Ceiling leak. Upper floor

[Inferno099]

My wife returned home a few minutes ago and there are 5 spots of water leaks on ceiling in master bedroom ceiling upstairs.

Anyone recommend company to call ASAP. I have no knowledge in this area.

Appreciate the help.

[4X4]

Check your attic to see if maybe one of your bathroom vent hoses has come disconnected and filled the attic full of condensation. It might all be melting up there right now.

[Inferno099]

Unfortunately my legs will not let me climb at this time.

Would a plumber or a disaster recovery company be best to call?
I see a first general or Phoenix first as I search online while traveling home

[afc wimbledon]

Originally Posted by Inferno099

Unfortunately my legs will not let me climb at this time.

Would a plumber or a disaster recovery company be best to call?
I see a first general or Phoenix first as I search online while traveling home

If there are no pipes up there then a plumber wont help, what's up there? unfinished attic, could be condensation or a roof leak, even ice pushing up under the shingles and then melting into the space

[Zulu29]

I’d call your insurance company, get them to send repair professionals to have a look.

[Inferno099]

Appreciate the advice will call insurance when I arrive home

[4X4]

I would call a friend or neighbour and just ask them to stick their head in the attic hatch and check to see if the underside of your roof is covered in frost. It will completely change the actual tradesman that needs to come and fix it, if you can't crawl around in your own attic.

I've seen this happen a few times. I really hate to give advice over the internet, but I know exactly what you're *likely* going through right now and the fix was a couple of fans, and re-attaching the bathroom vent to it's gooseneck.

The only other way there's a bunch of moisture in your attic that's pouring into your master bedroom on the first day it's been close to zero, after an extended cold snap, is an actual hole in your roof, and a rain cloud above your house. Or some unexplained plumbing in the attic.

[Stauner]

There shouldn't be any water lines up there

As others have said could be from venting pipe from plumbing or a hole in the roof

[OMG!WTF!]

Lots of people are having this issue. Google attic rain when you get home. You might need to add venting to your roof or clear insulation from the soffits to encourage air circulation. Happens all the time when things warm up after a cold spell.

[photon]

The Home Improvement thread has a couple of posts about this (including my own) and one place I called today said she's been talking to people like this all day.

I'd call a roofing company to get someone up in the attic to see what it is. Could be melting ice from condensation or water getting in from an ice dam.

[Nyah]

I've got a spot on my ceiling too now. No attic space above it though so I'm guessing unfortunately I'll be calling a roofing company when the snow melts.

[Fuzz]

I just checked my attic and the N, W, and E all have frost buildup. I know my air flow isn't all that great, and one day I'll get around to fixing it...


I wonder if this weather pattern we had was just to much and lead to a buildup in everyone's attics. This isn't something a roofer can fix just by replacing shingles, it's all about air flow. My soffits aren't vented much, and I suspect insulation has been blown in that covers all the air flow anyway, so that won't be a fun job raking it back...

[4X4]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

I just checked my attic and the N, W, and E all have frost buildup. I know my air flow isn't all that great, and one day I'll get around to fixing it...


I wonder if this weather pattern we had was just to much and lead to a buildup in everyone's attics. This isn't something a roofer can fix just by replacing shingles, it's all about air flow. My soffits aren't vented much, and I suspect insulation has been blown in that covers all the air flow anyway, so that won't be a fun job raking it back...

The thing about soffits is that they really need to be vented to get proper air flow. Unfortunately, Alberta Building Code stipulates that any soffit within 1.2 metres of the property line can not be vented, because of fire hazards. So lots and lots of tall narrow houses (duplexes and single family homes in new neighbourhoods) only end up with the middle of the front and rear yard soffits with actual venting.

[Fuzz]

I suspect mine were old wood ones that never had vents, or only had a few holes, then the were covered up with aluminum "vented" So I'll need to pull them down and see what is above them.


My garage was stuck with the no vented soffit rule on one side, despite it being well clear of the neighbour's house. But I guess for future builds...The building inspector was pretty insistent I do it that way, even when I told him I already had non-vented soffit ready to install.

[BigBCalgary]

Streamside Property restoration, Guys are awesome, and I believe they are one of the few, if not only ones in this particular field that are properly bonded and insured for this line of work. There are a lot of fly-by-nighters doing this...buyer beware. Steve, Greg and their crews are awesome.

[8 Ball]

I have talked to quite a few people with this issue today.

[RoadGame]

Originally Posted by BigBCalgary

Streamside Property restoration, Guys are awesome, and I believe they are one of the few, if not only ones in this particular field that are properly bonded and insured for this line of work. There are a lot of fly-by-nighters doing this...buyer beware. Steve, Greg and their crews are awesome.

Do you know if these guys are able to find and fix issues with gaps in the membrane between top floor ceiling and attic? Have they worked on your home or do you just know them/know of them?

I had severe attic rain issues my first winter in the house and the builder put in more venting on warranty, but we still have minor attic rain every year and it's just enough to drive me crazy. Tonight the one drip we have is coming off a pot light every five seconds square into the middle of my 2-year-old's bed. Having taken a run at the venting issue I'm inclined to think the next step is to tackle membrane gaps, especially as our top floor is riddled with pot lights. I would go up into the attic myself but I'm really worried about accidentally stepping through sheet rock.

[Barnes]

One thing to check is make sure that your attic hatch is sealed right to the frame.

[Shin Pad]

If you don't have any plumbing or a vent or other penetration above the leak location area, and you have water coming in through the ceiling after a cold spell, one very likely cause would be gaps in your insulation. When the cold air hits the outside face of the vapour barrier, the moisture in the cold air will condense and freeze against the vapour barrier. This will build up over the cold spell, and then when it warms up, it will start to melt, thus causing water within your ceiling space. It will come through a lap joint in the vapour barrier or where there is a penetration through the vapour barrier such as a light fixture or similar.

[Gundo]

Originally Posted by Barnes

One thing to check is make sure that your attic hatch is sealed right to the frame.

This exact thing caused me INSANE amounts of attic rain, I had to add more insulation and reveal it on a 3 year old house.