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Drip

There’s water dripping from the top of our living-room window frame. I’ve removed the shade, which the water was running over, put towels and pots under the window to catch the water, and phoned the landlord (due here in a few hours.)

I also took the daring step of going out on the roof in front of my office to see if there was an obvious problem with the gutters which would be causing a leak. Answer: no, but maybe I don’t know what to look for (i.e. the problem is non-obvious.)

It’s not a gusher, but I’ve soaked one towel already (it’s in the dryer, getting ready for another shift.) Not a great sign.

Update: 12/30: the weather cleared up, so there’s no new water coming in. The landlord came and was as mystified as we were. The wall above the window is dry, and there’s no obvious damage to the exterior of the house. Supposedly there’s someone coming to check it out next week; in the meantime, we’ve got some 2-mil poly sheeting tacked under the window frame to funnel any future water into a pan on the floor.

Now Playing: Subterranean from Songs From The Other Side by The Charlatans

Posted by pjm on December 29, 2005 12:24 PM |

Comments

Ice dam? Snow melt from the roof has refrozen when it hit the cold eaves. It can build up to several inches in depth, trapping water above it. This water works through gaps in roofing and usually marks the edge of the ceiling or inside the wall. The solution - ventilate the attic with cold air to minimize melt until warm days.

Posted by: Scooter | December 29, 2005 3:49 PM

Nope, not an ice dam - there’s no snow left on the roof to melt. It’s been pretty mild here lately. It comes in faster as the rain comes harder; when it’s just drizzling, it doesn’t drip at all. Anyway, the leak is in the top of the window, and the wall above the window is dry.

And at that, the “attic” you’re talking about ventilating with cold air is my office!

Posted by: pjm | December 29, 2005 4:19 PM

Flashing at top of window? Look for any gaps that might let water in at the window, then creep along the top of the window frame. A caulk job might be in order.

(And in this case, the attic is the joist space…if done right, there should be an air space above the insulation to keep the roof at near ambient temps - that space uses eave and peak vents to permit air flow.)

Posted by: Scooter | December 30, 2005 9:49 AM

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