'm starting to think its probably leaking, although pipework is running in the walls behind tiles so hard to be sure.

Copper or plastic pipework ?

Copper pipe buried in a wall is never a good idea unless it is sleeved and have no joints. Plaster and cement (including tile adhesive) will attack copper and eventually cause pinholes to appear - Can also happen if the plumber's flux isn't cleaned off.

rob7475

dontmess666 said:

Good shout. Yes there has beena very slow and gradual drop in pressure.

sounds like you've got a slight leak somewhere in the pipework around that wall. It's a long shot, but you could try something like the below:
https://www.screwfix.com/p/fernox-f4-central-heating-leak-sealer-500ml/45902
The only way you'll know if it's worked is if the boiler stops losing pressure. It's probably going to take a while for that wall to dry out and will more than likely need the plaster stripping and re-doing. 
If the pipes are accessible without too much hassle, I'd be looking to locate the leak and replace the pipework. The above sealer "may" give you a temporary fix though.

dontmess666

Thanks. I've tried Sentinel leak sealer in the past which has probably slowed it down but not stopped it altogether. I probably need to get to the pipes, from memory its barrier pipe joined onto copper where its exposed.

Homer_home

Any chance of a pic of the entire height of the wall?

Having had similar leaks in the past and knowing it's unusual to put a joint in pipe buried in a wall unless at the very bottom , the leak might be further up and not in the wall at all

So before you start hacking at your wall check your loft for signs of a leak and floorboards too