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Drip or stain on a dry day.

A qualified roofing or insulation crew should take these readings, and a specialist should handle heavy mold.

Customers put it like this

  • it drips even when it has not rained
  • the ceiling gets wet on cold mornings
  • there is water on the attic nails
  • the wall stains but the roof looks fine
Prepare this job in ForeBotFind another guide

Stop first if

  • Heavy mold or sewage is found.Keep people out and call a specialist.
  • A ceiling sags under texture.Keep people out from under it and call a qualified person.
  • Framing moves or cracks during attic access.Get out, keep people out and call an engineer.
01

Ask on the call

5

Homeowner? These are the questions a good technician will ask you. Having the answers ready makes the first visit count.

  1. When does it appear, such as cold mornings or clear nights?
  2. Did it rain in the days before?
  3. Where do the bath fans vent, if you know?
  4. Is that wall or ceiling on a sunny or shaded side?
  5. Do you run a humidifier?
02

Bring

5
  • Temperature and humidity meter with dew point
  • Contact or infrared surface thermometer
  • Moisture meter
  • Flashlight
  • Phone for photos
03

Check on site

6
  1. At the wet surface, measure air temperature and humidity, then convert to dew point.
  2. Measure surface temperature and compare. Never judge by humidity alone.
  3. Map exterior against interior, sunny against shaded, and along framing.
  4. In the attic, on framing only, look for rusty nail tips and frost. Visit early morning and again in the afternoon.
  5. Check whether bath fans vent into the attic.
  6. Hold any reroof talk until the pattern points toward a leak and not condensation.
04

Keep on the record

4
  • Air temperature, humidity, dew point and surface temperature
  • Time of day and weather for each reading
  • Map of wet spots
  • Photos of rusty nails or frost

General guidance for a qualified person, not a finding about any home. The person on site decides.