Any Sensible suggestions on how to remove a couple of these plastic ceiling panels in my shower room before it gets messy with prybars and power tools? There is a leak from above when it rains from the south and I am trying to pin down the point of entry. There is a join every three lines.
No easy way to tell you. But you will have to get the pry bar out and start from the wall side that plastic gets brittle with age too. Id start with a visual on the roof checking any flashing/broken tiles.
Regardless of the fixings used, it will probably also be secured with silicone sealant which is messy to remove. I would remove the ceiling light fixing(s) & see if you can investigate further using a torch. On the positive side, it’s not expensive to replace. Any building plastics company will stock plastic soffit. This company have stores all over the UK: https://www.eurocell.co.uk/
Thanks Davyd The roof above is 5m x 2m flat, and was re-done with fibreglass during the summer. Unfortunately it rained on Friday night and a river came down the wall in this corner. It is definitely brittle, all I have discovered above is wooden battens nailed to damp plasterboard. More investigation required outside as you initially suggested. Cheers
In my experience it can be very difficult (if not impossible) to detect the source of a leak from inside unless you are prepared to rip out cosmetic coverings and underlying plasterboard/lath and plaster. Good luck.
Pour water containing fluorescent dye onto the roof and then shine a UV light around the voids underneath. I do a lot of property disrepair legal work and surveyors often use that method to trace entry points of and the path taken by water leaks.
