Wet ceilings

[EweSheep]

Well we finally got some rain however the ceiling is damp.......we have been battling this problem for a long time and wondered what other problems we need to do.

We put up new roofing five years ago. Installed siding on dormers at the same time.

The roof and brick wall outside does NOT have an overhang, maybe at least two inches overhang or some.

Fixed the gutters last year, making sure it runs away from the house.

And it still leaks!

We can not find the leak at all. We check the seals around the chimney but nothing is wet, in or around the chimney.

It is mostly just above the dormers, installed new windows but it is wet around the corner of the window jambs and along one side of the dormer valley but we have sealed it numberous times and still getting water in.

DD's bedroom is the same way. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!

I wanted to hire a contractor who has those thingys that they can scan the walls and pinpoint the leak. What do I look up for help?

My dad and hubby both sprayed water on the roof, dormers and gutters but none showed up after half an hour of spraying in all different angles.

 

[Slinkytoys]

Condensation?
Slinky

 

[EweSheep]

no, its not condesation....it gives stains, wet thru the plaster every time it rains.

 

[I have WHAT in my yard?]

You have my profound sympathy. I lived in a house for better than ten years that leaked the entire time. We replaced the roof, the dormers, the windows, the siding the soffits, fascia and gutters.

It still leaked. I still suspect the water was actually coming from the connecting house, not ours. The one contractor showed us that water can travel inside the roof or walls much longer distances than people presume.

Half an hour of spraying - at all different angles isn't long enough. To find some leaks we placed a sprinkler on the roof and ran it for an hour in each position. Ask yourself (or check your weather) how long after the rain began did it leak? How hard of a rain makes it leak? What direction was the wind and how hard? They can all be clues.

But, water is a tricky some of a gun. We got the leak to stop and sold the house before it came back.......

 

[thaiturkey]

Perhaps it's not coming in directly above the point where it appears on the ceiling. Rain can run along the roof structure inside before finally appearing where you see it. Perhaps your best chance of pinning down the point of ingress is to be up there with powerful torches when it's raining. Even then you might have to look for no more than a slightly wet area rather than drips.

 

[ChikeeMomma]

Your situation may not be the same as my aun'ts but she had issues with condensation, too. You could actually see water droplets on the ceiling in her entry way (kind of a mudroom -- connected the house to the garage). In her case, it had nothing to do with rain or the roof. I believe she was getting it from the ground up (crawl space issues) and the entry way had not been built properly. My poor aunt -- her home isn't very old, but has some major issues. She also has a very damp bathroom for some reason. Sorry to hear you are having these issues! No fun! Hope you can figure it out soon.