What to do if the stretch ceiling is flooded

Will the stretch ceiling save from flooding

As it became clear, the stretch ceiling can withstand a lot of water, but not under all conditions it is able to save the room. First you need to understand what affects the strength of the structure in a particular situation:

• The presence of welds that manufacturers use to connect PVC films in the case of a large area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe room or combining different colors and textures.
• The quality and professionalism of the installation. For example, the master can stretch the canvas smaller than required, because of which, if water enters, it will experience more stress than the manufacturer provides.
• Room size. With a quality mounting system, this factor will not matter more, as the weight will be distributed. But a poorly fixed baguette in a large room will take on a more serious load.
• Thickness and quality of the material. As a rule, the film of domestic manufacturers is thicker and has a higher tensile strength, due to which it can withstand more weight.

But even in the case when the canvas was used reliably, and the installation was performed by a qualified specialist, the likelihood of flooding still remains. And that's why:

1. In almost any room there are many sharp edges and corners that a dense water bubble can hit and immediately burst. Open doors and chandelier edges are especially dangerous because they are closest to the ceiling.
2. If the bulk of the water begins to accumulate in the place of the weld, then the strength of the structure will decrease sharply, since this fragment will withstand less weight than the untouched parts.
3. In the case of hot water flowing, the elasticity of the film increases markedly due to its softening, which is most likely to cause premature penetration of the liquid into the room.
4. Also dangerous are the places in the ceiling through which various communications pass. If the master did not seal these nodes well enough, then the likelihood of leakage in this particular place increases.

Some Tips

If there was a lot of water and the canvas held it for a sufficiently long period of time, then you should be prepared that after draining all the liquid, the canvas will be uneven. Where there was most of the water, a bulge appeared. To get rid of it, you should get a powerful enough hair dryer and warm up all the stretch marks of the canvas until they completely disappear.

In the bathroom, toilet and kitchen, it is best to use PVC stretch ceilings, while fabric ones practically do not hold water and absorb odors. Therefore, after the first flooding, with a high degree of probability, the canvas cannot be restored, and a new one will have to be pulled.

When installing the ceiling cloth, check with the craftsmen if they apply a special silicone sealant. It prevents water from entering the walls when the stretch ceiling is flooded. The photo shows how strong the PVC coating is and how it can stretch.

Stretch ceiling flooded, what to do

Ceilings are of great importance in the renovation of apartments, without them the rooms do not look good, they make the apartment, in general, cozy and clean, create a certain interior in the room. The ceiling of an apartment can be finished using such means as pasting wallpaper, whitewashing and plastering the ceiling, painting, and using special ceiling tiles (here is an article on how to glue tiles on the ceiling).

All this is very beautiful, but the best thing a professional craftsman can offer you is to make a suspension from a special design - plasterboard material or slabs, which is called a suspended or stretch ceiling. It is done so that the rooms have a neat and even look. When you enter a room, you most likely immediately turn your eyes to the beautiful ceiling.

Sometimes, in an apartment or house, the roof leaks during heavy rains or a strong thunderstorm outside. A neighbor's pipe may suddenly break, or they have an old battery constantly leaking, or maybe they just forgot to turn off the tap. In this case, the water will quickly seep through their floor, and hits you on the ceiling, which will only have to wish for the best.…

And what could be worse than documents or things flooded with water? The flood destroys everything in the apartment! A constructive ceiling is the most optimal solution, it can decorate the interior of the rooms and protect your apartment from forgetful and inattentive neighbors.

Stretch ceilings are the best prevention of water trouble, because they are stretched with a canvas throughout the room, and fixed around the perimeter of the room with a special type of baguette. Just a few hours of installation, and no more debris, only the beauty and comfort of the interior, as well as the updated ceilings of the apartment!

The suspended ceiling has excellent properties, it almost always remains the same as it was, in its original form, if during the draining of water it is not damaged, no matter what happens, the material is not afraid of fire, has a constant color and is waterproof, so a flood with such a ceiling at home not terrible.

What to do if the stretch ceiling is flooded

The sight of a stretch ceiling flooded with water can shock anyone. In fact, there is absolutely nothing to be afraid of. After all, if your ceiling sagged and did not tear, it means that it withstood the blow of the elements. Imagine if you didn't have stretch ceilings to hold water, what would happen to your furniture, carpets and flooring!

Your ceiling sagged, collecting all the water and keeping all your possessions intact. Therefore, all that needs to be done in such a situation is to repair it.

What to do if the stretch ceiling is flooded? This question is asked by everyone who first sees a huge bubble on the ceiling. The main thing in such a situation is not to panic and act quickly.

Step-by-step instruction

Step one. Turn off the power supply of the apartment

It is important. After all, water on the ceiling can lead to a short circuit in the wiring.

And then the consequences of an emergency can be catastrophic.

Step two. Eliminate the source of water leakage. Go up to the neighbors and together determine the cause of the accident. There can be several sources of trouble:

• Break in a water pipe.
• Break in the pipe supplying hot water.
• Breakthrough in the heating system.
• Washing machine breakdown.
• Clogged sewer.
• Roof drain accident.
• Leak in the roof (for private houses and upper floors of high-rise buildings).

It is important to eliminate the source of flooding by shutting off the water, otherwise it makes no sense to restore the flooded stretch ceiling. If the neighbors are at home, you can easily find the source of the accident

But if they are not at home, the situation becomes more complicated. In this case, it is worth calling a representative of the housing office, the police - anyone who has the authority to enter the apartment in emergency situations. In the end, you can turn off the water for the entire house or porch. After the source of trouble is eliminated, you can proceed to the next step.

If the neighbors are at home, you can easily find the source of the accident. But if they are not at home, the situation becomes more complicated. In this case, it is worth calling a representative of the housing office, the police - anyone who has the authority to enter the apartment in emergency situations. In the end, you can turn off the water for the entire house or porch. After the source of trouble is eliminated, you can proceed to the next step.

Step three. Drain the water from the flooded stretch ceiling. To do this, you need to call a team of craftsmen. Stretch ceiling specialists know how to remove water from a stretch ceiling. They will not only quickly and effectively drain water, but also clean PVC and dry walls. Dial the number of specialists, and in the meantime, support the sagging bubble with something not sharp.If the sagging ceiling rests on the sharp edges of the furniture, cover the edges with something soft. This will keep your PVC ceiling from ripping until the crew arrives on site.

Our craftsmen will remove the chandelier or built-in ceiling light and gently drain the water through the hole.

If there are no lamps on the ceiling, then they, after preheating the surface, with the help of a spatula, will remove the harpoon of the coating from the baguette and drain water from the stretch ceiling through this small hole.

Step four. Repair stretch ceiling. This is easy to do if the leaked water was cold and clean. If the water was soapy or contaminated (from a washing machine or sewer), additional cleaning of the canvas will be required. But drying the walls will be required, regardless of what water you were flooded with. Moreover, this must be done as carefully as possible, otherwise a fungus may form on the walls. Heating the PVC sheet with industrial heating hair dryers will completely restore your ceiling and return it to its original appearance.

Sometimes water takes its toll, the stretch ceiling cannot withstand the load and breaks. In such cases, you may need to Repair or Replace the stretch ceiling

Important information

Of all types of flooding, the most dangerous is flooding with water from the heating system of the house. Especially if the water is hot. It can cause irreparable damage to your PVC, so in this case you need to act as quickly as possible and eliminate both the source of the breakthrough and the water bubble in just a matter of minutes.

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What to do if the stretch ceiling is filled with water

Popular stretch ceilings, in addition to many main advantages, including aesthetic appearance, quick installation and durability, are also distinguished by their incredible strength. Such a ceiling has the ability to withstand a large amount of water on its surface (about one hundred liters of liquid per 1 square meter).

Of course, every person wants not to face such a problem as flooding. However, if a flood does occur, immediate action must be taken.

If you see the ceiling sagging under the weight of water, do not be afraid that it will burst and the water will flood the room. This will not happen. The only negative is the unaesthetic appearance of such a picture. However, as soon as the water is removed, the ceiling will return to its original shape.

First measures in case of flooding

The first step is to turn off the electricity supply to your apartment. This will allow you to carry out further work safely for you, preventing electric shock from moisture entering the socket, and also avoiding a short circuit when liquid comes into contact with electrical appliances.

Next, it is important to visit the neighbors and find out the cause of the flood, so that if necessary, call the emergency service and stop the flow of water to your apartment. After these steps, you should call the master from the stretch ceiling installation company

If this is not possible, then you will have to drain the water yourself. Especially carefully you need to rid the structure of hot water

After these steps, you should call the wizard from the stretch ceiling installation company. If this is not possible, then you will have to drain the water yourself. Especially carefully you need to rid the structure of hot water.

How to remove water from a stretch ceiling

In addition to the fact that the room must be completely de-energized, it is necessary to remove all lighting fixtures from the ceiling. Then you need to find a container into which the water will drain. After unscrewing the fixtures, holes will remain through which liquid can be removed. If possible, it is worth using a hose for faster pumping of water. When there is very little water, you need to put the container under the hole in the ceiling and pull off the film so that the remaining liquid leaves the ceiling surface.Pull the canvas gently to gently regulate the flow of water.

Bubbles formed during flooding on the ceiling cannot be pierced. Otherwise, there is a risk of spilling all the water on the floor. If your lamps are installed only on the walls, and there is no chandelier or other lighting fixtures on the ceiling, it is worth squeezing out a part of the baguette from both sides. This is done in the corner closest to the bubble. Next, you need to release the edge of the ceiling sheet from the mounting profile. By pulling this part of the structure down and thus stretching the canvas, you will ensure that the water begins to gradually overflow into the container prepared in advance.

It is important to move the bubble over the surface of the canvas as a whole and not allow it to divide into small parts. This method will help to avoid moisture retention under the canvas.

When there is no water left at all, the canvas must be heated with a heat gun. This method allows you to return the surface of the structure to its original shape without deflections. It is desirable that such work be performed by professionals.

If your ceiling is made of fabric, then you need to drain the water especially quickly, since its surface is not very elastic. Such a false ceiling is dried and, if necessary, can be painted.

If, when installing stretch ceilings in your house, the master applied silicone sealant to the joints of the ceiling and walls or strengthened the frame of the structure, this will help to avoid leakage. Thus, the walls and flooring will not be damaged.

Step by step, having completed all of the above steps, you can restore your stretch ceiling after the flood without harming it and other interior items.

How to understand that there is water in the stretch ceiling

High-quality PVC canvas holds up to 100 liters of water per 1 m². Finding out that there is a problem with the ceiling is quite simple by changing its shape. When liquid is collected from above, it gradually stretches, a large bubble forms.

PVC film is waterproof and has good holding properties. From moisture, its color does not change, it does not leak.

If cold water has entered the ceiling, but it no longer enters, and the structure is still intact, then the PVC sheet can be under pressure for quite a long time. But pumping out can be postponed for 2-3 days, no longer. Consider the following:

• with an increase in area, the load that the material can withstand decreases;
• the stronger the tension, the lower the density and strength of the web.

Therefore, although the maximum load from a good manufacturer reaches 120 l / m², it is better to focus on the minimum 70 kg per 1 sq. m.

Delay is fraught with unpleasant consequences. There is an increased risk of damage to the film when touching the edges of the lamp or other sharp objects. The sooner the water is removed and the consequences of the flood are eliminated, the better. High humidity has a bad effect on the condition of concrete floors and the microclimate of the room; fungus and mold may appear.

When the hot water supply network breaks, the accident is eliminated immediately, since irreversible consequences often occur. If the PVC film bursts, which is very likely, the apartment will suffer greatly.

How much weight can the canvas withstand according to the declared characteristics

Both fabric and PVC ceilings have their own allowable tensile limit. This is the main factor that determines the mass they are able to support.

In most cases, manufacturers promise that the material has a safety margin of about 100 kilograms per 1 m². Of course, these results were obtained in the laboratory and are very different from how the canvas behaves in each individual case, but in general, we can expect that the ceiling will definitely withstand about 60-70 liters per square meter.

It is also important to consider the thickness of the material.On average, PVC film is presented on the market from 0.15 to 0.35 mm, and, of course, the thicker it is, the more weight it can withstand.

If the neighbors flooded the room, then the canvas is highly likely to withstand the load of water, but fasteners can fail.

The harpoon system holds the weight much better than the glazing bead.

In addition, the qualification of the worker matters. If the master, for example, used short self-tapping screws, took a too uneven step when attaching the baguette and did not leave a 2-3 mm margin of film inside the profile, then the likelihood of salvation from the flood in this case will be less. The harpoon system fixes the canvas more securely, but if the frame is poorly fixed, there is a risk that the entire structure will break out.

Causes of the Flood

Let's figure out where the water could come from, since both the ways to eliminate the consequences and the options for restoring the stretch ceiling depend on it.

So, in a modern apartment, the cause of fluid leakage can be:

1. Breakthrough of a cold water supply;
2. Breakthrough hot water supply;
3. Breakthrough of the heating system (in the season and in the off-season);
4. Sewer leak;
5. Accident at the stormwater riser;
6. Washing machine accident.

As can be seen from the compiled list, the liquid that has leaked into your apartment has different temperature parameters:

1. Cold liquid (the safest);
2. Hot liquid (dangerous).

We soberly assess the situation without haste and fuss

The chemical composition of the liquid under the ceiling of your apartment also plays a role.

It could be:

1. Clean tap water;
2. Dirty rainwater from a storm drain;
3. Soapy water from the washing machine;
4. Industrial water from the heating system (the most dangerous).

We eliminate the consequences

After making sure that the causes of flooding have been eliminated, it's time to start removing the liquid from the bubble formed under the ceiling.

But first you need to decide on ways to remove the liquid. It depends on whether there are lighting devices in the design of the stretch ceiling:

1. Chandeliers;
2. Halogen spotlights;
3. Ceiling sconces, etc.

If they are, then you can use the holes in the tension fabric to install them as a place to drain the liquid. If the stretch ceiling is just a panel of PVC film, then the place to drain the liquid will be the nearest edge to the formed bubble (see Attaching a chandelier to a stretch ceiling with your own hands).

It is also necessary to stock up on the following improvised means before starting work:

1. flexible hose at least 2 meters long;
2. empty buckets with a volume of at least 8-10 liters.

Equipment for pumping water

Dismantling of lighting fixtures

If there are lamps on the stretch ceiling, then the best option for draining the accumulated liquid is to use a technological hole.

For this:

turn off the power supply in the apartment;
unscrew the lighting device (spotlight or chandelier);
we insert the end of the flexible hose into the hole so that it is immersed in a bubble of water;
we lower the free edge of the hose (bucket or plastic basin) into an empty container;
carefully pull the tension fabric towards the hole so that liquid enters the hose, which will independently flow into the substituted bucket;
when the bucket is full, we clamp the hose with our hand and take an empty container from our partner;
when most of the liquid is drained, we remove the hose and remove the remaining liquid with translational movements towards the substituted bucket;
gently pull the hole in the stretch ceiling down to form a slope, and the water naturally flows into the substituted container.

Removal of residual liquid

Dismantling the edge of the stretch ceiling

If there are no lighting devices on the stretch ceiling, then the removal of the water bubble will be carried out as follows:

1. We determine visually the corner or wall closest to the bubble;
2. Using a spatula, we remove the edge of the PVC film from the wall baguette;
3. We introduce a flexible hose into the hole;
4. We place the free end of the hose in an empty container and drain the water;
5. We hold the bubble with our hands, preventing the water from spreading over a larger area.

Keeping the bubble from spreading over the entire surface

What to do next

When the liquid is drained, the owners of the affected housing face another problem: how to repair the ceiling after the bay so that stains and wrinkles do not form on its surface.

The solution to the problem lies in the fact that after removing the water by the proposed methods, you should call specialists in the installation of stretch ceilings to your home. They will take the canvas off, wash it and dry it and put it back on.

Returning the stretch ceiling to its original shape

What to do

When the owner of the apartment sees that the ceiling has taken the form of a bubble and hangs almost to the floor, he must do everything to solve this problem as quickly as possible. First of all, you need to completely turn off the electricity in the house. After all, water, along with electricity, can cause much more trouble than damaged furniture and repairs.

After eliminating the direct threat to life, it is necessary to eliminate the reason why the stretch ceiling was flooded

It doesn’t matter if negligent neighbors who forgot to turn off the tap were the perpetrators of the incident, the roof was leaking, or any other factor was the cause of the flood. The main thing is to eliminate the cause of water leakage

If a person does not understand repairs at all and does not know the ceiling covering device, then it is best to call the company that installed the stretch ceiling. Usually the masters come very quickly and solve this problem within a few minutes. If a person has at least minimal repair skills, then he should not worry when the stretch ceiling is flooded. What to do in this situation, everyone should know.

Neighbors flooded stretch ceiling

If it still happened to the neighbors, then your ceiling structure will collect water, which will accumulate in one place, as a result, a bubble will form on the ceiling, which will grow from the amount of water and can become very large. It may look terrible, but the maximum that a water-filled ceiling will bring is inconvenience and excitement - a hanging ceiling in places where water accumulates the most.

You can not be afraid that the canvas will burst, and everything that you have in your apartment will be flooded with a ton of water at once, because the material from the suspended ceiling is elastic and can withstand about 100 liters per 1 sq. meter. It is enough to withstand water for two to three days, then the ceiling material will be restored. The color will become what it was before the incident, and the canvas will gather back, because the ceiling film, from the construction material, repels water.

If you see a small bubble on the ceiling, then do not panic, but calmly begin to take action, a little later, a specialist who has arrived will help to fix the problem correctly. You need to be sure to turn off the electricity so that another disaster does not occur, in the form of a lost life, from the contact of electricity and water.

Find the reason why a bubble has formed on your ceiling, knock on your neighbors, notify the emergency services and the housing office, immediately call a specialist to shut off the water and fix the problem of leakage. If the neighbors are to blame for such an incident, then help them remove the water as soon as possible, because the faster the water disappears and the floor dries out, the less problems you will have with the ceiling.

The specialist may be delayed, in which case, if the bubble is getting bigger and bigger, you will need to take action yourself. There are holes on the structures that are used for a chandelier, and many holes for beautiful decorative lighting, or in the sides of the ceiling for pipes to pass through. You need to insert a hose into these holes, through which clean and dirty water will merge into the basins and buckets that you have prepared.

When water begins to drain through the hose from the ceiling, you need to be careful not to accidentally deform it, the material must remain intact, and then the ceiling will retain its original appearance - it will not lose its shape or color. If defects suddenly appear - wrinkles on the canvas, after draining the water, then the specialists will put your stretch ceiling in order in this case, do not worry! For greater effect, saving the ceiling - install the structure on a harpoon, good system, then its installation, in which case, can be made much easier.

When you install the ceiling, you need to ask the installers to cover the technical slots in front of the plug with acrylic, or even better, with silicone, so that during flooding, water does not flow along the walls. Make sure that they make technical holes in the ceiling, in which case, water will drain from the ceiling through a hose, this is necessary so that the installers do not have to disassemble again, because of this, a complex structure.

If suddenly the ceiling was flooded with hot water, and it was not drained for a long time, then, most likely, you will have to change the old ceiling material to a new one, because the varnish coating will be damaged. If there is still no specialist, and a lot of time has passed, then start draining the water yourself, before the arrival of the called master. The more you prepare containers for draining water, the better.

When fixing the ceiling due to neighbors, or a leak pouring from the roof, in no case do not tear the material and do not damage it on the ceiling by inserting a hose into the round holes to drain the water, otherwise the whole apartment and furniture will be wet. Otherwise, in addition to the ceiling, you will have to make unexpected repairs to the entire apartment and possibly even buy new furniture.

Stretch ceilings withstand everything, and he is not afraid of any leaks, having made such a ceiling at your place, you will be protected from the flood, all kinds of leaks, and many other adverse events that can happen to the ceiling! Your apartment, furniture and belongings will remain unharmed, which will save you a lot from spending money on unplanned repairs.