Remove water from under the stretch ceiling. How to drain water from a stretch ceiling: smart tips

It would be nice to know how to organize the drainage of water from a stretch ceiling, and on your own, just in case, to everyone who has invested in expensive repairs. It is impossible to foresee everything, and flooding can happen in any apartment. Poor quality faucet, old worn out or defective pipes, unprofessional installation. If the owners are not at home, or they could not eliminate the accident, then the water will flood the floor and flow down, and there a stretch ceiling awaits it. The ceiling material does not let water through, and this will save your things, furniture and walls from getting wet.

But it is necessary to get rid of the consequences of the flood as soon as this trouble is discovered. A water bubble on the ceiling is not aesthetically pleasing, and of course not hygienic, moisture promotes the development of bacteria, and later mold. Water is dangerous because it can get to the wiring and cause a short circuit. And if your ceiling has a fabric base, then its waterproof impregnation may not last long and leak. So, let's figure out how to drain water from a stretch ceiling if necessary.

We call professionals to drain water from a stretch ceiling

If there is water on the stretch ceiling, then you need to call specialists to drain it. It is better to call the company that installed this ceiling. As a last resort, and in any other similar firms, they will be ready to provide a service for draining water from the ceiling.

A qualified team will arrive with the necessary equipment and not only get rid of unnecessary water, treat with an antifungal agent, but also return the stretch ceiling to its previous shape. There are times when plaster falls off the main ceiling during the flood. This means that the stretch ceiling will need cleaning and will have to be reinstalled.

What needs to be done before the arrival of specialists? First turn off the electricity in this room. Take out things that are at risk of spoiling from water, household appliances, electronic devices. Find out the cause of the flood, you may need to call an emergency team and turn off the water.

How to drain water from a stretch ceiling yourself

It is definitely better to remove water from a stretch ceiling with the hands of a specially trained person. But, unfortunately, it is not always possible to call a master to get rid of the water in the near future. The flood happens both in the late evening and on holidays. Leaving everything as it is for a few days is also not an option. There is a risk of leakage. Therefore, it is useful to know what you can do yourself. And yet, if the leaked water is hot, it’s better not to touch the ceiling, wait for the experts. The hot water sheet can become fragile, and as a result of unprofessional actions, additional problems will arise. Keep in mind that even after draining the water from the ceiling on your own, you still have to call in specialists in order to return it to its “presentation”. After all, water will definitely leave stains on the reverse side of the coating and you will not be able to simply wash the stretch ceiling in this case.

At the sight of a bubble of water, many have a desire to pierce the canvas and release the water. Do not do that. Even a tiny hole under the pressure of water will tear the canvas, and then it will not be possible to restore it.

Water from the stretch ceiling is most often drained using holes for lighting fixtures.

Prepare everything you need. Firstly, what you will stand under the ceiling for quite a long time: a table or a stepladder. Secondly, a water tank. It is quite difficult to accurately determine the volume of drained water at a glance. Therefore, prepare the container to the maximum, as much as you can find. In addition, you may need a hose. When there is very little water, you can do without it.

Remove the lamp. Pull the mounting ring, substitute the hose to the hole obtained. Gently direct the water from the bubble towards the hole. Carefully lift the bubble with your hands, try to act so that the water does not scatter all over the ceiling. For the procedure for draining the water, you will need helpers to fill the tanks below with water while you are upstairs and then empty them - especially if there is a lot of water.

In addition to the hole for the chandelier, water can be removed by slightly opening the edge of the stretch ceiling. Release the section of the canvas from the ceiling plinth or other fastening. Slowly pull the material away, substituting a container for water or a hose. Carefully drive the water to the edge, drain and return the baseboard to its place.

After removing the water, the canvas must be thoroughly dried, preferably with a building hair dryer. This is a lot of work, and your hands will quickly get tired of holding the hair dryer, but without drying, the ceiling may remain wrinkled. To speed up drying, remove all fixtures from the ceiling, if any. This will create air movement in the space between the canvas and the ceiling.

Even if you have already got rid of the water yourself, it still makes sense to contact the company and call in specialists so that they process the canvas from possible stains, quickly and thoroughly dry the material and return the ceiling to its original form.

Only after the canvas has completely dried can the lamps be returned to their place.

In theory, there is nothing particularly difficult in draining water from the ceiling on your own. But in practice, the success of this operation will depend not only on your hands, but also on the quality of the canvas. Not every canvas is able to restore its former appearance after the flood.

Residents of private houses and upper floors are not threatened by a flood caused by neighbors. All the rest, unfortunately, are not immune from a natural disaster on an apartment scale.

Many of us have heard that installation of stretch ceilings helps protect the apartment from flooding. We will try to figure out whether all materials have this quality, and how to remove water from a stretch ceiling.

Classic matte stretch ceiling, indistinguishable from bleached, sparkling gloss or bright coating with a pattern or pattern - the product not only decorates the interior, but also serves as a protective barrier designed to save costly repairs from the damaging effects of water. What happens to the ceiling in this case? Will I have to change the stretch ceiling or is it enough to remove the water? The answer to this question depends on the type of material from which the product is made.

fabric ceilings

The fabric construction is not able to provide complete waterproofing. Thanks to the impregnation with a special polyurethane composition, the tension coating will only retain water for a while, which will subsequently seep through the fibers anyway. With a very strong leak, the hard material will not bend, but will break out of the fasteners. Give up the idea of ​​installing fabric stretch ceilings in the bathroom, because in case of a leak, you will have to change the material.

PVC ceilings

The PVC film reliably protects against leaks, withstanding 100 liters of water per 1 sq. m. The coating has no seams and cracks, so all the water accumulates inside the product, forming a bubble on the stretch ceiling. You just need to know how to clean it correctly, and the room is saved. After the material dries, the ceiling will regain its former shape.

Precautionary measures

Illiterate actions can not only ruin the coating, but also get serious health problems. When trying to fix a leak, it is important to strictly follow a number of rules:

1. Before doing anything, turn off the electricity and clear the room of household appliances.
2. Never puncture or cut the water bubble. Under the load of water, a small hole will turn into a gap, from which water will immediately gush. The damaged coating cannot be restored, and a huge amount of water will not only damage your apartment, but also leak to the neighbors from below.
3. Do not try to level the sagging ceiling with improvised means. Water that is evenly distributed over the surface is much harder to drain. On a poorly dried ceiling, mold spots will appear after some time.

Getting rid of water

Having found a leak, the first thing to do is turn off the electricity by de-energizing chandeliers and lamps. The most effective and safest way to remove water from a stretch ceiling is to entrust this work to professionals. Almost all organizations involved in the installation of stretch ceilings offer service, including draining water. Call the company you ordered the service from and describe the problem. After the master drains the water and dries the coating with a heat gun, nothing will remind you of the recent disaster.

It happens that flooding occurs at night, on weekends or holidays, when it is not possible to immediately call specialists. In this case, there is nothing left but to try to remove water from the stretch ceiling on your own.

You can't do it alone - you need at least one assistant. Even if you are absolutely confident in your own abilities, you will not be able to drain water and empty buckets and pots at the same time.

Remove valuables from the room, cover the furniture with plastic wrap, cover the floor with newspapers and rags. Now, even if the water spills, the damage will be minimal. Prepare as many pots, buckets and basins as possible.

Choose one of the drain methods:

1. Drain the water through the holes for recessed fixtures. This is the easiest way to flush water. Proceed as follows:

• After turning off the power, carefully remove the lamp, under which there will be a socket for installing the lamp.
• If the bubble is directly under the chandelier, gently pull back the nest and drain the water into a container. The water bubble, located at a short distance from the lamp, should be carefully lifted and slightly pushed to the hole formed.
• Drain the water into the container using a hose, inserting one end into the hole on the ceiling, and lowering the other into the water container.
• When the bucket is full, pinch the hose and wait until your partner gives you an empty container.
• sandpaper.

Important! It will take a long time to drain the water, so a comfortable stepladder is best suited for work. If you do not have such a device, choose the most durable and comfortable table.

2. Get rid of the water by detaching the baseboard. This method is optimal in the case when the accumulation of water has formed far from the lighting fixtures. If you try to drain water through the hole for the fixtures, some of the liquid will spread between the coating and the concrete slab, which will negatively affect the appearance of the product.

• Select the area at the edge of the structure closest to the water bubble.
• Remove the plinth.
• Carefully peel off a small portion of the stretch ceiling film with a round-ended trowel. Hold the canvas firmly so that it does not pop out - if this happens, water will flood the room.
• Slowly lowering the edge of the film down, drain the water into a bucket.
• Return the film and the baseboard to its place.

Further actions

Having freed the ceiling from water, you need to dry material thoroughly in order to return the structure to its original shape and prevent the formation of mold and fungus. Specialists will quickly and efficiently cope with the task. Before the arrival of a professional, the hole through which you drained the water should be left open for ventilation.

If you want to save money, you will have to dry the material with a hair dryer. This long and painstaking work allows you to achieve excellent results - the ceiling will again become smooth and neat.

Useful video

Let's watch a useful video on how to drain water from a stretch ceiling:

Even the quietest and most polite upstairs neighbors can make a mistake. PVC ceilings will provide better protection against leaks. Knowing how to remove water from a stretch ceiling, you will not only save floors, walls, furniture and appliances, but also get rid of the need to repair the ceiling.

The main property of film sheets is the ability to hold large volumes of water. This advantage is relevant for residents of apartments, where floods from the upper floors are not uncommon. Therefore, it will not be superfluous to know how to drain water from a stretch ceiling when it is flooded and what measures to take in the first place if such a nuisance occurs.

How does water get on the ceiling

Sloppy neighbors who forgot to turn off the taps when leaving the house are just one of the possible reasons why water is pouring from the ceiling. There are other leakage factors:

• a water or sewer pipe broke through, passing above the ceiling;
• the neighbors' washing machine broke down;
• damaged roof structure due to heavy rain or snowfall;
• there was a leak of technical fluid in the heating system.

Another nuisance that becomes a consequence of the flood is pieces of plaster that has peeled off from getting wet, metal particles from pipes that have fallen on the material from the inside and are visible through the canvas.

If you catch yourself in time, find the source of flooding and proceed to eliminate it, you can save the decorative ceiling.

The first thing that the owners, whose apartment is flooded, should do is to de-energize the wiring. To do this, unscrew the plugs, and turn off the machine in the electrical panel.

Then you need to find neighbors to inform the culprits about the leak and eliminate the source if the cause of the flood is their carelessness. Or block the common riser, if the owners of the upper apartment have nothing to do with it.

Next, free the room from furniture that can be taken out. Protect the rest of the interior with plastic wrap. Prepare buckets and basins for. The more containers you find, the better. After that, proceed to remove water from the stretch ceiling.

The film stretch ceiling will not let water through, while being able to hold a large amount of liquid, stretching to the floor into a bubble. To solve the problem with water on the ceiling surface, the following methods are chosen:

• drain water through a hole for spotlights;
• the contents of the bubble are pumped out, partially dismantling the canvas next to the wall.

Most stretch ceiling installation companies, according to the contract, carry out free repairs and maintenance of structures for 1-2 years. Their craftsmen will quickly repair the ceiling and bring it back to its original state. If the installation was done by hired workers without a contract, you can also call professional installers (then you will have to pay for the work), or try to drain the water yourself.

What material will hold water

Manufacturers of stretch ceilings, among the advantages that they voice to customers when offering their products, put the ability of the canvases to hold significant amounts of water in the first place. However, this statement has only a grain of truth.

An important role is played by the type of material from which the decorative canvas is made. If this is a fabric coating with polyurethane impregnation applied to the surface, then it will not protect against a strong flood from the ceiling. The fabric will withstand liquid, but not in large quantities, and for a short period of time. It will be possible to save the material only if signs of leakage from the upper floor are immediately detected and the cause is quickly eliminated.

If time is lost, and the fabric ceiling is flooded with water, the canvas will have to be changed. Such material cannot be repaired, since after exposure to moisture and drying, stains or stains will remain on the surface, which cannot be washed off.

Therefore, it is not recommended to mount fabric ceilings in rooms where there is a high probability of flooding (bathroom, kitchen). Here it is better to install a vinyl coating that can withstand about 100 liters of water per 1 m² of area. At the same time, the liquid will not seep through the material, as a result, it will be possible to secure the rest of the finish, interior and furniture.

When collected, the water will stretch the vinyl ceiling, forming a bubble, but the strength of the material will not allow the film to break through. The only caveat is if hot water pours from above, under the influence of which the film becomes more elastic, and the bubble comes into contact with an acute angle or object and bursts.

However, only clean water from the tap will not spoil the material. If soapy water leaks (if the neighbors' washing machine breaks down), rain (a standard situation for residents of apartments on the upper floors of high-rise buildings, if the roof structure needs repair) or sewer, even stains will remain on the film. And the real disaster for the decorative coating is the leakage of the heating system. Then you will have to change the material, since the technical fluid flowing through the pipes is dangerous for any type of canvas.

The water flowing from the water supply system flows down the ceiling beams, floor slabs and walls, gradually seeping into the ceiling space between the base base and the decorative canvas. If the structure is mounted securely, gradually the liquid will collect on the canvas, stretching it.

The strength of PVC film sheets allows the coating to withstand water loads, avoiding breakthroughs. The main thing, even when choosing materials for installing a tensile structure, is to consider products only from trusted manufacturers. Then it will be possible to save the furniture, and return the surface of the stretch ceiling to its original appearance.

How to drain water from a stretch ceiling yourself

This method is used if a lot of water has accumulated on the ceiling. Proceed as follows:

• select the device closest to the water bubble;
• dismantle the lamp, insert the rubber hose into the hole at one end, lower the other into the prepared container, start pumping out the water;
• drain the water completely. Use props to fit the fluid into the hole, but do not attempt to create waves. So the water will only cover a large area of ​​​​the decorative canvas;
• when the bucket is full, pinch the hose until a new container is placed.

After drying, reinstall the canvas in its original place. To stretch and smooth the material you will need a heat gun.

If there are no lamps on the ceiling, pump out the water by making a hole in the corner of the room:

• dismantle the decorative plinth, which is attached along the edge of the stretch ceiling;
• with a spatula with rounded edges, carefully release part of the canvas from the attachment;
• take the canvas aside, insert a rubber hose into the hole;
• drain the water into the prepared container, install the canvas in its original place.

Possible errors when draining water yourself

If the question is being solved how to drain the water from the stretch ceiling on your own, it is necessary to avoid common mistakes that the owners of stretch ceilings make when saving canvases:

1. The amount of accumulated liquid was incorrectly estimated, as a result of which there were not enough water tanks. Since, once started, the process will not stop until all the water has been drained from the ceiling, it is better to prepare more buckets and basins in advance;
2. Do not try to pierce the decorative canvas to drain the water. The high pressure that forms in the bubble under the influence of the accumulated liquid will cause the coating to break. Then you have to change the PVC film;
3. You can not use your hands to adjust the water to the corner or hole under the lamp. Thus, you can scratch the film or drive water into the far corners of the ceiling, which will create even more problems when draining. And, if the coating from the inside does not dry out completely, mold will form in the ceiling space over time;
4. The film web can be smoothed out only if the material and the room are heated with a heat gun. Other methods will not help, but they will completely ruin the coating.

Flooding is better to prevent than to try to eliminate its consequences. It's good if you can negotiate with the neighbors so that they install floor waterproofing. Then the risk that water will pour from the ceiling will be zero. For the installation of waterproofing, roofing felt in rolls or fiberglass is used. But to make such a layer is possible only with a major overhaul of the premises. But in case of any breakthrough, these materials will retain water, and will not allow it to seep into the interfloor overlap.

If flooding has already occurred, ask neighbors or other guilty parties to compensate for material damage.

When the water is drained, wait a few days until the ceiling is completely dry, and only then turn on the electricity. Otherwise, there is a high risk of shorting the wiring.

If the heating system breaks, you should not try to drain the water yourself. Dangerous liquid inside the pipes will harm your health.

It is easy to spoil the stretch ceiling while draining the water. Therefore, it is worth contacting a specialized company. Professional craftsmen will quickly pump out the water and put the decorative surface in order.

Video instruction on how to drain water from a stretch ceiling yourself

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 do-it-yourself drain of water from a stretch ceiling, 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:

1. 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.
2. 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.

1. 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.
2. 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.

The best ceilings to prevent the bay are PVC film. 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 the lighting fixtures are 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:

1. Find out the corner in which the most water has accumulated or the one closest to the bubble.
2. Now remove the trim panel. Carefully screw a long self-tapping screw into the point of dense gluing of the web to the harpoon.
3. 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.
4. 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 with a 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;
• a heat gun or a good powerful hair dryer;
• a new ceiling panel to replace 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:

1. 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.
2. 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, and an unpleasant smell of rot will appear.

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.

Most residents of apartment buildings are aware of the possibility of flooding an apartment from the upper floors. Therefore, water on a stretch ceiling is, although an infrequent, but quite probable phenomenon. Knowing how to fix this problem and its consequences will help you deal with the task quickly and efficiently.

How much water can a stretch ceiling withstand

Manufacturers claim: stretch ceilings are a barrier to water and guaranteed protection of the interior of the apartment from flooding, provided that the volume of water per square meter of coverage does not exceed 100 liters. In doing so, a number of factors must be taken into account:

• the larger the area of ​​​​the stretch ceiling, the lower the permissible load on the canvas;
• the higher the degree of tension of the material, the lower its density and strength;
• of great importance are the properties of the material from which the stretch ceiling is made.

The actual amount of water that a stretch ceiling can withstand per square meter is from 70 to 120 liters.

The material from which stretch ceilings are made can be of two types: fabric fabric or PVC film.

Properties of a stretch ceiling made of PVC film

Polyvinyl chloride film, or PVC film for short, has high elasticity and strength. When in contact with water, it does not change color, does not absorb or pass moisture. When flooded, water does not spread over the surface of the ceiling. The film coating stretches and sags in the place where the water originally entered, forming a so-called bubble.

Do not pierce the bubble to drain the water. A small hole under the weight of water will very quickly turn into a large tear in the film. It will be impossible to restore the coverage.

Video: what happens to a PVC stretch ceiling during a flood

Fabric stretch ceiling properties

Fabric stretch ceilings do not tolerate interaction with water. Water-resistant qualities are provided by a special varnish coating. But with poor-quality varnishing, the stretch ceiling in some places passes water. The fabric base of the ceiling has low elasticity; during flooding, it stretches slightly and practically does not sag. With a large amount of water, it breaks out of the mounts and cannot be restored.

Video: what happens to a fabric suspended ceiling when flooded with water

How many days will a stretch ceiling flooded with water last?

If the amount of water on the ceiling does not increase, then the stretch ceiling can hold it indefinitely. Do not delay the solution of the problem for a long time. High humidity in a closed space above the ceiling contributes to the formation of mold. In addition, the film, which is strongly stretched under the weight of water, can burst when it comes into contact with the edges of the lamp, the corners of furniture, or some sharp object. There is a risk of rupture if water has accumulated at the junction of the stretch ceiling coverings. It is advisable to drain within 2-3 days, following the rule: the sooner you start solving the problem, the sooner it will disappear.

How to remove water from a stretch ceiling

Most stretch ceiling installation companies also provide maintenance and have the necessary tools and skills to deal with such issues. Therefore, to eliminate water, you can attract professionals.

Priority measures

Immediately after detecting water on the stretch ceiling, do the following:

1. Turn off the electricity. This will eliminate the possibility of a short circuit in the mains and electric shock upon contact with water.
2. Notify neighbors of an existing problem or shut off the water supply to the riser. This must be done so that the amount of water on the ceiling does not increase. The tap that shuts off the water riser is usually located in the basement.
3. If you are not confident in your own abilities, contact the manager of the company that provides services for the maintenance of stretch ceilings. Describe the problem that has arisen and agree on the date and time of the visit of specialists.
4. Remove things from the room that can be damaged by water: appliances, carpets and other items.
5. Cover large furniture with plastic wrap.
6. Prepare containers for collecting water: buckets, basins, pots. There must be many.

How to drain water yourself

1. Find at least one assistant for work, and preferably two. You can't remove water alone.
2. Choose a place on the ceiling through which you will drain. The most convenient way to do this is through the holes for lighting fixtures. If they are not there or they are far from the accumulation of water, you can choose the nearest area for attaching the suspended ceiling to the wall for draining.
3. Place a ladder or a sturdy, stable table under the drain.
4. Remove the lamp or chandelier. By the time this procedure begins, the appliance should already be de-energized.
5. Remove the decorative tape, carefully detach the stretch ceiling harpoon from the aluminum profile using a special spatula with rounded ends.
6. Hold the edge of the canvas firmly so that it does not tear out of your hands. Otherwise, the water will flood the room.
7. Use a rubber hose. Insert one end of it into the hole on the ceiling and bring it to the place where water accumulates. Dip the other end into a collection container.
8. The assistant should slightly lift and hold the sagging ceiling. In this case, the water will rush through the hose into the collection container.
9. When the container is filled with water, pinch the end of the hose with your fingers and lower it into another container. The second assistant can empty the containers and be in the wings.
10. If the hole for the light is at the bottom of the water bladder, the hose does not need to be used. The water will automatically pour into the bucket.
11. Proceed in this way: when the water flow decreases, lift the sagging part of the ceiling a little more and drain the water into the containers. The well-coordinated work of a team of two or three people will very quickly lead to the desired result.
12. After removing all the water from the ceiling covering, thread the harpoon of the web into the baguette profile, if using an edge drain. Install the lamp or chandelier in place after the canvas is completely dry.

Video: how to drain water from a stretch ceiling

Without a special skill, it is not recommended to smooth out a sagging stretch ceiling, trying to move water to the drain hole. Water can spill over a larger surface, it will be more difficult to collect it. The best solution would be to use a flexible hose to drain the water.

How to dry the canvas after draining the water

After draining the water at the place of its concentration, the tension fabric has a sagging, severely deformed surface. It can be returned to its original form by heat treatment. Firms specializing in this use heat guns for high-quality drying. The process takes very little time and there is no trace of the former deformations of the ceiling.

This problem can be solved independently, using a building or ordinary hair dryer, turning it on to the maximum temperature and holding it at a distance of 20-30 cm from the ceiling surface. The work is quite laborious and will take a lot of time, but it will allow you to achieve a good result.

How to prevent water from entering the stretch ceiling

You can avoid flooding the apartment or getting water on the stretch ceiling by waterproofing the floor in the apartment from above: laying a bituminous and roofing felt screed. In this case, all the water spilled in the apartment from above will remain within this apartment. The method requires serious construction work: you have to remove the floor covering, lay waterproofing materials and re-lay linoleum or lay tiles. It will not protect against flooding when pipes leak in the ceiling between floors. To start all this for the sake of prevention is impractical. If the neighbors from above are starting repairs, then it makes sense to talk with them about waterproofing the floor.

As you can see, it is not difficult to eliminate water from a stretch ceiling and completely restore its appearance. But if you don’t want to do this on your own, you can turn to professionals for help, and present the bill for their services to neighbors from above.