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Had a slow leak in a first floor bathroom toilet cistern, and it's probably been going for weeks. This is an ensuite that doesn't get used much, and the water was dripping from the service valve and running down the pipe into the cavity, close to an exterior wall. Parts of the chipboard floor panels in the bathroom have become damp, although it's hard to say how badly without taking up the floor covering (the next job). The ceiling on the ground floor directly below the leak was hidden from view by wall-mounted cupboards, so we didn't notice the problem until the coving started going black. Closer inspection revealed the dry wall plasterboard is damp along with a square meter's worth of ceiling and a couple of meters of coving.
With the leak now fixed, the question is about lasting damage. I'm assuming that ceiling and walls downstairs can be fixed up fairly easily once they've had a chance to dry out but not sure about the effect of water on chipboard floor panels. Any views on the likelihood of having to replace them (and basically rip out the bathroom fittings and start again). Never had a leak like this before and I know it's not really plumbing, but the professionals here must have seen plenty of leaks - any advice?
With the leak now fixed, the question is about lasting damage. I'm assuming that ceiling and walls downstairs can be fixed up fairly easily once they've had a chance to dry out but not sure about the effect of water on chipboard floor panels. Any views on the likelihood of having to replace them (and basically rip out the bathroom fittings and start again). Never had a leak like this before and I know it's not really plumbing, but the professionals here must have seen plenty of leaks - any advice?