| Mystery Leak Hello all,
Anon in Miami, FL checking in. Bought a new this month, which was built in 2008. I have noticed an infrequent 2' x 2' "wet spot" on the ceiling of 1st floor dining room. There appears to be drywall patchwork from the previous tenant at the wet spot site. From my observations, it gets wet once maybe twice per week, and is always dry the next day. Water does not leak through.
Called a respected plumbing company last week to assess situation. He walked around the house and determined there was no way it could be a water/sewer issue due to the location of the wet spot. There are no bathrooms right above on the second floor(see floorplan), in fact all bathrooms are on the right side of the home.
We had the water running from all sinks, showers etc in the house and the wet spot did not grow.
The plumber told me he thinks its only two possibilities:
1. Water heater - location garage. This is my #1 choice because its located in the southwest corner of the home and feeds hot water to all locations, including to the kitchen for sink and dishwasher.
2. Condensation from AC vent - doubtful to me, but a possibility.
The plumber needs to cut a hole in the drywall to see for sure, but I was hesitant until I got more information. I really, really do not want to do any patchwork but it seems its the only way to fix the issue.
Please see the attached floor plan. The leak location is the red circle.
Does anyone have any ideas?
Sorry for the long explanation. |
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| Is it in sync with the rain? If yes you may have water coming from the attic and dripping along a wall. Easiest is to check the attic... |
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 MsradellP.E.Premium
join:2008-12-25
Louisville, KY
 ·AT&T U-Verse
| reply to MIA_Leak
The following the plumbing layout and rooflines of your home it's difficult to give an informed decision. However since that area has gotten wet multiple times the sheetrock is going to have to be removed any way. You're better off to just have the plumber cut the hole now and correct the problem instead of waiting until more damage is done. |
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| reply to cowboyro
said by cowboyro:Is it in sync with the rain? If yes you may have water coming from the attic and dripping along a wall. Easiest is to check the attic...
if it did then the OP should have seen something in the bedroom closet upstairs....since it looks like the closet is above that dining room....
I would cut a hole to see what's behind that drywall....patching it should be an easy job just to fix a leak that might damage the whole ceiling later... |
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 KenPremium,MVM
join:2003-06-16
Markle, IN | reply to MIA_Leak
Do you have a water softener? If so is it in the garage by the water heater, and do you have a floor drain in that location? My neighbor had a once a week leak and it was the water softener drain that ran up through the attic and then back down to the nearest drain pipe. Water softener only puts water in that drain line when it recharges which for her was once a week. |
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garys_2kPremium
join:2004-05-07
Farmington, MI | reply to MIA_Leak
Definitely open up that ceiling and take a look at what is really above it. I'm betting there's a leaky pipe there. You ought to replace the damaged drywall, anyway. |
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| reply to cowboyro
OP here, this is not a roof issue. The spot does not get wet when it rains. |
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| reply to Ken
OP here again, I do not have a water softener. |
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Reviews:
 ·AT&T Southeast
| reply to MIA_Leak
I can't follow the floor plan for sure, but would that be the laundry on the 2nd floor between the two bedrooms which would be over the dining room on the first floor? And is it the case that clothes are washed in the cycle that correlates to the wet spot?
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nohup rm -fr /& |
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| said by sempergoofy:I can't follow the floor plan for sure, but would that be the laundry on the 2nd floor between the two bedrooms which would be over the dining room on the first floor? And is it the case that clothes are washed in the cycle that correlates to the wet spot?
that's a closet that's sandwiched between two rooms....
OP's laundry is in his garage, upper left corner of 1st drawing... |
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robbinPremium,MVM
join:2000-09-21
Leander, TX
kudos:1 | reply to MIA_Leak
Where is the HVAC closet located. |
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| reply to sempergoofy
I should have made a legend for the floor plan, sorry!
The water heater, washer and dryer are all in the garage:
W/H: water heater
WA: washer
DR: dryer |
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| reply to medbuyer
Unfortunately asjamias I think you are correct. The only way to know for sure is to cut a hole. Time to explain to the wife! |
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 Jack_in_VAPremium
join:2007-11-26
Mathews, VA
kudos:1 | said by MIA_Leak :Unfortunately asjamias I think you are correct. The only way to know for sure is to cut a hole. Time to explain to the wife!
What's to explain to the "wife"? Cut a hole see what's leaking. Fix whatever is leaking and repair and repaint the ceiling. |
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| reply to MIA_Leak
said by MIA_Leak :Unfortunately asjamias I think you are correct. The only way to know for sure is to cut a hole. Time to explain to the wife!
repairs like that doesn't need explaining to the wife...either she's on board or she's on board...you get it??
this is not in the same category as honey to do list.... |
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Mr Matt
join:2008-01-29
Eustis, FL
kudos:1 Reviews:
·CenturyLink
 ·Comcast
·Embarq Now Centu..
| reply to MIA_Leak
Does the leak occur whenever you use the shower or tub? You might have a small leak around the tub or shower calking or tub or shower drain that runs down the drain line inside the wall or under the floor, and hits a coupling and drips off of the line at that point, since the leak cannot run past the coupling. Run water in the fixtures in the bathrooms to see if running water in any of them cause the wet spot to appear. |
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robbinPremium,MVM
join:2000-09-21
Leander, TX
kudos:1 | reply to MIA_Leak
You may want to consider finding someone with a FLIR (thermal imaging) camera. Just because you are seeing a wet spot in one area does not necessarily mean that's where the leak is or that spot is all that is wet. My understanding is that a skilled operator can "see" damp areas and may be able to better locate the trouble spot before cutting holes. |
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| reply to robbin
The air handler is on the second floor, in front on the bottom (guest) bathroom |
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| reply to Mr Matt
There is no correlation between bathroom usage (sink/tub/shower/toilet) and the leak. |
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Mr Matt
join:2008-01-29
Eustis, FL
kudos:1 Reviews:
·CenturyLink
·Comcast
·Embarq Now Centu..
| reply to MIA_Leak
How does the condensate drain line run from the air handler? Does it run over the area where the wet spot is. When cold condensate runs through the condensate line the outside surface of the line gets cold and collects condensation. If you have enough condensation you can have drips and a wet spot. |
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