[knight-errant]

Hello, newbie here. I have a question and I feel stupid asking it, but I don't know what else to do.

Some background: I'm a first time homeowner and I've lived in my house for about a year and a half now. I noticed some water damage to the ceiling in my spare bedroom a few weeks back. First I thought it was a plumbing issue but finally figured out that it was a leak from my ac unit. I'm going to get the ac leak fixed next week so that should stop any further water damage.

However, I'm a single woman and I'm not exactly a handyman, and I'm new at this homeowner thing so I've never experienced this before. My question is who do I call to repair the ceiling? What kind of a contractor does this kind of thing? It's not just the ceiling, I noticed there is some damage to the wall as well. The ceiling is intact but has peeling paint and the wall is slightly warped. Maybe I'm getting ahead of myself but now I'm concerned about mold growing back there too.

Any advice would be appreciated. Sorry if it's a dumb question but I don't know who does repairs like this. I don't even know where to start. Thanks!

[dynimagelv]

I would think that that would come under your Home Warranty...assuming you have one.

[ScoopLV]

Originally Posted by knight-errant

I'm going to get the ac leak fixed next week so that should stop any further water damage.

It's not just the ceiling, I noticed there is some damage to the wall as well. The ceiling is intact but has peeling paint and the wall is slightly warped. Maybe I'm getting ahead of myself but now I'm concerned about mold growing back there too.!

1) STOP USING YOUR AC.

2) CALL YOUR HOME BUILDER NOW.

3) HOPE TO GOD THEY'LL STILL FIX IT UNDER WARRANTY -- if it's even covered after 18 months.


Drywall is easy to fix. But letting the problem go and grow is irresponsible.

Do you wait for a cavity to abscess before calling the dentist? Same principle.

[olecapt]

Wall board mechanic...painter...many handyman guys. Couple of hundred dollars. Check around the neighborhood...often someone who does it and is well known. If not Angie's List. Or come back here. I have a couple of guys I use.

I too would fix the leak right now...It does continue to deteriorate if you keep adding moisture. Should be a cheap service call...$100 or $150.

And if it is a new tract try the builder. Sometimes they will do it even if they don't have to for good customer relations.

[MediocreButArrogant]

You need somebody that does drywall repair. Some painters do drywall work too. To get an idea of what they will do to your ceiling, go to YouTube and search for "water damaged drywall repair". You'll find videos like the following:


‪How to Repair Drywall Ceiling Water Damaged Drywall‬‏ - YouTube

This week I scraped the popcorn ceiling off of the spare bedroom we're turning into a craft room for my girlfriend, and sprayed knockdown texture on the ceiling using my new Wal-Board texture gun. Messy, but fun.

[knight-errant]

Originally Posted by dynimagelv

I would think that that would come under your Home Warranty...assuming you have one.

Thanks for your reply. No, my home warranty expired.

Originally Posted by ScoopLV

1) STOP USING YOUR AC.

2) CALL YOUR HOME BUILDER NOW.

3) HOPE TO GOD THEY'LL STILL FIX IT UNDER WARRANTY -- if it's even covered after 18 months.


Drywall is easy to fix. But letting the problem go and grow is irresponsible.

Do you wait for a cavity to abscess before calling the dentist? Same principle.

There's no need for shouting or insulting me.

1) I'm not going to stop using the AC in 105 degree heat. I'm not letting anything go. As I said in my first post, I'm getting it fixed. The AC repair guy was already at my house and will be back Monday with the part he needs. In the meantime, I've got a pan under the leak to catch the water.

2) My house is 20 years old.

3) My original home warranty is expired.

Originally Posted by olecapt

Wall board mechanic...painter...many handyman guys. Couple of hundred dollars. Check around the neighborhood...often someone who does it and is well known. If not Angie's List. Or come back here. I have a couple of guys I use.

I too would fix the leak right now...It does continue to deteriorate if you keep adding moisture. Should be a cheap service call...$100 or $150.

And if it is a new tract try the builder. Sometimes they will do it even if they don't have to for good customer relations.

Thank you for answering my question. My house was built in 1990, so no help from the builder I'm afraid. I'll try Angie's List, I've gotten several good recommendations from there for various things.

You just gave me an idea. You're a realtor, right? Maybe I could ask my realtor for her recommendation too.

Originally Posted by MediocreButArrogant

You need somebody that does drywall repair. Some painters do drywall work too. To get an idea of what they will do to your ceiling, go to YouTube and search for "water damaged drywall repair". You'll find videos like the following:


[URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NYcnjTPunk"]‪How to Repair Drywall Ceiling Water Damaged Drywall‬‏ - YouTube[/URL]

This week I scraped the popcorn ceiling off of the spare bedroom we're turning into a craft room for my girlfriend, and sprayed knockdown texture on the ceiling using my new Wal-Board texture gun. Messy, but fun.

Thank you, this is very helpful.

[ScoopLV]

Originally Posted by knight-errant

There's no need for shouting or insulting me.

1) I'm not going to stop using the AC in 105 degree heat. I'm not letting anything go. As I said in my first post, I'm getting it fixed. The AC repair guy was already at my house and will be back Monday with the part he needs. In the meantime, I've got a pan under the leak to catch the water.

2) My house is 20 years old.

3) My original home warranty is expired.

You didn't mention the age of your house, and from the original post, most of us thought it was a year and a half old.

I'm not shouting, and I don't mean to be insulting. But you're the one who has let a slow drip turn into warped walls. I was trying to convey a little "hurry-up" to what seems to be a mañana attitude. Every day you procrastinate, the damage gets a little worse and the chance of mold increases.

If it were me, I would turn off the AC and get some air moving around the damage to try and dry the area as much as possible. I'd also remove the damaged drywall and see how bad the problem is. But ultimately, you're the person who has to pay for this. If you can't deal with ceiling fans until the AC is repaired, it's your dime.

I had this same problem with a leaky bathroom sink -- it took removing a lot of bathroom fixtures, including the mirror, to get at the problem. I shut the water off to the house until I could isolate the bad plumbing. If I hadn't, the water would have pooled on the first floor ceiling. And it would have become a BIG problem.

[olecapt]

Originally Posted by ScoopLV

You didn't mention the age of your house, and from the original post, most of us thought it was a year and a half old.

I'm not shouting, and I don't mean to be insulting. But you're the one who has let a slow drip turn into warped walls. I was trying to convey a little "hurry-up" to what seems to be a mañana attitude. Every day you procrastinate, the damage gets a little worse and the chance of mold increases.

If it were me, I would turn off the AC and get some air moving around the damage to try and dry the area as much as possible. I'd also remove the damaged drywall and see how bad the problem is. But ultimately, you're the person who has to pay for this. If you can't deal with ceiling fans until the AC is repaired, it's your dime.

I had this same problem with a leaky bathroom sink -- it took removing a lot of bathroom fixtures, including the mirror, to get at the problem. I shut the water off to the house until I could isolate the bad plumbing. If I hadn't, the water would have pooled on the first floor ceiling. And it would have become a BIG problem.

You are getting a little carried away Scoop.. A plumbing leak is a vastly more dangerous thing in that the amount of water available is orders of magnitue higher. If she has a hole in the ceiling draining into a bucket she should be fine. I presume the AC guy corralled the thing into something acceptable until he finished the repair.

Good point though that the OP might get a fan or something going to keep everything as dry as possible. Costs little and may hold the damage and nuisance down.

[knight-errant]

Ok sorry for any misconceptions. There's no hole in the ceiling yet thank goodness. It's just a small area where there's obviously been some water damage. I didn't notice it at first because it's in a guest bedroom that doesn't really get used. It's gotten a little worse since I first noticed it but that's because I called a plumber at first thinking it was a plumbing leak. That delayed fixing the real problem, but I've figured it out now.

Luckily it's a small leak and it only starts when the AC cycles on. I've got a bucket in the attic under the leak and the AC guy said that should contain it for now until he gets the part he needs. Basically the old drip pan is made of metal and it's rusted from 20 years of use leaving a path for the water to leak out. Also there's a few spots that he said aren't sealed properly so the AC is blowing into the attic, warm air is mixing with the cold, and it's causing increased condensation in the unit. It'll take a few days to get it fixed, but I'm not one to lose my head over things like this. In my experience it's always better to stay calm and be patient.

Thanks for all your replies, I appreciate your help.

[olecapt]

Originally Posted by knight-errant

Ok sorry for any misconceptions. There's no hole in the ceiling yet thank goodness. It's just a small area where there's obviously been some water damage. I didn't notice it at first because it's in a guest bedroom that doesn't really get used. It's gotten a little worse since I first noticed it but that's because I called a plumber at first thinking it was a plumbing leak. That delayed fixing the real problem, but I've figured it out now.

Luckily it's a small leak and it only starts when the AC cycles on. I've got a bucket in the attic under the leak and the AC guy said that should contain it for now until he gets the part he needs. Basically the old drip pan is made of metal and it's rusted from 20 years of use leaving a path for the water to leak out. Also there's a few spots that he said aren't sealed properly so the AC is blowing into the attic, warm air is mixing with the cold, and it's causing increased condensation in the unit. It'll take a few days to get it fixed, but I'm not one to lose my head over things like this. In my experience it's always better to stay calm and be patient.

Thanks for all your replies, I appreciate your help.

You are fine. The hole in the ceiling is not important. You are going to be whacking wallboard so holes or not make little difference. The point was not to let any more water loose. And that you have taken care of.

And you do want him to fix all those leaks in the attic. They are very expensive and fixing them will likely pay for the serivce calls and then some.