Bathroom possibly leaking

We bought a two storey house and on the building report there was a 5% moisture reading on the ceiling below the en-suite bathroom. The inspector said it could be an issue but they couldn’t say for sure, we may need to re-waterproof.

We’ve been here a week and we have noticed a musty smell coming from the en-suite bathroom so we are thinking it probably is leaking, guessing previous owners noticed the issue and used the other bathrooms instead, hence the low moisture reading.

Anyway is our first step to get a plumber out? The building inspector said we could probably just get the shower re-tiled and waterproofed, but realistically are we probably looking at a bathroom renovation? Any insight would be appreciated.

 

Is there trace of mould? or clean up of previous mould? That would be a good indicator of mould that was previous known and cleaned but not addressed.

How old is the ensuite? If it is in need of a renovation I would address the leak and move in the direction of a new ensuite seeing as the damage could be extensive requiring, perhaps a wall or sections of the wall and floor tiles requiring remediation.

Start with a 'trusted' plumber.. quotes the usual common sense process.

Edit: If the odour is mild, could also be ventilation. you mentioned upstairs ensuite, check ceiling ventilation if any too.

 

Equilibrium Moisture Content of many materials in a house (eg timber, concrete) is 12%

Open up the ceiling to inspect if you suspect a leak.

 

No traces of mold but the ceiling below the en-suite indicates water damage, which is why the building inspector tested it (see pic). Not sure how old the bathroom is, I’d guess around ten years but I’m really guessing. Everything looks in good condition in the bathroom, no cracked tiles or anything. There’s no window in the en-suite either.

 

Is this ceiling below the top floor roof-line..
If it is then employ a lic-plumber ,first pressure test the system that way you tick that off the list..
Then have the plumber check above the water damage and Roof it may well be leaking for years..

Then as i know what will happen with the water damage in the image and you would not want to be standing under that if the roof leaks in a massive down-pour and the whole grid comes down..imho..

 

No it’s directly underneath the en-suite bathroom.

 

No trace of visible mould, but that can easily be masked.. (light spray of bleach kills mould)

The damage is quite obvious and depending on the level of water exposure could be severe. Good thing is it appears to be gathering at a single point and is not evenly distributed which would be a nightmare to find the source.

My guess would be to remove the section of the ceiling, address the leak and replaster the ceiling. Ensuites generally do not take up a lot of room, say 4-6m2 and patch work of that sort would only entail a single plasterboard sheet. The leak is another story, could be a loose plumbing, defect/cracked pipe or severe, your guess is good as mine..

Without looking at the fittings/fixtures of the ensuite can't deduce the age, but looking at the LED down lights which is still 'new' one could agree the age to be sub 10 years.

Damage is there, plumber would open the ceiling and go from there..

 

Seeing as the ensuite is directly above, can you guess if the leak/damaged area is underneath the relief drain (usually in front of the vanity near the door) or underneath the shower drain?

Not a plumber, just a curious individual imagining the layout.

Also, is the affected ceiling part of another wet area or is it the living area?

 

So there is another floor above this level..?..

Btw,as i have looked at several units recently for one of the daughters this year.

4 out of the six all had water damage ,some that bad the rooms on both sides of the bathroom the walls were black with mould and all they did was put a bookcase in front of the wall that was falling apart..

All the agents say when you say come and look at this and can i move the book case
That's nothing just needs a re-paint ..fmd..

 

I’d be guessing.

I have a plumber coming today to have a look.

Yes Williar.

 

Best of luck, keep us posted of the outcome.

 

Firstly, have a plumber ascertain whether there is a waterproofing problem under the shower hob. Quite often no waterproofing membrane has been added in the initial construction. Sad, but often true.
Secondly, bleach does not kill mould! This is a fallacy.
It simply masks it, only to have the mould return.

 

Have her/him cut out the ceiling below the leak so they can inspect and fix if it's a leaky trap or pipe.

 

Bathroom isn’t leaking. So a two holes were previously cut in the ceiling, likely when the bathrooms were renovated to do the new plumbing, and the ceiling just wasn’t sanded back very well to make it match the exisiting ceiling.

He was able to look through a hole in the ceiling (which we thought was an air con vent!) and all looks good. He said not to worry unless the ceiling discolours. The musty smell we smelled this morning was because they’ve waterproofed under the tiles but not on top as well, which isn’t an issue for underneath but makes the bathrooms more vulnerable to mould. So he said to make sure we ventilate well.

Such a relief!

 

How does one waterproof on top of the tiles in a bathroom?