Water marks near extractor fan on en-suite ceiling

[psychopomp1]

Hi
I've been away for a few weeks but when i got back home i noticed these squiggly marks near the extractor fan in my upstairs en-suite...obviously they look like water marks. Could someone tell me what this is likely to indicate before i get the plumber in? (i'm hopeless at DIY!). The property is only 3 years old.
Cheers

 

[SimonG]

Depends where it extracts to, might not need a plumber but a roofer. Have a look in the loft to see if there are any pipes there and where the fan exits the house. It might be leaking from the flashing through the roof.

 

[psychopomp1]

Depends where it extracts to, might not need a plumber but a roofer. Have a look in the loft to see if there are any pipes there and where the fan exits the house. It might be leaking from the flashing through the roof.

Thanks, the fan pumps out the steam to the vent located at side of the house via the loft. Will i still need a roofer?

 

[SimonG]

Not from the sound of it, but worth having a look in the loft to see if you can spot something simple.

 

[scotty plumber]

Condensate trap maybe required

 

[Paulus]

It could simply be that there is a poor connection between the pipe and the back of the fan. Steam condenses runs back down the pipe and gets out through the connector. As Simon says ( is there a joke there somewhere? ) the only way to find out for sure is to go in the loft and investigate.

 

[mountainman]

Has it been raining much lately in your area, if not its unlikely to be a roof problem.
If you've been away for a while then maybe your tank in the loft is overflowing and the overflow pipework is leaking.

 

[dancinplumba]

this could also be rain being blown through outlet or possibly condensation inside extractor ducting running back towards extractor
imo

 

[Mike Jackson]

Condensate trap maybe required

This sounds the most likely to me. If the exhaust ducting is not exceptionally well lagged the steam will condense inside and run back down the pipe, probably leaking out around where the exhaust fits onto the spigot on the back of the fan.

 

[AWheating]

probably condensation, the ducting from the fan should be the insulated type to help stop condensation. check the ductwork seals etc...