All eco-efforts out the window - heating on full!!

[empirestrikesback]

We've just discovered a leak under our bath that's been leaking probably for months. There's a pool of water under the bath and it's leaked downstairs and is going through the walls. The only thing to do is have the heating on full blast to get it all dried out. And after months of shivering and adding layers (sometimes hats and gloves!) around the house to save on gas!! Wail!!

No, be careful! You need plenty of ventilation around the area for at least part of the day and NOT too much heat. (Open the bathroom window wide during the day and shut the door to keep the rest of the house warm.) and just heat moderately. A combination of wet floorboards/ceiling joists and high heating levels can encourage wood rot which you DONT want. Obviously mop up the water; leave off the bath panel to get around the floor; and CAREFULLY STICK A METAL SKEWER OR LONG NAIL THROUGH THE CEILING PLASTER UNDERNEATH TO ALLOW ANY POOLED WATER TO DRIP QUICKLY INTO A BOWL YOU WILL PLACE BELOW ON THE FLOOR. yES i KNOW YOU WILL HAVE TO FILL THE HOLES later (keep them SMALL, SKEWER thickness) but you need to avoid water sitting there.NOt keeping the timbers wet and creeping to the electrics. Hope you dry out quickly. You may find no damage has been done but dont be tempted to put the bath panel back until completely utterly dry then check to see if the floor has been weakened and needs repair. hope it is all ok soon. (Im a trained surveyor as well as a mother so trust me as the doctors say!)

..in my message above, I didn't make it clear that you need to be in the room below to stick the skewer upwards through the ceiling. Take it gently. It is likely to be either an old plaster ceiling in which case, if sodden, will be heavy and could fall down in chunks (especially if you DONT make small holes) or a plasterboard ceiling which is like thick cardboard and won't fall in chunks but will bubble as it gets wet and then dry. Needs very careful gentle sanding to remove the worst when dry and repainting OR if bad the ceiling might need a skim coat plaster. Find a plasterer then! Or just put a coat of white paint on and ignore it. you soon won't notice it!Life's too short etc......

Wow, onceyounglikeyou - thanks very much for that!