Leak on bathroom ceiling under flat roof

bearclaws

Hi everyone. I’ve just bought my first house and we’re experiencing a leak that has grown over the week in the ground floor bathroom. It’s a single storey extension so directly above the bathroom is a flat roof. When we first viewed the house, they had been doing work on the ceiling where the leak is now, so it had all been recently replastered and now this has appeared.   

The previous homeowner claimed they had a new fibreglass roof installed 3 months ago. There are no obvious holes/cracks on the roof from our inspection. We think rain might be getting under from the side where the roof connects to the wall because there’s a slight gap and the timber underneath is wet. We’re in Wales so lockdown until November 9th and the roofers I’ve called are only really coming out for emergencies... Is there something we can buy to install ourselves to stop rain getting in?

Or could it be a plumbing problem? How do I tell?

I’ve attached a pic of the leak. Any ideas? I’m a FTB so a little lost and any advice would be appreciated. Is there anything I can do from the inside to stop it getting worse?

SaverRate

Thats the first time I have seen coving in a bathroom!! Try a different roofer? Surely if the roof was renewed 3 months ago there should be some form of warranty?

grumbler

can it the shower pipe leaking?

bearclaws

HarryDavies01 said:

Thats the first time I have seen coving in a bathroom!! Try a different roofer? Surely if the roof was renewed 3 months ago there should be some form of warranty?

I’ve contacted the previous homeowner for the roofing person’s details, the guy who lived here is a plasterer so I’m hoping it wasn’t just done by a mate and there might be a guarantee in place. If it doesn’t go anywhere I’ll keep calling people.

bearclaws

grumbler said:

can it the shower pipe leaking?

This is what I thought too - the showers old so I’ve bought a new one but I don’t think I’ll be able to get it fitted until the lockdown is over, but I can try calling around some plumbers to see. 

Hasbeen

bearclaws said:

Hi everyone. I’ve just bought my first house and we’re experiencing a leak that has grown over the week in the ground floor bathroom. It’s a single storey extension so directly above the bathroom is a flat roof. When we first viewed the house, they had been doing work on the ceiling where the leak is now, so it had all been recently replastered and now this has appeared.   

The previous homeowner claimed they had a new fibreglass roof installed 3 months ago. There are no obvious holes/cracks on the roof from our inspection. We think rain might be getting under from the side where the roof connects to the wall because there’s a slight gap and the timber underneath is wet. We’re in Wales so lockdown until November 9th and the roofers I’ve called are only really coming out for emergencies... Is there something we can buy to install ourselves to stop rain getting in?

Or could it be a plumbing problem? How do I tell?

I’ve attached a pic of the leak. Any ideas? I’m a FTB so a little lost and any advice would be appreciated. Is there anything I can do from the inside to stop it getting worse?

First remedy to try would be to seal the gap. Waterproof sealant / mastic gun. New roof should have no gaps.
Second would be to cut out plaster board ceiling with stanley knife to see where leak is, perhaps from the cold water pipe shown?

neilmcl

bearclaws said:

Hi everyone. I’ve just bought my first house and we’re experiencing a leak that has grown over the week in the ground floor bathroom. It’s a single storey extension so directly above the bathroom is a flat roof. When we first viewed the house, they had been doing work on the ceiling where the leak is now, so it had all been recently replastered and now this has appeared.   

The previous homeowner claimed they had a new fibreglass roof installed 3 months ago. There are no obvious holes/cracks on the roof from our inspection. We think rain might be getting under from the side where the roof connects to the wall because there’s a slight gap and the timber underneath is wet. We’re in Wales so lockdown until November 9th and the roofers I’ve called are only really coming out for emergencies... Is there something we can buy to install ourselves to stop rain getting in?

Or could it be a plumbing problem? How do I tell?

I’ve attached a pic of the leak. Any ideas? I’m a FTB so a little lost and any advice would be appreciated. Is there anything I can do from the inside to stop it getting worse?

Could be the roof but the leak also looks suspiciously close to the water pipe for that electric shower. 

Jeepers_Creepers

Hi Bearclaws.

If you aren't, yourself, clued up enough to judge whether it's a fault in the roof - and how many people are? - then I suggest you do need someone to have a look at this from the outside first. That person doesn't have to come anywhere near people inside your house. You just want to know if the roof has been done correctly, or if there is a potential issue where, say, the GRP hasn't been brought down properly over the fascia boards or suchlike.  

At the moment it's a 50:50 chance of being that shower pipe - which presumably runs along inside the celling - or the roof.

If you really cannot get anyone in, then can you turn off the water supply to your shower - there is hopefully an isolating valve somewhere before the pipe runs along the ceiling! If there isn't, then one really needs fitting...

If you can turn off that supply for a few days, it might help to ID the source. Mind you, the rain could ease off at the same time... :-(

neilmcl

I'd want to take that cornicing down to see if the pipe was damaged when it was fitted or when the ceiling was plastered. Personally I wouldn't have cornicing in a bathroom anyway.

bearclaws

Thanks for all your suggestions everyone. Seeing as it’s 50/50 for roof or pipe, I’ve booked a plumber to come today to take a look and I’ll work on getting a roofer round too. Trying to get the previous roofer’s details at the moment. 

neilmcl said:

I'd want to take that cornicing down to see if the pipe was damaged when it was fitted or when the ceiling was plastered. Personally I wouldn't have cornicing in a bathroom anyway.

Interesting about the coving - as a FTB it’s not something I ever thought about. Why don’t people want it in the bathroom, out of interest?

neilmcl

bearclaws said:

Interesting about the coving - as a FTB it’s not something I ever thought about. Why don’t people want it in the bathroom, out of interest?

Mainly due to aesthetics, it doesn't tend to look very neat particularly when you have tiled walls, as most bathrooms do, and tbh coving looks very outdated these days anyway.