Recommendations for a person to find a water leak in the ceiling? (Raleigh: rental, Home Depot)
Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, CaryThe Triangle Area
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I am hoping someone can recommend someone to help find the source of a leak in our rental property in East Raleigh. Our tenant called and said a water leak is appearing on the living room ceiling which is located downstairs below a bedroom, small bathroom and a laundry closet. For this reason, I am assuming it is more likely to be a plumbing issue than a roofing issue but I am not positive about that. I have not been over yet to look at it but I am thinking this will likely be something we will not be able to handle ourselves and we will need to call someone in to help with this. Suggestions are most appreciated if you have had experience with someone who is:
a) extremely skilled at locating the source of a leak -preferably with minimal damage to the drywall
b) reasonably priced - free estimates would be awesome
c) very professional and honest
Eliminating a roofing issue can be done by determining whether or not it was raining when the spot appeared. If the rubber boot or flashing around a vent pipe in the roof fails, water can run down the pipe and show up in the middle of a downstairs ceiling.
Eliminating a roofing issue can be done by determining whether or not it was raining when the spot appeared. If the rubber boot or flashing around a vent pipe in the roof fails, water can run down the pipe and show up in the middle of a downstairs ceiling.
I had this and found a great (but not cheap) solution - Perma Boot (link below). It is probably worth it to take a trip up on the roof and inspect each of the vent pipes. Be sure to measure the pipes as there may be different sizes.
Five will get you ten that the wax ring under the toilet needs to be replaced.
Have had this happen to us so often over the years that its the first thing we check.
Yes, I am beginning to suspect this could be the case. Our tenant said he noticed a small water stain a few days ago but wasn't sure how long it had been there. Then, he noticed it again Monday night and it was noticeably wet right after his son flushed the toilet and it overflowed. The stain is located in the same general area right below the bathroom. So, I am thinking it could be water that seeped under the toilet wax ring. How exactly do you check this? Flood the bathroom with water and wait to see if water shows up on the ceiling underneath? Or is there an easier way?
It is very unlikely to be from the roof with living area above the stained ceiling. I would throw my lot in with the commode wax seal. Replace it with the more expensive wax seal (a whopping $1.50) and tighten the commode to the point of no movement in any direction.
You definitely do not want to flood the bathroom with water unless you want a completely ruined ceiling downstairs.
If the commode can be rocked side to side or back and forth, that is a great indicator. It is the movement of the commode with use that deforms the seal allowing leakage. The water is not seeping from the floor under the commode, it is the actual drain for the commode. The wax seal keeps the draining water from migrating away from the drain line and around the flange that secures the commode to the floor.
Originally Posted by bcattwood Eliminating a roofing issue can be done by determining whether or not it was raining when the spot appeared. If the rubber boot or flashing around a vent pipe in the roof fails, water can run down the pipe and show up in the middle of a downstairs ceiling.
I had this and found a great (but not cheap) solution - Perma Boot (link below). It is probably worth it to take a trip up on the roof and inspect each of the vent pipes. Be sure to measure the pipes as there may be different sizes.
I had a pipe boot replaced on this unit about a year and a half ago so if that is possibly the problem I could call that roofer to come back. There is a two year warranty on the boot, I think. But, here's the thing: I'm thinking thats less likely to be the issue because The unit is a two story unit and a leak in the roof would typically show a water stain on the ceiling of the first floor directly below the roof, right? But the leak shows up on the living room ceiling downstairs so the leak is likely to originate at the floor level of the upstairs. But, I know water can travel in strange patterns too. Is it possible that the water would run all the way down through the upstairs walls undetected and show up on the downstairs ceiling? The pipe boot leak we had before showed up on an upstairs ceiling.
It is very unlikely to be from the roof with living area above the stained ceiling. I would throw my lot in with the commode wax seal. Replace it with the more expensive wax seal (a whopping $1.50) and tighten the commode to the point of no movement in any direction.
You definitely do not want to flood the bathroom with water unless you want a completely ruined ceiling downstairs.
If the commode can be rocked side to side or back and forth, that is a great indicator. It is the movement of the commode with use that deforms the seal allowing leakage. The water is not seeping from the floor under the commode, it is the actual drain for the commode. The wax seal keeps the draining water from migrating away from the drain line and around the flange that secures the commode to the floor.
Thanks so much for your clarification on this. You posted this while I was typing the other one. This is very helpful. You make this repair sound pretty easy but I have heard it can be a little tricky to get the toilet lined up with the wax ring correctly and it can be easy to overtighten the bolts and crack the toilet. So is this a DIY project or a job for the pros?
Also, if the water is not seeping from under the floor and it is the actual drain does that mean we would typically see the stain everytime the toilet is flushed and not just when the toilet overflowed?
Thanks so much for your clarification on this. You posted this while I was typing the other one. This is very helpful. You make this repair sound pretty easy but I have heard it can be a little tricky to get the toilet lined up with the wax ring correctly and it can be easy to overtighten the bolts and crack the toilet. So is this a DIY project or a job for the pros?
Also, if the water is not seeping from under the floor and it is the actual drain does that mean we would typically see the stain everytime the toilet is flushed and not just when the toilet overflowed?
It is not is difficult repair at all. Turn the water to the commode off, flush it to lighten the load. Remove the bolts, lift the commode off, scrape the old wax ring from the flange (wear gloves!) place the new one on the flange, sit the commode back into place, sit on the commode while tightening the bolts back down. This will ensure an even seal when tightened. Hand tighten the bolts as much as possible, then 1/4 turn with a wrench to snug. No more than that though or you will hear an expensive ping as the porcelain cracks lol.
Sometimes they just leak intermittently at first....
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
