Okay…I have a leak in the ceiling of my bedroom closet. Seems to be a local leak, but it completely tore up the drywall. I tore down the affected area (pretty easy) and noticed that there is an AC register directly above.
Right above the affected area is a length of 1" pvc pipe which is both cold and soaking wet and dripping down onto the ceiling. I can only assume that this is condensation. Nothing else in the area seems wet.
What can I do to correct this issue? Insulation around the pipe?
Thanks in advance.
Water in walls and ceilings can travel ridiculous distances. You need to find the source, and destination of the pipe, and whether it is actually the cause. If its temperature is so low, and it isn’t insulated, it was incorrectly installed. You might have a very expensive repair job ahead of you.
Tris
It’s a leak making it cold. Same way that a slow leak is what makes a toilet tank sweat, as cold water comes in to replace the tepid.
If you have a toilet above the closet, replace the flapper.
You have to find and repair the leak. I would call a plumber. The last time I did an overhead pipe like that it took 1-1/2 hours and cost $168 total. In my case it was an invisible leak along the seam of a cast iron pipe, which was replaced with a section of PVC.
As to the wall, let it dry thoroughly before you do anything. The board often shrinks almost back to normal. But sometimes it’s expanded so much that it turns into loose powder.
Put a fan on it for a couple of days.
I should add that I have a one story house. I am getting into the attic area.
I guess my next question would be, how do I trace the leak? Why would it drip at this one area? A low point perhaps?
Wipe the pipe down. Then rewipe it with paper towles. see if the pipe becomes wet and where.
I do not know why you would have a PVC pipe in your house. Is it white or black. If the pipe is truly cold enough to form condensation the insulate it its intire lenght.
for looking for a leak over time. wrap and tape pieces of paper to the pipe and see what sections of paper get wet.
Good luck.
Tape paper towels around sections of the pipe, not something like notepaper.
If it’s a new problem and the components haven’t changed then it’s a leak and not condensation.
If you haven’t been in the house long enough to know, try turning off the AC.
The leak–if it is a leak–is more likely to be at a joint of some type.
Cheif Penant made me think of something. Do you have AC? Is the fan coil unit on the roof maybe? Or does it have a condensate pump?
It is a white PVC pipe.
I have AC, but the other terms you are using are above me. The a/c unit is outside, but there is definitely something AC related near this area. The main return register is about 4 feet from there.
I can touch the register; it is cool, but doesn’t seem wet. There is electrical wiring and attic insulation there. Everything seems dry except this 1" white PVC pipe, and it is wet/damp across it’s length. It seems to only drip at this one point where the ceiling damage is.