Hi all, hopefully someone will be able to help with a problem that we are having in our new(ish) build flat.
My wife and I moved into our 2 bedroom flat 3 years ago, and at that point the flat was around 4 years old. When we redecorated we noticed that there was a crack in the plasterboard wall in the living room, but thought nothing of it as we were told that it was common in new builds as the flats 'settled in'. So we simply painted over it and didn't think anymore of it, especially as it is an area of the room that we don't really spend any time in.
We have recently put our flat on the market to try and sell it (although we have since decided to stay put), and one of the potential buyers pointed out the crack in the wall. It was only then that we really noticed that the crack had got much worse, and the surface was now raised out as though it was being 'pushed' from behind.
The crack was directly above one of the radiators and we realised that when the radiator was on, the wall above it was getting very hot in a direct line above the middle of the radiator, and this is exactly where the cracks are. I am assuming that there is a hot water pipe that runs behind the wall at this point?
Behind the radiator itself the plasterboard has completely crumbled and we noticed that chunks of plasterboard were lose and dropped off when I lifted the radiator off of it's mounts.
None of the other radiators in the flat have this issue, so this seems to be an isolated issue.
What is causing this and how much of a problem is it? Do we need to call a plumber out to look at the piping? The walls are not wet, so I assume that there are no leaks.
Any help or advice greatly appreciated.
My wife and I moved into our 2 bedroom flat 3 years ago, and at that point the flat was around 4 years old. When we redecorated we noticed that there was a crack in the plasterboard wall in the living room, but thought nothing of it as we were told that it was common in new builds as the flats 'settled in'. So we simply painted over it and didn't think anymore of it, especially as it is an area of the room that we don't really spend any time in.
We have recently put our flat on the market to try and sell it (although we have since decided to stay put), and one of the potential buyers pointed out the crack in the wall. It was only then that we really noticed that the crack had got much worse, and the surface was now raised out as though it was being 'pushed' from behind.
The crack was directly above one of the radiators and we realised that when the radiator was on, the wall above it was getting very hot in a direct line above the middle of the radiator, and this is exactly where the cracks are. I am assuming that there is a hot water pipe that runs behind the wall at this point?
Behind the radiator itself the plasterboard has completely crumbled and we noticed that chunks of plasterboard were lose and dropped off when I lifted the radiator off of it's mounts.
None of the other radiators in the flat have this issue, so this seems to be an isolated issue.
What is causing this and how much of a problem is it? Do we need to call a plumber out to look at the piping? The walls are not wet, so I assume that there are no leaks.
Any help or advice greatly appreciated.
