My flat is only 5 years old. So I expect most things to work well. One patch on my bathroom floor seems to be consistently damp. I didn’t notice for a long time as I have tiles on floor and the tiles aren’t damp. But for the last few months I have noticed that the grouting in this area is always damp and dark coloured. Even after I use paper towel to soak up the dampness, it still remains moist, if I stand on the tiles in this damp area, a little moisture rises out from the grout. This doesn’t happen in the rest of the bathroom.
The area is about 2 foot square between the toilet and the wall. I have thought that maybe this area just retains the water from when I mop my bathroom floor once a week. There is no window in my bathroom and the door is usually closed. Most of the bathroom floor dries in 30 mins after a mop, but maybe there is no air circulating to this area, maybe thats why it never dries. But that doesn’t seem likely to me. The area seems like the wood (or whatever it is) beneath the tiles is soaked through.
I have checked to see if the soil pipe or bath is leaking. I can see no leaks. Does anyone know what this can be? I don’t really care if my bathroom floor is damp. But Im terrified of being charged for damage to another flat. I live on the third floor. Last month my boiler leaked and I had to pay £350 insurance excess to the flat below. I cannot afford this, it cleaned me out. Im scared that something in my bathroom could be leaking and will damage the flat below and I will have to pay again. Could the damp patch on my bathroom floor indicate a leak under my bathroom floor? Im guessing water doesn’t rise, but Im not sure.
I forgot to mention that the sink in my bathroom is blocked, it has been for 6 months. I just stopped using it as I cannot afford a plumber. I wonder if this is connected. Maybe water is sitting in a pipe rather than draining away and its leaked.
creviazuk- I have no kids / husband / boyfriend, so its not that.
Paul B- the leak I had before was from my boiler, thats why I had to pay. I think it would be very expensive to look under the floor as I have ceramic tiles and I think there is wood under that, so I imagine all that would have to be ripped up. But no doubt it will have to be done at some point.
char b- Thanks for the advice. I am the owner of the flat unfortunately.
Get the kids / husband / boyfriend to pee straight!
The big clue was that this patch is “between the toilet and the wall”. Look at your toilet tank – you’ll probably see condensation on the outside of it. It will periodically condense enough that you have water dripping from your toilet tank to the floor. Not so much that you see the drips happening, or see water pooling (though I sometimes have). For me, it happens certain times of year more often than others. When the water inside the tank is much cooler than the air outside it, in the room. So just like a glass of ice tea in the summer, humidity condenses on the outside of the glass, or tank, and drips down.
Not much you can do to stop the law of physics, but you can get a terry cloth tank cover, which will absorb the condensation before it drips down. I have to use one myself parts of the year, or I can wet spots on the floor, too.
I dont understand why you had to pay anybody anything when you dont even know where the water is coming from.Its not as if its intentional damage.It sound like you could have a leak under the floorboards Im not sure you could get a plumber to have a look but i dont know how much that would cost or even if you could afford a plumber
could be a bad seal with the wax seal on the bottom of the toilet
or shower walls or door could be leaking. If there is that much water under your tile im sure it is making its way down stairs. There could be installation between the floors which is not wet. You could have a mold problem too. Dont let this go. If you have another bathroom stop using it.
1: Check the tank on your toilet, where it is bolted to the bowl. Look very carefully, as its hard to see clear water on white china.
2: Dry area all around the base of the toilet. Then flush it once or twice. Using a dry paper towel, lay it flat at the base of the toilet. If you see wet spots on the paper towel, they the toilet needs to be reseated, with a new wax ring.
3: There could also be a hair-line fracture crack in the porcelain. The best way to find it is rub some dirt around the bowl and the tank. The dust or dirt will will bring up the crack if there is one.
4: If you have a shower stall, check that the shower door is properly sealed, when it is closed.
5: Also check your tub, that water is not running of to the side.
Checking the tank for condensation is the first and easiest thing to do. If you’re looking for water seeping from the tank or from under the toilet, I advise you get some of that stuff that turns the water blue. If it’s leaking anywhere below the tank, you’ll see the color in the damp spot. You should also check the water inlet to the toilet. It usually has a shut off valve to stop water from going into the toilet. Dry it off and check it again in a hour. If you can eliminate the toilet as the source of the leak, it’s time to move on to the shower/tub. Several things can cause a tub to leak. The pipes that feed it, the faucet, the drain, or the surround can all be suspects.
I don’t understand why you had you pay for a leaking boiler. If the boiler is provided by the building’s owner, its failure isn’t your fault. Likewise, if the plumbing is faulty, the owner of the property responsible for its repair, or pay for any damages it might cause.