Leak in attic

Britannia12345

I had a leak fixed in the attic just over a week ago. A pipe had sprung a leak and the plumber fixed it. There was no water dripping into the bedroom {the plumber only found the leak because the boiler was losing pressure) and I didn't think much more of it until tonight when I noticed the plasterboard and artex ceiling in my bedroom is sagging slightly and went up to the attic to have a look.
Where the leak was the plasterboard underneath is sopping wet. I've pulled all the insulation away from it so it can dry out but after googling the problem I've been met with loads of articles about mould spores growing and needing the ceiling repairing.
Is it as bad as it sounds? Or can I get away with trying to dry out the ceiling? 
Pictures to follow. 

ButterCheese

The problem with drying stuff out is that the water vapour has to go somewhere.  Attics can be bad for mould etc because there are no windows or doors for the damp air to escape, and no through draft to circulate the air.  Stale air and moisture leads to mould and damp.  You need to find a way of a) circulating the air and b) letting the damp from the plasterboard get out.  I would suggest a fan or dehumidifier (or both) placed behind the damp section and blowing out towards the loft hatch which you'll want to keep open.  Also get as much air through the house as you can, I know it is not ideal in these kinds of temperatures.

Keep an eye on it (inspect every week for the next few weeks).  Plasterboard does dry out eventually but can go mouldy if it's not dried out quick enough.

Then in a few months you'll know if it's ok or if you need to replace the plasterboard sections

Britannia12345

Thankyou 🙂

FreeBear

Britannia12345 said: Where the leak was the plasterboard underneath is sopping wet. I've pulled all the insulation away from it so it can dry out but after googling the problem I've been met with loads of articles about mould spores growing and needing the ceiling repairing.

Mould requires moisture to grow. Dry the area out, and the mould dies out - If you are really concerned, give the area a light spray of dilute bleach and leave it to dry.

With the ceiling having a noticeable sag, it suggests that the plasterboard has lost some of its structural integrity. It is not likely to collapse any time soon, so I'd wait for the weather to improve. Later in the year (say May onwards), contact a plasterer with a view to having the affected area cut out, reboarded, and skimmed. A decent plasterer will be booked up for several months, but I wouldn't consider this ceiling an urgent job.

Britannia12345

Cheers - I had visions of the ceiling collapsing overnight 🤨

ThisIsWeird

Britannia12345 said:

I had a leak fixed in the attic just over a week ago. A pipe had sprung a leak and the plumber fixed it. There was no water dripping into the bedroom {the plumber only found the leak because the boiler was losing pressure) and I didn't think much more of it until tonight when I noticed the plasterboard and artex ceiling in my bedroom is sagging slightly and went up to the attic to have a look.
Where the leak was the plasterboard underneath is sopping wet. I've pulled all the insulation away from it so it can dry out but after googling the problem I've been met with loads of articles about mould spores growing and needing the ceiling repairing.
Is it as bad as it sounds? Or can I get away with trying to dry out the ceiling? 
Pictures to follow. 

Is this your own property? Ie, fully up to you to sort?!

Three basic approaches; 

(1) Insurance claim, but you'll pay excess, and probably increased premiums. 

(2) Do as FreeBear says and remove the insulation above the ceiling, certainly mop up any obvious wet patches, and allow it to dry - if you have a fan, set it to slow gentle cold breeze across it. Then contact a plasterer. Or, since you'll be getting a plasterer in any case, might as well do it now - get the job done asap and get back to normal. This should be around the £ew-£undred mark. I suspect plasterers won't be that busy at this cold time of year? No harm in calling 2 or 3 recommended plasterers out to quote, and then you'll know if you want to go this route. 

(3) Do what I would do - get a prop and a piece of board, and gently press that wee bulge flat. Expose the p'board in the loft above, and let it dry as before. When it's visibly dry in the loft, remove the prop. Don't be shocked if there's mould under your prop/board - it won't kill you on site (see what I did there... :-(  ) Just clean it away using sugar soap or mould killer, allow to fully dry, stain block and paint. Minimal cost. But you'd have to be happy with a pole in your bedroom (missus!)

We'll see how bad it is when you post photos.

FreeBear

Britannia12345 said: Cheers - I had visions of the ceiling collapsing overnight 🤨

Looks like you may have lining paper on the ceiling - If this is the case, it could just be the adhesive has given way and the plasterboard behind is fine. Give it a poke with a finger and see if the bulge can be pushed up with minimal effort. Should it just be the paper detaching, strip the whole lot off and redecorate over the summer.

Albermarle

ButterCheese said:

The problem with drying stuff out is that the water vapour has to go somewhere.  Attics can be bad for mould etc because there are no windows or doors for the damp air to escape, and no through draft to circulate the air.  Stale air and moisture leads to mould and damp.  You need to find a way of a) circulating the air and b) letting the damp from the plasterboard get out.  I would suggest a fan or dehumidifier (or both) placed behind the damp section and blowing out towards the loft hatch which you'll want to keep open.  Also get as much air through the house as you can, I know it is not ideal in these kinds of temperatures.

Keep an eye on it (inspect every week for the next few weeks).  Plasterboard does dry out eventually but can go mouldy if it's not dried out quick enough.

Then in a few months you'll know if it's ok or if you need to replace the plasterboard sections

What you say is correct, but I would just respond to this comment - and no through draft to circulate the air. 
That may well be the case in some roofs, but it should not be like that. The roof space should have vents to allow fresh air to flow through.

OP - Once you have moved the insulation etc probably worth checking that the leak has actually stopped, just in case....

TuppenceHapenny

Do you know if the artex is the type that has asbestos in it? If it does you might want to be cautious about doing anything to disturb it.

Britannia12345

ThisIsWeird said:

Britannia12345 said:

I had a leak fixed in the attic just over a week ago. A pipe had sprung a leak and the plumber fixed it. There was no water dripping into the bedroom {the plumber only found the leak because the boiler was losing pressure) and I didn't think much more of it until tonight when I noticed the plasterboard and artex ceiling in my bedroom is sagging slightly and went up to the attic to have a look.
Where the leak was the plasterboard underneath is sopping wet. I've pulled all the insulation away from it so it can dry out but after googling the problem I've been met with loads of articles about mould spores growing and needing the ceiling repairing.
Is it as bad as it sounds? Or can I get away with trying to dry out the ceiling? 
Pictures to follow. 

Is this your own property? Ie, fully up to you to sort?!

Three basic approaches; 

(1) Insurance claim, but you'll pay excess, and probably increased premiums. 

(2) Do as FreeBear says and remove the insulation above the ceiling, certainly mop up any obvious wet patches, and allow it to dry - if you have a fan, set it to slow gentle cold breeze across it. Then contact a plasterer. Or, since you'll be getting a plasterer in any case, might as well do it now - get the job done asap and get back to normal. This should be around the £ew-£undred mark. I suspect plasterers won't be that busy at this cold time of year? No harm in calling 2 or 3 recommended plasterers out to quote, and then you'll know if you want to go this route. 

(3) Do what I would do - get a prop and a piece of board, and gently press that wee bulge flat. Expose the p'board in the loft above, and let it dry as before. When it's visibly dry in the loft, remove the prop. Don't be shocked if there's mould under your prop/board - it won't kill you on site (see what I did there... :-(  ) Just clean it away using sugar soap or mould killer, allow to fully dry, stain block and paint. Minimal cost. But you'd have to be happy with a pole in your bedroom (missus!)

We'll see how bad it is when you post photos.

😂😂😂😂 off down the diy shop for a prop then. it's all solid when you prod it (no sniggering at the back!) so i'll try propping and see how we get on 😸