Damp smell in room below roof but no sign of leak

Since the long rainy period early in the fall, the master bedroom in our brownstone has smelled damp, and once the temperature dropped there has been heavy condensation on the windows . The room is on the top floor under a flat roof. The roof is due for replacement, and I assume that with the heavy rain the roof began leaking into the bedroom. But I can’t see any damp or dark spots on the ceiling or walls, paint peeling, or other usual signs of a leak.

My questions: Does this seem like a clear cut roof leak, or is there something else I should be thinking of? We’re about to put on a new roof in any case, but I’m concerned about going ahead without figuring out the source of the problem. Also, thoughts on whether I can just run a dehumidifier and turn up the heat to dry out the room, or whether I should be trying to find the source of the problem to check for damage to the ceiling and walls? Thanks!

jgordon

in General Discussion 6 years and 9 months ago

2

Please log in, in order to post replies!

2 replies

Newest Oldest

jgordon | 6 years and 9 months ago

string(1) "1"
object(WP_User)#4948 (8) {
  ["data"]=>
  object(stdClass)#4925 (12) {
    ["ID"]=>
    string(6) "179469"
    ["user_login"]=>
    string(7) "jgordon"
    ["user_pass"]=>
    string(34) "$P$B7ssAwsIzZ8uKLKNtZ28KPnIdme7JC/"
    ["user_nicename"]=>
    string(7) "jgordon"
    ["user_email"]=>
    string(27) "jennifer.gordon11@gmail.com"
    ["user_url"]=>
    string(22) "/forums/users/jgordon/"
    ["user_registered"]=>
    string(19) "2017-08-10 14:41:12"
    ["user_activation_key"]=>
    string(0) ""
    ["user_status"]=>
    string(1) "0"
    ["display_name"]=>
    string(7) "jgordon"
    ["spam"]=>
    string(1) "0"
    ["deleted"]=>
    string(1) "0"
  }
  ["ID"]=>
  int(179469)
  ["caps"]=>
  array(2) {
    ["subscriber"]=>
    bool(true)
    ["bbp_participant"]=>
    bool(true)
  }
  ["cap_key"]=>
  string(15) "wp_capabilities"
  ["roles"]=>
  array(2) {
    [0]=>
    string(10) "subscriber"
    [1]=>
    string(15) "bbp_participant"
  }
  ["allcaps"]=>
  array(4) {
    ["read"]=>
    bool(true)
    ["level_0"]=>
    bool(true)
    ["subscriber"]=>
    bool(true)
    ["bbp_participant"]=>
    bool(true)
  }
  ["filter"]=>
  NULL
  ["site_id":"WP_User":private]=>
  int(1)
}

Not sure. There’s no crawl space; there could be a few inches between the roof and our ceiling but I don’t know whether there’s any insulation in there. I’m guessing not, because our top floor is the hottest place in the house in summer and the coldest place in the winter.

yudashasom | 6 years and 9 months ago

string(1) "1"
object(WP_User)#4947 (8) {
  ["data"]=>
  object(stdClass)#4946 (12) {
    ["ID"]=>
    string(6) "194528"
    ["user_login"]=>
    string(10) "yudashasom"
    ["user_pass"]=>
    string(34) "$P$BKrcOOJj2qysH3kdOE3mMqxeyqPZ1m0"
    ["user_nicename"]=>
    string(10) "yudashasom"
    ["user_email"]=>
    string(20) "yudashasom@gmail.com"
    ["user_url"]=>
    string(0) ""
    ["user_registered"]=>
    string(19) "2017-08-10 14:07:32"
    ["user_activation_key"]=>
    string(0) ""
    ["user_status"]=>
    string(1) "0"
    ["display_name"]=>
    string(29) "Dasha Sominski Dasha Sominski"
    ["spam"]=>
    string(1) "0"
    ["deleted"]=>
    string(1) "0"
  }
  ["ID"]=>
  int(194528)
  ["caps"]=>
  array(1) {
    ["subscriber"]=>
    bool(true)
  }
  ["cap_key"]=>
  string(15) "wp_capabilities"
  ["roles"]=>
  array(1) {
    [0]=>
    string(10) "subscriber"
  }
  ["allcaps"]=>
  array(3) {
    ["read"]=>
    bool(true)
    ["level_0"]=>
    bool(true)
    ["subscriber"]=>
    bool(true)
  }
  ["filter"]=>
  NULL
  ["site_id":"WP_User":private]=>
  int(1)
}

Do you have any insulation?