ᐅ Moisture damage to vinyl flooring caused by wastewater blockage

Created on: 30 Jan 2021 14:25
M
michisa86888
M
michisa86888
30 Jan 2021 14:25
Hello everyone,
we have a moisture damage in the vinyl flooring caused by a blockage in the wastewater system. Three rooms are affected.
When we drained a full bathtub, water came out from the shower trap below. When we noticed shortly after, the bathroom on the ground floor was already flooded, as well as the hallway...
Today, I removed about 2 square meters (22 square feet) of vinyl flooring to check. The cork underlayment became damp, but otherwise, we prevented the worst. The screed is dry due to the vapor barrier on the screed.
My question is: Do you think the cork will dry out on its own, or should we remove everything?
There was no sewage water involved; as mentioned, it was only bathtub water...
KlaRa31 Jan 2021 17:32
If the system was not glued but merely loosely laid, in my opinion there is a considerable risk that moisture could have penetrated beneath the covering panels. In that case, the panels should be lifted and dried.

However, if the panels were glued, the situation will become apparent through swelling across the surface or blistering, especially along the edges of the elements. The cork (used as the backing layer) will not dry out through the PVC top layer quickly enough. This is because the water vapor diffusion resistance (sD value) of the covering is too high.

The possible consequences are unpleasant odors and blistering at the edges of the elements.

Nothing more can be said about this from a distance.

Best regards and continued success: KlaRa