Soffit seepage?

[Jay Moge]

Originally Posted by rray

Here's something to consider.
This occured to me because I just came from a tenant's house. She was complaining about the "syrupy gunk" on the ceiling and walls of her shower.
I went over to look and, after some investigation in the garage, found that she had used oil-based paint to repaint the bathroom. I love tenants who paint, but in this case her boyfriend chose the wrong paint. The oil in the oil-based paint is heavier than water, so when the paint becomes wet from her long, relaxing showers, and since oil and water don't mix, and since oil is heavier than water, the heavier oil is separating from the paint and coagulating on the surface. I suppose the water is taking it's place in the paint? The paint was alligatoring, even though she said they had only painted it last Labor Day.

i don't mean to be nit picky (but we all should), oil is "atomicly" lighter than water. that's why in an oil spill the oil floats. not sure if that affects your theory, but thought i'd mention it.

[Russel Ray]

Originally Posted by Jay Moge

i don't mean to be nit picky (but we all should), oil is "atomicly" lighter than water. that's why in an oil spill the oil floats. not sure if that affects your theory, but thought i'd mention it.

You're not being nitpicky, just uninformed. There are many different types of crude oil, the most popular being lightweight crude because it is so versatile in what can be made from it. Yes, lightweight crude floats. Heavy crude does not because it has more gunk in it.

Also keep in mind that oil-based paints are just that, "oil-based." That means that there is much more in them than oil, and it is that "oil base" that separates from the paint and creates a gooey, syrupy gunk.

Also remember that in a bathroom, you have steam, which definitely is lighter than all oils. Steam rises. Since there is no where to go while you're taking a shower or bath with that inefficient or non-working exhaust fan, it will force itself into the paint, forcing the "oil base" out, thereby creating that syrupy gunk.

At least that's what Peter Gaeta of Gaeta Painting tells me. He says don't put oil-based paints in bathrooms because it's not a question of "if" you'll get syrupy gunk, it's a question of when.

[William J. Decker]

I think it is 'rot juice', especially if the roof decking is OSB.

[Jay Moge]

Ray. i had no idea that oil could sink. thanx for the education. it also makes me think of the cases when you have a ventilation soffit running threw the lav. and the humidity causes duct work and hardware to rust, even metal corner bead will show curosion threw the paint. that theory could also apply, if not for the "goowy" part.