Very wet spot on basement ceiling

We moved into a newly renovated duplex apartment in Brooklyn a few months ago. The downstairs, with a half basement with windows, has a very wet spot on the sheet rock ceiling that is getting bigger fast. It reacts to rain and snow. There is no water piping near the spot, but it runs next to the lighting and gas heating tunnel on the ceiling. I am at a loss of whether to call a roofer (it is three floors away from the roof), a plumber (no nearby water plumbing anywhere), or a wrecker. If anybody has any idea, it would be greatly appreciated.

michaelsaur67

in About Brooklyn 10 years and 8 months ago

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mruby36 | 10 years and 7 months ago

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It could be any of the above mentioned problems, or none of the above. You might be able to patch and paint once you figure out the problem however you’ll be locking in whatever moisture is up there, and in some cases mold etc. Have you considered removing a section of the damaged sheetrock? It makes for a better fix but more importantly you could trace the source of the leak more effectively? Feel free to contact me if you’d like some help. Matt R www.nyc-hs.com

dorkofwindsor | 10 years and 8 months ago

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If that is the rear of the house, i have had a similar problem in nearly the exact same spot. It involved the gutter overflowing and releasing water down / into the back brick wall, which made its way to the basement and the lowest point in the ceiling – which was in fact the same bulkhead. Check to see if you have an ice dam issue with your gutter, many times if melting water runs down the back wall it gets inside the brick and inside the house. (btw my house was gutted and fully rend’d within the last 5 years, so it must be the “quality roofing” in nyc). Also see threads on ice dams and gutter leaders freezing (if your gutter faces north especially). if it is at the front of the house, i don’t have a suggestion off the top of my head. although one thing i would recommend for sure – since you need to tear that drywall out and replace it anyway you might as well do it and have a looksee and see what is in that bulkhead. good luck,

michaelsaur67 | 10 years and 8 months ago

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Yes, it houses the duct work. My guess is it is condensation water from the heating. I have a plumber look at it. Thanks very much.

Arkady | 10 years and 8 months ago

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rh has the right idea. Open it up & take a look & you’ll probably be able to figure out which trade you need.

rh | 10 years and 8 months ago

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Oh, one more thing to check IF it has nothing to do with exterior leaks. If there are kitchen or bathrooms on the floor above, check those for leaky drains. We had a leak because our lovely tenant didn’t realize the importance of shower curtains.

rh | 10 years and 8 months ago

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It seems to be above the ground outside or I’d say you should check out the pitch and waterproofing. If it reacts to rain and snow, look at your gutters and downspouts, also your pointing if it’s brick. Check the exterior near the stain. Once you rule that out, you might want to look at the other floors upstairs in the same area, as well as any attached walls on either side. Again, if it’s a gutter or even the roof, water can be penetrating through the stone and dripping inside walls where you can’t see it. None of the above? You probably have a leaky pipe. If you know how to patch sheetrock, it might not be a bad idea to open it up and take a look. If it’s been wet for awhile, you may want to cut it out anyway so it doesn’t get moldy.

nalusurf | 10 years and 8 months ago

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That looks like a chase or soffit that probably houses your heating/ac duct work (gas heating tunnel as you call it). This could be condensation forming on your duct work that is resulting in this water damage. The soffit may be poorly insulated or not insulated at all. It also looks as though this is near an exterior wall where water from some source above may be finding its way down and then along whatever duct work is in that soffit. A plumber would likely be able to help, but first I would try and contact the sponsor or GC of this renovation as they will know best (or at least should know) what exactly is running through the ceiling.