A leaking ceiling is one of the worst sights for any homeowner. A leak is certainly not something one should take lightly, as leaks signal a much wider issue that needs addressed within your home. A leak becomes visible when water has eaten its way through the various surfaces in your home’s structure, finally becoming visible on your ceiling. Ignoring a leak can severely damage the structural integrity of your home, alongside encouraging nasty mould, damp and mildew. If left untreated, a leaking ceiling will only become more expensive and difficult to repair. Altogether, a leak is something which when detected, should be handed over to a specialist for examination. Most leaks signal an issue within a wider part of your home’s heating and water systems. A specialist will be able to determine if your leak is a result of an issue with your roof or plumbing.
Identifying a roof leak
If your ceiling is dripping water it is likely that your leak is a result of a roofing fault. If your roofing is the issue, there are a few more ways to identify a roofing leak.
- If the leak becomes stronger or more apparent when or after it’s raining, the roof will be the source of the leak.
- If the water coming from your ceiling is discoloured and dirty, this also suggests your leak is coming from the roof. A leaky roof will bring dirty water from outside into your home, thus leaks will be darker in colour and contain dirt particles.
- Another handy way to understand the source of your ceiling leak, is to check your roof insulation. If you have access to your attic, you may be able to find damp spots or damp insulation, this is a tell tale sign of a roof leak.
Identifying a plumbing leak
Plumbing leaks are quite common, due to the myriad of pipes and waterflow through modern homes. In most cases, a plumbing leak will be easier to fix and less costly than a leak caused by a roofing issue. Some key characteristics of a plumbing leak are as follows:
- If the ceiling leak appears below your bathroom or kitchen ceiling, where plumbing pipes are normally located, this could indicate you are dealing with a plumbing related leak.
- Whilst roof leaks are usually discoloured or brown, a plumbing leak will be clean. If, for example, your shower is leaking through to the ceiling below, the water stain will most likely be clear and only slightly discoloured.
When to enlist a professional
There is only so much a homeowner can do after finding a leak. Comprehensive ceiling leak detection & repair service specialists from Aspect, will be able to use state of the art technology to help locate and fix your ceiling leak. Traditional methods of leak detection usually result in an expensive clean up operation for homeowners to undertake. With new technology, leaks can be found with very minimal damage to your home’s structure. This makes finding a leak a lot less inconvenient and invasive.
Thermal imaging cameras
Aspect experts can use thermal imaging cameras to find a pesky ceiling leak. When pointed at the ceiling, the cameras will highlight sections of the roof which are hot and cold. Around ceiling pipes, a pool of water could be easily spotted with thermal imaging cameras. Burst pipes can also be spotted with these cameras, as pipes may show a loss of heat and a leak.
Tracer gas
Aspect professionals also use tools like tracer gas. The harmless gas is passed through pipes in order to find leaks. As the gas leaves a leaking pipe, electronic equipment will sense the vibrations caused by the gas leaving the pipe, locating the leak. Tracer gas is a very popular method of leak detection, alongside being a tool for measuring the performance of pipes in your home.
