Strange circles on wall/other sink problem

A

amtc

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It's not been the best weekend for me housewise. Please have patience with two unrelated queries. One of my own making and one not!

1. My duplex (ground and first floor) is 7-8 years old. I have owned it from new for the last 7 years but I think construction started in early 2004. It is brick built. The kitchen is at the front of the house, and in the corner (about halfway up the wall beside the front window so an exterior wall) circles have started to appear. I only noticed them last weekend and there were three. To be honest I thought I was imagining things - as the bin is in that corner so I use it every day and hadn't seen anything, but my mam saw them as well. This weekend I now have 16 circles of various sizes. They are not damp to the touch. They are slightly darker than the paint (which is an orange colour) and have a light ring around them. With the heat on they seem to recede but I couldn't be sure. One has now appeared on the interior wall beside it (which is at right angles to the exterior wall). There is a balcony above and they are in line with the side of that but I can't see any sealant missing. The front of the house dips right outside the area and the drain is there.

My friend thinks it could be mould. But it's not black, isn't damp and doesn't smell. I'm also wondering why it would only happen now and how do you fix it? I was thinking about getting the kitchen painted anyway - would that work?

2. Second one is my own fault. In a fit of enthusiasm I took out the bathroom sink stopper to clean the filter. To stop the screw falling back into the sink and down the hole, I popped the stopper (which is a metal one lifted by means of a plunger thing) back into the hole (stupid I know). Now of course I can't get it out. I took out the pedestal and tried to poke it out from underneath. I'm reluctant to have to get a plumber for what I imagine is a simple job. Anyway I rang four plumbers and not one called me back. I've attacked it with screwdrivers and a pliers, but I can't simply fit a wrench into the space. My friends and my dad are worse than useless. Any ideas?

Thanks, for someone who uttered the words today, why did I give out about people who rented.
 
No clue for your first issue.
IN relation to the second one, I am assuming its a metal stopper so I would suggest a strong magnet.
 
amtc said:
2. Second one is my own fault. In a fit of enthusiasm I took out the bathroom sink stopper to clean the filter. To stop the screw falling back into the sink and down the hole, I popped the stopper (which is a metal one lifted by means of a plunger thing) back into the hole (stupid I know). Now of course I can't get it out.
Click to expand...

Stick a load of strips of sellotape to it and use the ends of the strips as a handle.
 
I would suspect that these "circles" are light condensation forming on the blobs of plaster used to adhere the plasterboard to the blockwork of the wall.
A common enough method used 20/30 years ago to fix plasterboard to walls.
 
If your internal wall surface is dry lined it will have a hollow sound is struck.

Knock on the wall in several location and post the result here.


ONQ

[broken link removed]

All advice on AAM is remote from the situation and cannot be relied upon as a defence or support - in and of itself - should legal action be taken.
Competent legal and building professionals should be asked to advise in Real Life with rights to inspect and issue reports on the matters at hand.
 
Last edited:
An update

'Circles' - sorry my camera isn't charged so can't post a picture tonight, but all the circles are in an area about 300 cm square. Hence it doesn't seem that the being attached to batons could be the reason. The circles range from the size of a 2 euro coin to the size of a saucer.

In any event the house is 7-8 years old and I believe is of outside brick, then some material and another layer of brick covered by plasterboard. I have knocked a couple of places (it's a wall of no more than 2 metres) and it's hollow.

'The sink' - thanks for your suggestions re the tape. Tried that with fairly heavy duct and also parcel tape, but no movement. It's a heavy metal stopper so I think the plumber is the only answer. Feel so stupid!
 
heavy duct and also parcel tape, but no movement. It's a heavy metal stopper so I think the plumber is the only answer. Feel so stupid!
Click to expand...

Never feel stupid....we all have made mistakes and goes to prove that whatever particular skills we may have in some areas at the end of the day we are all human!
 
amtc said:
'The sink' - thanks for your suggestions re the tape. Tried that with fairly heavy duct and also parcel tape, but no movement. It's a heavy metal stopper so I think the plumber is the only answer. Feel so stupid!
Click to expand...

Maybe try supergluing something to it so you can pull it out? You can remove it with acetone afterwards.
 
Re the sink stopper - have you tried using the hoover to either suck it up enough to get a hold on it?
 
If you do a lot of cooking in kitchens you can sometimes see deposits building up on the wall - this is the easiest to check as a good cleaner and some elbow grease will sort it out.

You may have some sort of water problem, either through the build up of -
(i) interstitial condensation from inside the house or
(ii) from water ingress from outside the house, or a combination of both.
​
If it is condensation then venting the apartment immediately after using the kitchen for cooking or the bathroom may see a reduction.
If you have ducted vents you should conduct a smoke test with a taper or smoke generator to see they have not been block by a build up of deposits.
Sometimes these vents may not be adequate particularly if the occupancy has increased or the washing cooking regime has become intensified, i.e. if you sub let or start a family.
Its important to recognise that changes in occupant behaviour can be contributory.

If its a new water leak it needs to be traced and sorted.
It could be coming from the apartment kitchen upstairs or the balcony where it meets the wall.
Ask to see your neighbour's kitchen and look under the sink for a leak, etc.
Check to see the balcony outlet isn't blocked at their level or your level (backing up).

If its a generic fault with the apartments and your neightbour's use is similar to your own your visit may allow you to compare notes.
After this, if these no-invasive methods are unsuccessful in pinpointing the cause you may have to open up.


ONQ

[broken link removed]

All advice on AAM is remote from the situation and cannot be relied upon as a defence or support - in and of itself - should legal action be taken.
Competent legal and building professionals should be asked to advise in Real Life with rights to inspect and issue reports on the matters at hand.
 
amtc said:
'The sink' - thanks for your suggestions re the tape. Tried that with fairly heavy duct and also parcel tape, but no movement. It's a heavy metal stopper so I think the plumber is the only answer. Feel so stupid!
Click to expand...

Try a plunger. Alternatively if you can detach the waste from underneath, you should be able to find some implement such as a long screwdriver that you can push up from underneath. Just be carefu if pushing from underneath that you hit the stopper itself and not the little filter piece. A thin metal rod would be ideal, a wire clothes hanger straightened out might work.
Leo
 
Had a similar problem myself with the bathroom sink... I got a plunger which was no use so thinking outside the proverbial box ,I used the shower/bath mat which has suction thingys which did the trick no problem!
 
I had a problem with a damp circle inside when I had wall tie bridged with cement.
 
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