Flat Roof Leaking Through Ceiling

Sometimes the water shows up at a ceiling spot distant from the leak.

Flat roof leaking through ceiling.

We have a ceiling extractor fan and there is a vent pipe that the developer installed when the flat was converted. Another cause of leaks is faulty air. Leaking will usually be quite steady if the ceiling leak is plumbing related. There is a flat roof immediately above my ceiling and it has recently been fully re surfaced and completely sealed.

The property has a smaller flat roof at the rear of the property. Taking care of the leak quickly will reduce the cost of your repairs and could prevent future damage. These fixed points can be perpendicular exterior walls a fireplace chimney or other components that extend through the finished ceiling to the attic space or roof surface. Long before the dripping through the ceiling starts dark brown patches of moisture can develop as damp from a damaged flat roof seeps slowly through.

Once you have determined that the leak is caused by a roof related issue measure the location of the leak in the living space from two fixed points. I am told that built up trapped water over a very long period under the roof between the membrane and ceiling needs time to dry out and seep through. Some roof leaks are tough to locate. A roof that leaks is a problem in any weather but a roof that suddenly begins to leak during a heavy rainstorm can quickly turn into an emergency.

It is at this stage that you need to get the leak fixed or at least investigated to check whether it is a small joint fix that is required or something bigger. I have now had two roof leaks both coming through the extractor fan and have had roofing contractors inspect it. Problems with drain pipes may cause more intermittent leaking but unlike roof leaks there is no correlation to weather conditions. Especially if a water supply pipe is to blame the water dripping from the ceiling may be never ending.

If the water is dirty or stains the ceiling the source might be a leak in the roof. If your ceiling has a plastic vapor barrier between the drywall and the attic insulation push the insulation aside and look for flow stains on the plastic often water runs to openings in the vapor barrier such as at ceiling light fixtures. Common sources of ceiling leaks include faulty pipes or cracks in your roof. Gain access to the attic and with a flashlight find the place where the ceiling is wet between roof joists.