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Do-it-yourself quick drain of water from a stretch ceiling. How to independently drain water from a stretch ceiling Stretch ceiling how to remove water

Flooding from neighbors from above is one of the most common factors for choosing stretch ceilings in an apartment. Differing in many advantages, the panels allow you to protect furniture and interiors from damage by water. And if something goes wrong, there is no need to worry. Let's figure out what constitutes a drain of water from stretch ceiling with your own hands, how much they ask for a service in companies and how you can do the job without harming the cladding.

First steps when flooding from above is detected

Seeing an inflating or ready-made bubble on the ceiling, there is no need to panic. A properly stretched ceiling will withstand water until it is removed.

The procedure is as follows:

Unplug the apartment. That is, turn off the power supply in the shield. Furniture and wallpaper can be restored, but an electric shock always leads to the most unfortunate consequences.
Climb to the neighbors from above Let them turn off the water. If they are not at home, turn off the water in the riser. The common valve is located in the basement, the keys to the basement doors are kept by the concierge or the head of the entrance, house.

Advice! Sometimes access to the valves is sealed - you will have to call a team of locksmiths. The phone number of the service company should always be at hand.

If the emergency team cannot turn off the water, to call the police. In the presence of the district mechanic, the locksmith will open the door of the neighbors, turn off the water. It is impossible to do otherwise - penetration into a dwelling is considered a criminal offense.
As soon as the water is turned off Don't be in a hurry to fix bugs. First you need to photograph the bubble itself, the ceiling, pieces of furniture. The procedure is mandatory if a leak is found in the ceiling and the interior is damaged by water. The photographs will serve as evidence when going to court: against the company that stretched the ceilings, against the neighbors who caused the flood. In both cases, damages must be claimed.

And now, as all the preliminary steps are completed, you should drain the water from the stretch ceiling.

Which stretch ceilings hold water well

Despite the fact that manufacturers offer fabric stretch ceilings with water-repellent impregnation, the structures are still not considered ideal for retaining liquid.

At best, such a ceiling will last 1-2 days, after which leakage is inevitable.

Advice! If for personal reasons it is a fabric ceiling that is installed, give preference to finely porous fabrics Cerutti with additional impregnation, double-sided varnishing. The panels are heavy, you need to fasten them firmly, but they really hold leaks.

Most best ceilings to prevent the bay - film PVC. And if the manufacturer has taken care of additional water-repellent treatment, then there is a 100% guarantee that the liquid will not leak out. A high-quality stretch fabric can withstand up to 100 liters of water per 1 m2, while after drying it takes on its original shape.

The cost of removing water from a stretch ceiling

The service category is classified as urgent and usually does not take much time. The price of repairing stretch ceilings after flooding consists of the method of eliminating the bubble and additional work: drying, restoring the integrity of the panel. All works last 1-3 hours. The duration of the procedure depends on the integrity of the base. Often water causes damage to the plaster, which collapses onto the canvas, leaving stains and streaks. In this case, professionals offer dismantling, cleaning and installation of the panel in place.

Lack of skills can lead to damage to the cloth, so if a stretch ceiling is flooded, it is better to call the masters. Professionals will quickly fix the leak using the right equipment and minimize the risks of loss of aesthetics and practical qualities of PVC film. In addition, professionals give guarantees for their work, which will not happen when doing the process with their own hands. The cost of the service is from $30.

How to drain water from a stretch ceiling with your own hands

Professional service is good, but not always affordable. And if water has accumulated in the stretch ceiling, you will have to solve the problem with your own hands. When figuring out how water is drained from a stretch ceiling, you first need to find an assistant - you can’t cope with the process alone.

There are two options for removing the bubble:

through the opening of the lighting device;
bending the edge of the canvas from the baguette.

The choice of option directly depends on the availability of fixtures and the method of their installation. If lighting installed without cutting the canvas, there is only one option - to bend the edge of the panel.

Drainage over the edge of the canvas

If the panel is monolithic, the following steps should be performed with extreme caution:

Find out the corner in which the most water has accumulated or the one closest to the bubble.
Now remove the trim panel. Carefully screw a long self-tapping screw into the point of dense gluing of the web to the harpoon.
Take the self-tapping screw with pliers, pull it towards you - the canvas will stretch along with the fasteners. Pull the film out of the baguette by 0.4-0.6 m.
Drain the water, dry the film inside and out, fill the edge behind the baguette with an ordinary spatula.

It remains to cover the place of dismantling decorative panel, and on this the repair of stretch ceilings after the bay is completed.

Drainage through the opening of lighting fixtures in the ceiling

Before starting work, you need to check the absence of power in the lamp. Then remove the lamp together with the mount, insert a long hose into the hole and drain the liquid. The assistant will distill the streams to the hose, so the work will go faster. And after the flooding is eliminated, dry the cloth, and assemble and install the lamp in place.

Knowing how to drain water from a stretch ceiling on your own, you can quickly deal with the problem. The second option is much simpler and allows you to eliminate flooding many times.

Tools and materials for work

To perform the procedure, the following improvised tools will come in handy:

long hose of small section;
buckets or other sealed bulk containers;
spatula for filling the canvas in the harpoon;
pear - it can suck out the remaining moisture;
heat gun or a good powerful hair dryer;
new ceiling panel instead of the damaged one (if necessary);
self-tapping screw;
screwdriver;
pliers.

The set of tools varies depending on the chosen technology.

How to dry the ceiling after draining the water

As soon as the liquid is filtered, not only the canvas itself is dried, but also the entire space between the film and the ceiling. You will need a heat gun with heating switching or a powerful hair dryer. Drying time depends on how much the neighbors flooded the stretch ceiling.

Advice! In the bubble zone, the film is stretched and remains uneven. To eliminate waviness, you need to warm up all stretch marks until completely removed.

Common mistakes when draining water yourself

The most important mistake is the puncture of the film. It is absolutely impossible to do this, even the smallest puncture will lead to the fact that the pressure of water will tear the cloth. If there is little liquid, cracks will run from the puncture, which is also unpleasant - you will have to patch or change the entire finish.

And a number of mistakes that should be avoided when releasing water with your own hands:

Incorrect estimate of the volume of water. Sometimes it seems that there is not so much liquid, people take 1-2 empty buckets, and this is extremely small. If it so happened that there is no assistant and an empty container, use a hose clamp or plug. A short time is enough to free the buckets. And in case of a leak in the kitchen, bathroom, it is easier to lower the hose into the sewer drain.
Never flatten the bubble with your hands. Water will spread over the entire ceiling surface, and it will be extremely difficult to dry the film. After a short time, moisture will “bloom”, stains form on the ceiling, bad smell rot.

And you should not take on the work yourself if there is a manufacturer's warranty. Payment for the services of professionals is inexpensive, and the masters have enough experience to remove not only water, but also prevent stains on the film, deformation and stains.

When a flood occurs, everything in the room can be affected by water. If a stretch ceiling is installed, then water will not be able to seep through it, and nothing threatens the environment. Those who faced a similar situation were able to appreciate all the advantages of such ceiling structures. You only need to know if stretch ceilings are installed - how to drain the water.

Stretch ceiling structures do not have cracks through which water can pass, so it accumulates, forming a kind of bubble that can acquire a huge size. At the same time, the breakthrough of the canvas rarely occurs - despite the fact that the material is quite thin, it can withstand significant weight.

What to do in case of a flood

If a bubble with water has formed on the ceiling, then you need to do the following:

de-energize the room, otherwise the lighting devices located in the structure will pose a risk of electric shock;
contact the company that installed the tension system to eliminate the consequences of the flood. Specialists who installed stretch ceilings will drain the water carefully so as not to damage the furnishings, as well as return the structure to its original appearance.

It is imperative to turn off the electricity, since water is an excellent conductor, and, located near light sources, can injure people in the room.

Preparation for self-draining water

It happens that a flood is detected late in the evening or on a weekend, when stretch ceiling companies are not working. If it is at such a moment that there is only one way out - to drain the water from the stretch ceiling on your own until the canvas bursts.

To do this, you need to do the following:

foresee even the most worst case, at which water will break through the canvas and flood everything around; therefore, all expensive items and valuables must be removed from the premises;
cover the furniture with a film;
prepare as many containers for collecting water as possible;
decide on a place to drain: usually use the hole for the light fixture, which is closest to the bubble, if not, then one of the corners.

The most common mistakes

When a leak occurs, the stretch ceiling sags, and, despite the fact that the size of the bubble can be different, it is still difficult to determine by eye how much water has collected there. Its volume depends not only on the amount of water, but also on the density of the material. However, it is necessary to have a clear idea of how much water has been collected, at least in order to know how many empty containers will be required. Water will be collected much more than 10 liters. The specialists who installed the ceiling know how much it can withstand, and based on the volume of the bubble, they will determine how much liquid has accumulated. At independent decision problems, you need to take into account that running with buckets will not work, so the help of other people is simply necessary.

The main mistake that is made is the incorrect estimation of the volume of collected water.

Also common mistakes include:

the desire to drain water from the stretch ceiling by puncturing the bubble;
attempts to drive liquid in the direction of the hole for the lamp;
smoothing the canvas with improvised objects.

It is unacceptable to make a puncture in the bubble - even the smallest hole obtained with a needle will expand under the weight of water, and a gap will appear in the canvas, which often cannot be repaired. Thus, the ceiling will become unusable.

How to drain water from a stretch ceiling yourself, more on the video:

How to drain water

If a stretch ceiling is flooded, you need to decide on the following:

with a place for draining water;
with the volume of accumulated liquid to prepare right amount dishes;
with a drain method (naturally or with a hose).

To drain water, do the following:

they stand on a stepladder or a solid table, while not forgetting that they will have to stay there for at least half an hour until all the liquid is drained;
remove a chandelier or lamp, after turning off the electricity in the apartment;
carefully look into the canvas to determine the amount of accumulated water;
if there is a lot of liquid, it is better to use a hose - one end is inserted into the hole, and the other is lowered into the prepared dishes;
after filling the bucket, the hose is pinched until the assistant supplies the next container.

If there are no lighting fixtures, then you can drain the water from the stretch ceiling as follows:

gently release the edge of the canvas in the corner closest to the bubble;
substitute empty dishes;
slowly and carefully lower the edge of the canvas to the level of the lower part of the bubble - jerks are unacceptable, since the material is elastic and easily torn;
controlling the tension, water is poured into a container;
let the ceiling dry completely.

Do not try to flatten the bubble, as the water will spread all over the ceiling and will be more difficult to drain. Remaining water in the future can lead to the appearance of mold and fungus, so the material must dry well.

You can also drain the water from the stretch ceiling yourself, but its former appearance will not be restored by itself. It is useless to smooth the canvas - in order for the ceiling to get the perfect look, it must be heated with a heat gun, as during installation. Only fabric ceilings will look flawless after draining the water, and those made of PVC film will be covered with folds. So after eliminating the consequences of the flood, you still have to turn to specialists so that they restore the previous look of the structure.

No one is safe from troubles, but if stretch ceilings are installed, leakage does not threaten. Therefore, there is no need to worry - furniture and all other items in the room will not be affected, unless, of course, the water is drained correctly. Despite the fact that stretch fabrics can withstand considerable weight well, you still do not need to wait several days for the masters to come. If the flood happened on the weekend, you need to drain the water yourself - there is nothing difficult in this, but the ceiling and other furnishings of the room will be saved.

Stretch ceiling is a tribute to modern fashion. It not only looks stunningly beautiful indoors, but has practical value in case of a flood. It is not uncommon for neighbors from above to keep track of their plumbing and water will begin to seep through the joints of concrete floors into your apartment. Or maybe you live on the top floor and during the next downpour the roof of the house began to leak. This threatens to spoil the new renovation and expensive furniture, but if you have a stretch ceiling installed, then it will not allow undesirable consequences. It is enough to know how to drain water from a stretch ceiling, the basic techniques and clearly follow the sequence of work.

Will any ceiling save from the flood?

Some ceiling installers tout their products with might and main, and all are credited with water retention properties. But this is only partly true. The fact is that the material from which the canvas is made plays a huge role. If this is a seamless fabric-based ceiling, then in its manufacture a fabric of complex weaving is used with additional impregnation with a polyurethane composition. This impregnation is designed to provide waterproof properties of the cloth, but this is not always effective.

For a while it is able to withstand the onslaught of water, but over time it will still begin to ooze. As a result, such a ceiling will have to be completely changed, because after water it will leave stains and ugly yellowish spots that cannot be washed off. Therefore, we do not recommend installing fabric-based ceilings in rooms with a high probability of flooding, i.e. in bathrooms and kitchens.

For these rooms, PVC ceilings are just right, and it doesn’t matter. The PVC film does not let water through even a drop and is able to withstand 100 liters of water at a time, only by greatly stretching and forming a huge bubble. Such a film will not tear, as it is very durable. There is a risk of rupture if the room is flooded hot water, under the influence of which the film will stretch even more and may touch some sharp object or corner of furniture, then the film will tear.

But, as a rule, a flood of hot water is rare, and then by the time the water finds its way to the lower floor, it will have time to cool down. Vinyl film after removal of water tends to restore its original properties.

How to drain water from a stretch ceiling yourself

If the flood occurred in the daytime, then the main thing is to immediately de-energize the apartment. Everyone knows that water is an excellent conductor and when it gets on electrical appliance a short circuit and a fire can happen, not to mention the fact that a person who starts to drain water from the ceiling will be subjected to electric shock, and this is sometimes fatal. Next, call the company that installed your ceiling. According to the contract, they are obliged to drain the water free of charge. But it is not always possible to do this if at the moment the company no longer exists. This is in the event that you managed to hire a one-day company. Then call any other company that installs stretch ceilings. They come to such calls quickly, but for their services you will have to pay about 4,000 rubles.

But what to do if the flood occurred at night or on a weekend, because it usually happens when you least expect it. You will have to act on your own, as well as foresee undesirable consequences, such as a film breakthrough. Therefore, it is necessary to take out valuable things as much as possible, cover the furniture with a film. It is necessary to prepare containers for water, the more the better. It’s better to call someone else for help, it will be inconvenient to drain the water and change buckets yourself. If a bubble has formed in the bathroom, it will be a little easier - just lower the hose into the bathroom.

First step. Determine the location of the water outlet. Ideally, if this is a hole for the lamp. If the ceiling is solid or there is no way to remove the lighting fixture, then you need to get close to the bubble through one of the corners. Estimate the approximate amount of water to know how many containers you need to prepare. It is not difficult for specialists to determine the volume of a bubble, they make a certain calculation.

Second step. We remove the masking tape covering the technological gap, and carefully remove the corner of the ceiling from the baguette.

If we act through the lamp, then it must first be removed.

Next, you need to take a longer hose and lower it into the bosom of the bubble through the corner or hole for the lamp, then gradually drain the water while sucking, and while your assistant runs to pour out the water, bend the hose in anticipation of an empty container.

If there was no hose at hand, you can pull the film to the water level and make it flow through the hole, as we see in this photo.

Third step. The water was safely drained, now we have to wait until morning or Monday to call all the same craftsmen with a heat gun. With the help of it, specialists will dry the film and the ceiling to prevent the formation of mold.

Then the film will be hoisted to its rightful place, and with the help of the same gun or an industrial hair dryer, the original appearance of the stretch ceiling will be returned. In the event that you do not have the funds to call the masters, then after draining, you must leave the corner open for several days so that everything inside dries out properly. After returning the film to its place, process the edges with a regular hair dryer. This method is suitable if the flood was not catastrophic and the film practically did not stretch.

You can see the whole process of saving the ceiling with your own eyes on this video

Common Mistakes

Due to inexperience and the desire to do everything quickly, we tend to make some mistakes.

There is a great temptation for inexperienced people to pierce the bubble and drain the water through the hole formed. Under no circumstances should this be done. Under the enormous pressure of water, even the smallest hole will burst into a big gust that cannot be fixed in any way. Only replacing the ceiling with a new one will correct the situation.
Don't make a wave. So I want to use my hands to fit the accumulated water to the hole for the lighting fixture. You can’t do this, otherwise you can scratch the ceiling or drive water into places where it will be more difficult to drive it out. Over time, the moisture accumulated in secluded corners will begin to bloom and a fungus will start. We don't need it at all.

In order not to inadvertently spoil the stretch ceiling, best solution will entrust the work to specialists. Especially if you have to dismantle the film for draining, which can tear during the removal process. Usually, after a flood, along with water, construction debris, plaster, and some pebbles flow down to the ceiling. Experts will easily remove the ceiling, clean it, dry the film and the base floor, and then return the room to its previous appearance. The cost of the work will depend on the complexity of the process, but as we have said, you can ask your "native" company for help to eliminate the flood for free.

Modern stretch ceilings look beautiful, they can be matched to any interior. The canvas of such a ceiling is made either from a very durable fabric-based material with special processing, or from a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) film. It is very elastic and is able to stretch significantly, while remaining strong.

1 sq.m. modern stretch ceiling can withstand up to 100 liters of water

The practicality of stretch ceilings in everyday life is manifested in their ability to retain water when leaking.. Stretch ceiling can withstand about a hundred liters of water for each square meter area. However, the repair of such ceilings is quite complicated. If you were flooded by neighbors from above, the ceiling panel will form a bubble, which, depending on the amount of water and its temperature, can sag to the floor. How to independently eliminate the water bubble and restore the ceiling without resorting to the help of specialists?

Stretch ceiling restoration after flooding

The possibility of restoring a stretch ceiling after flooding will depend on the type of fabric used to make it and the temperature of the liquid that flooded the ceiling space.

If the ceiling is made of a fabric material with a special polyurethane impregnation, most likely, after drying, it will leave stains and yellow spots from water that cannot be removed. Such material is very sensitive to moisture and the ceiling will most likely have to be replaced with a new one or at least repainted.
A ceiling made of PVC film is not afraid of cold liquid, but hot water can stretch it until it breaks. After drainage of water and drying, the PVC film completely restores its properties.
If there is a breakthrough of heating pipes, in which the water temperature is more than 70 degrees, the stretch ceiling made of any material is highly deformed and, as a rule, needs to be replaced. To do this, it will be possible to use the installed mounting system.

There are two ways to drain water from the stretch ceiling space. In the first method, the drain is performed through the hole provided in the panel for the lamp, pipes or utilities. The second method is used if there are no technical holes on the ceiling. With confidence in own forces, you can try to drain the water yourself, following the recommendations below.

Important! Be careful - improper water drainage work can lead to the fact that the ceiling will have to be replaced with a new one.

A brief description of the possibilities of restoration of the ceiling after flooding is given in the table. Using the data on the material of the ceiling and the presence of holes for technical communications in it, decide on the method of its restoration or make a decision to replace the ceiling.

Table. Possibility of ceiling restoration.

Preparatory work

Once you have discovered the effects of the flood, turn off the power at the switchboard so that current is not supplied to the ceiling lights in the room where the ceiling has sagged. It is necessary to protect yourself and prevent a short circuit. Water conducts electricity well, you risk your life by working with electricity on.

It is necessary to carry out a number of preparatory work before you begin to drain the water from the ceiling space.

Method 1: ceiling with a technical hole

A hole can be provided not only for a chandelier, but also for other technical objects, for example, heating pipes or a special hatch.

Remove the chandelier from the ceiling. Under it will be a mounting ring with a hole in the center. Water must be drained through this hole.
Close the hole with your fingers and slowly pull it towards you so that it is below the water level, i.e. it should be below the ceiling sag. Place a bucket under the hole and drain the water.
Change the containers as they fill up until the water stops pouring out of the hole. Be careful not to stretch the ceiling fabric too much, but also do not leave liquid residue in the ceiling space.
For water drainage, you can insert a rubber hose into the hole and pump out the liquid with any household pump low power.

Method 2: solid ceiling

If there are no technical holes in the ceiling, choose an inconspicuous part of the ceiling for drainage, for example, the corner near the door.

Remove the decorative plinth attached to the edge of the ceiling.
Using a blunt object, release the edge of the ceiling sheet from the mount so as not to damage it. Bend the canvas and insert the rubber hose into the slot. If there is no hose, just pull the canvas below the level of the lowest point of the bubble. You should not stretch the material too much, it is elastic enough, do everything slowly and carefully.
Carefully drain the water into a container underneath.
Let the ceiling dry and restore its original shape. After that put ceiling plinth in place.

Final works

If you were absent for a long time and did not immediately take up the elimination of the consequences of flooding, the water in the ceiling will be stagnant. In this case, it will be necessary to thoroughly rinse the place where the liquid has accumulated. This must be done carefully so as not to damage the ceiling canvas. Processing with special detergents, provided that their action is not aggressive to the material of the panel.

To completely get rid of the leak, you need to let the ceiling dry until it restores its original shape. This may take several days. You can use a hair dryer to speed up the process. Dry the ceiling sheet thoroughly to prevent it from blooming and mold formation. Only after that it will be possible to hang the lamp again (during the first method of repair) or tuck the canvas back into the mount (during the second method of restoring the ceiling).

Note! The last thing to do at the end of the restoration is to turn on the electricity.

Errors in draining water from a stretch ceiling

At the slightest doubt about the ability to independently drain the water from the ceiling space, you should contact the experts. Mistakes in this matter can cost you at least the cost of a new stretch ceiling.