How do i check if this is water damage?

[JenL]

On my bathroom ceiling, the paint started to peel away in a longish area that's about 1 foot x 6 inches. I scraped off the paint and repainted and it still peeled. I've also trying putting some drywall compound on it and now that too is powdering and not sticking.

The thing is there is another bathroom with a toilet which is directly above this one on the floor above.

So is this water damage? Is there an easy way to find out? The patch is not obviously wet to the touch.

Thanks for any help!

Jennifer

[tudor]

Do you own the upstairs bathroom or does someone else? If you do, check what happens when you flush, if there is any leaking on the floor around the base of the toilet. If it's someone else, you could ask them about it, or ask the building management if there have been any repairs in that unit. A lot of bathroom paint problems are either leaks or condensation. Leaks are probably easier to deal with if you can repair them. It sounds like a small area for a leak but maybe it's a small leak. Good to get it at this stage if so. Big leaks can be dangerous if you have plaster walls and ceilings because they can collapse when they get wet.

[JenL]

Thanks, i will do as you suggest. The bathroom upstairs is ours as well.

[HayZee518]

you say that the offending area is longish. I would take a look at the pipes to see if they're sweating not really leaking. If your piping and water is cooler than the rest of the house it will condensate water on the outside of the pipe, just like a suction line on an air conditioner and drip.

[Drywall DIY Guy]

I think I would drill a 1/4 hole in the ceiling where the peeling occurs to see if any water drips through. If there is a leak, it will drip through the hole.

If there is leaking, then you need to fix the leak or have it fixed before anything else can be done. It is possible that this is simply condensate forming on the toilet above you. That can be fixed by using an insulated toilet tank. If this is rented to someone else, the landlord needs to take action on this.