How to drain water from a suspended ceiling yourself: step-by-step instructions, common mistakes

Not everyone knows how to drain water from a suspended ceiling.In the event of a flood, this must be done in order to avoid subsequent costs for repairs. There are several ways to drain water from a stretch ceiling without damaging the material. Everyone can do this on their own. The main thing is to drain it carefully so as not to touch the material or spoil the appearance of the tension covering.

Water in a suspended ceiling - what to do first

Many people start to panic if they are flooded by their neighbors when their houses have suspended ceilings. But not everyone knows that you can get out of the situation without spending extra money on repairs. There are even videos that show how to drain water from a suspended ceiling. You can do this yourself immediately after a flood, without wasting time searching for workers.

When flooding occurs from above in the presence of a suspended ceiling, a bubble forms. Liquid entering the canvas accumulates in one place. It sags as if it will burst. The tension material can withstand about a hundred liters, so you don’t have to worry that the bubble will burst and everything will spill out. The main thing is to notice the accumulation of fluid in time and warn your neighbors.

You can drain water from a suspended ceiling after flooding yourself. But there are also workers who install and repair them. You can call the company employees and ask them to properly drain all the liquid from the tension fabric.

If a person wants to drain all the water himself, he must follow certain steps:

1. First you need to turn off the electricity.Otherwise, the work may lead to a short circuit in the wiring and other consequences.
2. After turning off the electricity, you need to go to your neighbor, because there is a risk that water continues to flow and accumulate in the ceiling. The sooner you can report a flood, the greater your chances of avoiding repairs. You should warn your neighbors below in case the bubble cannot stand it and bursts.
3. You can drain the water yourself or contact the company. In the second case, you need to call there or leave a request.
4. You also need to remove all things that could be damaged by flooding. It is better to take them to the back room, where the liquid will not flow if the bubble is punctured.
5. The remaining furniture in the room should be covered with a waterproof film, especially wooden furniture. This will help avoid damage to the wood in case of flooding.
6. Prepare a container into which you can drain the liquid from the ceiling. It is advisable to take deep basins that can hold a lot of water.

Once everything is done, you can drain the water. This must be done carefully, slowly, to avoid puncture or damage to the tension material itself.

How to remove water from a suspended ceiling yourself

You won't be able to drain water from the ceiling on your own. You will need help from other people. Therefore, it is better to invite one or more friends with you. You can drain successfully if you follow the sequence of steps, which are performed slowly and with caution:

1. First you need to inspect the canvas, select a hole to drain the water. The place where the lamp is attached is suitable for this. It does not need to be removed, except for the gap from which water will flow. But if the hole for the lamp is far from the bubble, it is better to choose one of the edges of the ceiling.To do this, you will need to make drainage in the place where the tension material is attached to the wall.
2. If the edge of the ceiling has been selected to drain the water, it is necessary to remove all lighting elements from the tension structure. Otherwise they may fall and break.
3. Before draining the water, you need to place a structure on which to stand. A stepladder is suitable for this.
4. To remove water, you need to prepare a hose and container. You need to insert one of the ends into the hole, and place the other in the container.
5. Next, you will need the help of another person. In order for the liquid to flow smoothly over the tension covering, it is necessary for one assistant to push the bubble, and the second to hold the hose and container. This may take a long time. But there is no need to rush or put too much pressure on the sagging tension fabric. Otherwise, the liquid may spread across the floor and also flood the neighbors below.
6. If the hole from under the lamp was chosen to drain the water, the hose does not need to be used. In order to remove all the liquid, you need to move the bubble towards the hole and slowly drain it.

After the water has been drained, it is necessary to dry the tension fabric. Only after complete drying can lighting elements be hung. It is recommended not to turn on the electricity for the first couple of hours after the procedure. Also, after fixing the problem, pits and irregularities may remain. There is no need to try to level the tension fabric yourself. It will take the desired shape after complete drying.

With special valves

Some stretch ceilings have special valves through which water can be removed. They are designed for this purpose, so there will be no problems with opening them.To remove liquid from there, you need to open the valve, first placing a container under it. You can use a hose.

To remove all the liquid from the tension surface, carefully move the bubble towards the hole. This should be done slowly, not with sharp objects. A suitable tool would be a mop with a soft attachment. It will be difficult to damage the tension fabric. It has no sharp protrusions.

To thoroughly dry the canvas and avoid the occurrence of fungus, mold, and other problems, it is necessary to remove it. After this, you can call a service that will stretch the ceiling back. This action will allow the tension material to dry evenly, as well as level out the sagging area and return it to its former appearance. It is also recommended to remove the canvas with the help of service workers, otherwise there is a risk of damaging it, scratching it, or stretching it even more. The company's employees will be able to remove the tension material in a few minutes, and will also do it correctly and carefully.

If there are holes for lamps

There are places on the ceiling for mounting lamps. If there are no valves, you can use them as a hole through which it is convenient to drain the liquid. In order to eliminate all accumulated water through them, you must first turn off the electricity to avoid short circuits and electric shock. To remove all the water, you need to prepare containers and a stepladder. You can control the flow of water using a hose. It will also be necessary if the lamp is not attached to the wall.

If there is residual liquid after draining through the hose, you can move the protrusions using the same mop. After all the liquid has been removed, it is recommended to remove the coating and dry it.This will get rid of unevenness and sagging where water accumulates. To do this, it is recommended to call the company’s employees, since the material can be damaged, and then you will have to re-tighten the ceiling.

What to do if there are no holes

If there are no holes on the ceiling for lamps, you will have to drain the water through the free edge. You can unscrew it yourself using construction tools. The main thing is to release a small piece of material so as not to stretch and avoid damage. There are several types of fabric, which determine the method of cutting it:

1. The first is the harpoon coating. It is distinguished by a rigid, framed edge.
2. The second is a clip type. Its edge is attached to clips that can be unscrewed using a flat screwdriver or spatula.
3. Bead coating involves a profile into which the canvas is driven using plaster.

You can see the name of the material in the instructions for the ceiling. The method of opening the edge will depend on this. The type of coating affects how the canvas will be used in the future, since if cut incorrectly, the entire structure can be damaged.

We read: Ventilation in a suspended ceiling

Cleaning, drying

After draining the liquid from the ceiling, it sags and becomes uneven in places. In order to return it to its former shape, it is necessary to dry the canvas. You can do this yourself, but you will need a hair dryer. It can be purchased at a hardware store. But the company that stretches it also dries the fabric. You can leave a request to have the drying carried out by the organization’s employees.

If you have a hair dryer at home, then you need to set it to the lowest power setting. The fabric should be dried at a distance of 20 cm from it.The device should be directed over the entire material so that it dries evenly. You also need to go over the entire canvas to remove excess water.

It is not recommended to dry a wet ceiling yourself. Firstly, it takes a lot of time. Secondly, self-drying does not guarantee complete recovery of the material. The company's employees do it faster and more correctly. Therefore, after them the chance of restoration of the canvas is higher.

Common Mistakes

Many people underestimate the difficulties that can arise when removing liquid from a structure. At first glance it may seem smaller than it actually is. Because of this, people cannot choose a container or a method of eliminating liquid. In order to drain everything without any problems, it is better to take a deeper container in advance. This will prevent water from spreading around the room.

Also, many people make the mistake of choosing a hole to drain the water. This can cause the bubble to rupture and new bulges to form. It is better to choose the farthest hole so that the protrusion is evenly distributed over the surface, and water can be carefully drained from it, and not splashed around.

Some people also try to level an uneven ceiling on their own using improvised means. Doing so may damage the material. The thinner it is, the higher the chance of making holes in the canvas and ruining its appearance.

Despite the fact that you can drain the water yourself, employees of suspended ceiling installation companies do not recommend doing this. If you are in a hurry and do not follow the recommendations, you can ruin the structure and flood the neighbors below. In addition, careless actions lead to damage to the material. It can be holed, scratched, stretched.

By contacting security services, all this can be avoided. They will remove water from the structure and dry it evenly. When stretching ceilings, some companies offer an additional service in case of flooding.

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