How to tell if there is an active leak in ceiling? (roof, heating)
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Location: Stuck on the East Coast, hoping to head West
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I had an old water stain (I assumed it was a water stain) on the ceiling in my bedroom. I painted over it without priming---just used a ceiling paint. This is an older house so I suspect the ceiling hadn't been painted in decades. A few months later the stain came back, darker than it was before I painted. The size doesn't seem to be bigger, but it is definitely darker now.
We recently had alot of rain and wind. I was concerned that my roof may have leaked. The ceiling is not wet at all.
My attic is directly above this ceiling. I went up there and could not find any evidence of water. There aren't any pipes up there or heating or cooling units up there. The roof looks dry. The insulation felt dry.
Is it possible for a stain to get darker simply from re-painting it? Does anyone have any other ideas?
I'm planning to seal/prime/paint, but don't want to do that if there is an active leak.
Edit to add: it's currently pouring right now and the ceiling still isn't wet. I'm just really perplexed about this.
Just because it's raining now doesn't mean the spot will be wet instantly. Give it 12-24hrs. Very rarely is the leak directly above the place it shows up- water tends to travel along rafters, ceiling joists, drywall joints, etc. BEFORE it makes its grand entrance.
After the allotted time and still dry, use some primer/sealer then paint.
You could also use a pencil to outline the current stain, then see if it enlarges. It's hard to tell sometimes if a stain has grown or not by memory or no reference point.
Location: Stuck on the East Coast, hoping to head West
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Quote:
Originally Posted by K'ledgeBldr
Just because it's raining now doesn't mean the spot will be wet instantly. Give it 12-24hrs. Very rarely is the leak directly above the place it shows up- water tends to travel along rafters, ceiling joists, drywall joints, etc. BEFORE it makes its grand entrance.
After the allotted time and still dry, use some primer/sealer then paint.
You could also use a pencil to outline the current stain, then see if it enlarges. It's hard to tell sometimes if a stain has grown or not by memory or no reference point.
Thanks. We've had rain for second day in a row now so I'm hoping if something is going to happen it will happen soon.
Location: Stuck on the East Coast, hoping to head West
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ohky0815
did you have the roof inspected at move in?
I've owned this house for 20 years. I replaced the roof around 13 years ago. The stain was there when we purchased the house (I think).
We had a leak in the roof 6 years ago, but we were able to trace it to flashing around the vent. That was pretty obvious b/c ceiling was actually dripping. That was repaired and it never leaked again.
A stain can absolutely bleed through the new paint even though the leakage that caused the stain has long since been eliminated. If you can't find any evidence of water, use Kilz to seal the old surface before repainting.
Put down some paper over the area in question in the attic or scrawl space to see if there is water getting in. I had an old water stain in the ceiling of a house and paint would not cover it. I found out that white spray paint will cover it.
Location: Finally the house is done and we are in Port St. Lucie!
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Quote:
Originally Posted by turf3
A stain can absolutely bleed through the new paint even though the leakage that caused the stain has long since been eliminated. If you can't find any evidence of water, use Kilz to seal the old surface before repainting.
^^ this
Water stains are notorious for seeping through paint. Kilz is excellent at sealing the stain so it stops the bleed through.
Location: Stuck on the East Coast, hoping to head West
4,640 posts, read 11,931,469 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LifeIsGood01
Put down some paper over the area in question in the attic or scrawl space to see if there is water getting in. I had an old water stain in the ceiling of a house and paint would not cover it. I found out that white spray paint will cover it.
Oh, that is a good idea. Thanks! I have pencil drawn around the stain and so far it isn't expanding. We've had days of rain.
Location: Stuck on the East Coast, hoping to head West
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Just in case you were wondering.....lol, I ended up buying a moisture detector and it's not picking up moisture. It never expanded beyond my pencil lines and no wet paper towels, either. Still raining, too.
I just can't figure out why the stain came back darker than before.
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