Search the forum,

Discuss Will leaking cause structural instability here? in the Plumbing Forum | Plumbing Advice area at PlumbersForums.net

Messages
4
Hi Plumbersforums,

I’m not a plumber, but a tenant with a possible plumbing issue. I live in a 100+ year-old walkup, and my landlord renovates apartments without a permit. A few years ago, he installed a washer/dryer in the apartment above mine, in the closet above my closet. Two days ago, I heard running water behind the walls of my closet, and then water started dripping, in very small drips, through the ceiling. The tenant said she was running the washing machine and also taking a shower, but didn’t see any water on the floor. Now there are brown water stains on mine closet ceiling, some of which I know weren’t there before this incident. There is also a long crack down and across the wall in one area, and the closet smells musty like an old water-logged cellar. I’m wondering if there is water accumulating in the walls of my closet and if there is a risk of the damp ceiling giving way under the weight of the machines. My super caulked around the washing machine, and the landlord offered to paint my closet, but nothing more. I’m sorry for posting as an interloper, but I don’t know whom else to ask if I have a serious problem here.

Thanks,
Tamara
 
Water leaks will always ultimately cause damage. To concrete, in decades. To timber, rather sooner. Wet plasterboard (US = 'drywall') won't like it if it is supporting the weight of water, but if it gets wet and then dries, it is unlikely to suffer from a one-off.

If the leak was a one-off it should all dry out and it is very unlikely that anything structural will have suffered damage. If there is ongoing leakage, then it could cause problems and also mould/humidity issues.

If it's any reassurance, British houses often have timber first floors with plasterboard ceilings hiding the joists from below, and our bathrooms are often upstairs. Mostly, our bathroom floors are not entirely waterproof and water can occasionally be spilled. I've yet to see any serious damage ensue from a bit of splashed water. Now, if there were a steady slow leak that went undetected, that would be far more likely to cause a problem.
 
Water leaks will always ultimately cause damage. To concrete, in decades. To timber, rather sooner. Wet plasterboard (US = 'drywall') won't like it if it is supporting the weight of water, but if it gets wet and then dries, it is unlikely to suffer from a one-off.

If the leak was a one-off it should all dry out and it is very unlikely that anything structural will have suffered damage. If there is ongoing leakage, then it could cause problems and also mould/humidity issues.

If it's any reassurance, British houses often have timber first floors with plasterboard ceilings hiding the joists from below, and our bathrooms are often upstairs. Mostly, our bathroom floors are not entirely waterproof and water can occasionally be spilled. I've yet to see any serious damage ensue from a bit of splashed water. Now, if there were a steady slow leak that went undetected, that would be far more likely to cause a problem.
 
Thanks for your comprehensive answer. What do you make of the sounds of running water I heard in the closet? It sounded like water flowing into a tub, it was that strong (and eerie). At least some (and perhaps all) of the stains on the ceiling and wall appeared only after this incident, and not in the spot where it was leaking (which was relatively minimal). There is also a strong smell of mildew, which wafts into my apartment when the closet door is open. Wouldn’t all this indicate that water is trapped above my closet ceiling? That’s what I’m worried about.
 
My super applied caulking upstairs, so if I don't see more wet spots, I'll assume the problem has been resolved. Thanks for your help.
 

Reply to Will leaking cause structural instability here? in the Plumbing Forum | Plumbing Advice area at PlumbersForums.net

Creating content since 2001. Untold Media.

OFFICIAL SPONSORS

OFFICIAL SPONSORS

Back
Top
AdBlock Detected

We get it, advertisements are annoying!

Sure, ad-blocking software does a great job at blocking ads, but it also blocks useful features of our website. For the best site experience please disable your AdBlocker.

I've Disabled AdBlock