Water spots on ceiling
Moderators: Greg, Mark, mhrAJ333, JD
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peachlizzard
- Posts: 59
- Joined: Tue Nov 04, 2008 3:11 pm
So on Christmas Day I went home to see about 10 water spots on the ceilings in my home. We have had snow for about a month now and yesterday the sun was warm and I am assuming that some melted and got in. My husband seems to think this is vent related. Most of the spots are in a row throughout various rooms. So my question is, how do I fix this problem? I cannot seal anything right now, we live in SW North Dakota and it is cold cold here. We are expecting more snow tonight. We don't have much if any more snow on the roof. Also do I just paint over the spots and consider this fixed? Thanks for any advise you may have!
I would tend to agree with the vents leaking if the spots are in a row. about all you can do the keep the roof clear of snow and add a a cap to the vent if they are missing.
As for the spots, I would use Kilz and repaint. Greg
As for the spots, I would use Kilz and repaint. Greg
"If I can't fix it, I can screw it up so bad no one else can either."
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peachlizzard
- Posts: 59
- Joined: Tue Nov 04, 2008 3:11 pm
Thanks Greg. All I know is there is constantly more every day. We have had quite a bit of snow lately and then a thaw with a nice day. If I can the vent will that harm anything? Is there not a reason why they aren't capped?
Most likely the tops blew off. They are not a total cap, the sides are open to allow air to flow. I believe they are avalable at home centers or check with Mark at the Mobile home repair store. Greg
"If I can't fix it, I can screw it up so bad no one else can either."
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SchemeFighter
- Posts: 31
- Joined: Wed Dec 24, 2008 11:42 am
- Location: Ohio
Vents? What type of vents are you talking about? Like a bathroom exhaust vent that I don’t have? The only vents I think are on my roof is for plumbing or smokestack. I assume that those don’t have to be covered/caped. Or do you mean like some sort of vent that would be equivalent of an attic vent in a conventional house? Please elaborate some. Perhaps is related to my problem.
I have a similar problem with water coming in at inside seams on the ceiling. At first I thought the roof was leaking and to some extent I think it was; however I’m starting to think there are some additional problems with my ceiling moisture issues. Similarly to Ronda my latest moisture issues seem mostly or entirely when there is a thaw; I thought maybe it was ice dam issues causing a roof leak but now I’m more inclined to think that most if not all of it now is inside condensation.
When I first got my a mobile home it was in pretty bad shape; I initially was in pretty bad financial shape also. There was a lot of air draft leaks; holes in the walls; cutouts for access for repairs that were never properly insulated or covered back over; areas around doors and windows that needed to be caulked; windows that did not close or seal properly; doors that needed weather-stripping. So as my financial situation improved; I didn’t want to spend so much money heating up the neighborhood with all the leaks coming out of my trailer; so I sealed everything up as best as I could to be air and water tight.
In addition there was a tree near my trailer that I think was contributing to some outside water leaking into the trailer. I sealed the roof with the black tar as it originally was previously; it seemed to help but it seems after some bad storms that the leaks would start again. I think sometimes when small limbs/sticks fall on my roof/particularly when it’s cold that cracks the sealant; thusly sometimes triggering leaks. It was suggested that I try aluminized fiber sealant. I tried that and liked it in the summertime because the trailer was noticeably cooler; the fibers in the sealant also seem to prevent or limit the cracking of the sealant. In addition I try to trim off dead limbs before they fall on my trailer; for liability reasons I've informed my neighbor that his tree seems to be in distress and is damaging my trailer and that any further damage could possibly be considered a liability to him.
One of the foolish mistakes that I made shortly after I moved into the trailer was that I got a washer and dryer. I foolishly just vented the dryer into the trailer in the winter time to try to recover some of the heat and to help increase the humidity. I made a rather elaborate lint trap to prevent the lint from building up. When it was warm out by simply left the door open and had an extra long dryer hose and flopped it out the door down wind. I quickly learned that this was foolish for me to vent the dryer in the trailer; because there was so much condensation that some of my precious tools started to rust, in addition there was so much condensation on the windows, doors, that the condensation started running down the walls damaging the walls and carpet.
Also my furnace is an old oil furnace; it seemed that after I sealed (weather proofed) the house at the furnace started to burn more dirty.
( now I often do have a difficult time organizing my thoughts so that others can understand what I am talking about. You’re probably right now wondering why I’m rambling about all these apparent unrelated issues. I think these issues are interrelated in a somewhat complex abstract way; I will now try to elaborate and connect some of the dots)
I think the last few “roof leaks” that I had were not actual roof leaks. I suspect that in the wintertime when I drive up the humidity by taking a shower, mopping floors, doing dishes, or foolishly venting a dryer inside of the house at the water condensates on the relatively cooler outside parts of the trailer; I suspect that below freezing that the condensation builds up and freezes and may accumulate in the insulation. So that when it starts getting warm enough outside that the frozen condensation thaws out and starts staining and dripping down inside my trailer.
I think when I sealed up ( weather proofed) my trailer to make it more energy-efficient that it made it more susceptible to moisture buildup because it wasn’t getting the cold dry outside air that it was before. Because after I sealed up my trailer the condensation and evasive mystery roof leaks became much worse.
My oil furnace was originally tuned/carbureted/adjusted with all the drafts ( air leaking into the trailer) which equalized the pressure to the outside. I think that when I sealed up by trailer that I inadvertently screwed up the tuning of my old furnace; making it run more rich and dirty. Since I’ve come up with this theory by slightly increased the intake air to the furnace to lean it out a little. I have an exhaust vent by my stove that I never used because it doesn’t have a fan; but now I leave it slightly cracked to allow the outside pressure and the inside pressure to equalize; this also can allow the dry air inside the trailer which helps reduce the humidity. The additional air going up the old furnace chimney I think will also help keep the humidity down a little more. While this might let in some cold dry air; I think it is a necessary evil. I still don’t regret weatherproofing the trailer because even though I’m allowing a little bit of outside air in it’s now only coming in in one area and when the furnaces on instead of all over the place all of the time.
I now only vent the dryer to the outside; this reduces the dust and has significantly reduced the moisture. In cold weather I also try to keep the bathroom door closed when I take a shower to reduce the amount of evaporation and condensation. I also try to reduce the duration of my showers; if I do need a long shower in the cold weather I try to do it when the furnaces on so it’s more likely to remove moisture. I also try to take a shower, mop or do dishes when the furnace is on and or the dryer is running so that the moisture will more likely be vented outside.
To conserve energy I typically have my thermostat turned way down to about 46°F; however when I take a shower; do dishes; or mop I have a tendency to turn the thermostat up to 65°F to make it more comfortable this has the added benefit of having the furnace running continuously to help remove the moisture that upgrading by mopping, showering or doing dishes.
Since I’ve made these last changes and have been using these extra precautions; I’ve noticed that there has been significantly less condensation on the windows and doors. So far there hasn’t been any moisture coming down from my ceiling. We did have a real bad cold snap but it only lasted a few days. The real test will be the thaw out after an extended period of below freezing.
----
On a side note; like I said I think I inadvertently/indirectly screwed up the tuning of my furnace when I weather proofed my house by inadvertently changing the pressure. I dead reckoned the intake air adjustment and decided to error slightly lean. I am suspicious that the nozzle is partially clogged; through the inspection hole the spray pattern looks a little strange; and when it’s cold it sometimes doesn’t want to light, I suspect the electrodes may be carboned up also.
I’ve been trying to find someone reasonably priced to replace the nozzle, inspect and clean the electrodes and adjust if necessary, than to set the airflow. I think this is usually called an old furnace “tune-up“. so far I haven’t even been able to find someone that would work on a trailer park oil furnace; let alone a reasonably priced one. If I can’t find someone in my area that is reasonably priced; I will probably resort to trying it myself.
So if anyone has any one knows of a technician in the Cincinnati area that will work on trailer park oil furnaces; please PM me or post a response.
Also if anyone has any advice on how to make the tuning and inspection go easier; I would appreciate it. I have a bad back and I’m concerned how much it weighs and how many and the position of the bolts I need to remove. I was also wondering if I need a special wrench to replace my oil nozzle on my model of furnace? I would hate to tear it down and make a big mess and find out I have to wait several days to order and receive a special nozzle wrench. I heard a rumor that some furnaces require a special thin wall or shaped socket or wrench to clear a flame guard or baffle or electrodes.
Between never working on and oil furnace before and having a bad back I am somewhat nervous about trying to do this myself. But is starting to look like I may not have much other choice.
So far I haven’t had any response to the thread about the inquiry about a recommendation for a professional service company for my furnace or tips on how to R&R the oil burner and nozzle.
https://www.mobilehomerepair.com/phpbb/v ... php?t=4584
I have a similar problem with water coming in at inside seams on the ceiling. At first I thought the roof was leaking and to some extent I think it was; however I’m starting to think there are some additional problems with my ceiling moisture issues. Similarly to Ronda my latest moisture issues seem mostly or entirely when there is a thaw; I thought maybe it was ice dam issues causing a roof leak but now I’m more inclined to think that most if not all of it now is inside condensation.
When I first got my a mobile home it was in pretty bad shape; I initially was in pretty bad financial shape also. There was a lot of air draft leaks; holes in the walls; cutouts for access for repairs that were never properly insulated or covered back over; areas around doors and windows that needed to be caulked; windows that did not close or seal properly; doors that needed weather-stripping. So as my financial situation improved; I didn’t want to spend so much money heating up the neighborhood with all the leaks coming out of my trailer; so I sealed everything up as best as I could to be air and water tight.
In addition there was a tree near my trailer that I think was contributing to some outside water leaking into the trailer. I sealed the roof with the black tar as it originally was previously; it seemed to help but it seems after some bad storms that the leaks would start again. I think sometimes when small limbs/sticks fall on my roof/particularly when it’s cold that cracks the sealant; thusly sometimes triggering leaks. It was suggested that I try aluminized fiber sealant. I tried that and liked it in the summertime because the trailer was noticeably cooler; the fibers in the sealant also seem to prevent or limit the cracking of the sealant. In addition I try to trim off dead limbs before they fall on my trailer; for liability reasons I've informed my neighbor that his tree seems to be in distress and is damaging my trailer and that any further damage could possibly be considered a liability to him.
One of the foolish mistakes that I made shortly after I moved into the trailer was that I got a washer and dryer. I foolishly just vented the dryer into the trailer in the winter time to try to recover some of the heat and to help increase the humidity. I made a rather elaborate lint trap to prevent the lint from building up. When it was warm out by simply left the door open and had an extra long dryer hose and flopped it out the door down wind. I quickly learned that this was foolish for me to vent the dryer in the trailer; because there was so much condensation that some of my precious tools started to rust, in addition there was so much condensation on the windows, doors, that the condensation started running down the walls damaging the walls and carpet.
Also my furnace is an old oil furnace; it seemed that after I sealed (weather proofed) the house at the furnace started to burn more dirty.
( now I often do have a difficult time organizing my thoughts so that others can understand what I am talking about. You’re probably right now wondering why I’m rambling about all these apparent unrelated issues. I think these issues are interrelated in a somewhat complex abstract way; I will now try to elaborate and connect some of the dots)
I think the last few “roof leaks” that I had were not actual roof leaks. I suspect that in the wintertime when I drive up the humidity by taking a shower, mopping floors, doing dishes, or foolishly venting a dryer inside of the house at the water condensates on the relatively cooler outside parts of the trailer; I suspect that below freezing that the condensation builds up and freezes and may accumulate in the insulation. So that when it starts getting warm enough outside that the frozen condensation thaws out and starts staining and dripping down inside my trailer.
I think when I sealed up ( weather proofed) my trailer to make it more energy-efficient that it made it more susceptible to moisture buildup because it wasn’t getting the cold dry outside air that it was before. Because after I sealed up my trailer the condensation and evasive mystery roof leaks became much worse.
My oil furnace was originally tuned/carbureted/adjusted with all the drafts ( air leaking into the trailer) which equalized the pressure to the outside. I think that when I sealed up by trailer that I inadvertently screwed up the tuning of my old furnace; making it run more rich and dirty. Since I’ve come up with this theory by slightly increased the intake air to the furnace to lean it out a little. I have an exhaust vent by my stove that I never used because it doesn’t have a fan; but now I leave it slightly cracked to allow the outside pressure and the inside pressure to equalize; this also can allow the dry air inside the trailer which helps reduce the humidity. The additional air going up the old furnace chimney I think will also help keep the humidity down a little more. While this might let in some cold dry air; I think it is a necessary evil. I still don’t regret weatherproofing the trailer because even though I’m allowing a little bit of outside air in it’s now only coming in in one area and when the furnaces on instead of all over the place all of the time.
I now only vent the dryer to the outside; this reduces the dust and has significantly reduced the moisture. In cold weather I also try to keep the bathroom door closed when I take a shower to reduce the amount of evaporation and condensation. I also try to reduce the duration of my showers; if I do need a long shower in the cold weather I try to do it when the furnaces on so it’s more likely to remove moisture. I also try to take a shower, mop or do dishes when the furnace is on and or the dryer is running so that the moisture will more likely be vented outside.
To conserve energy I typically have my thermostat turned way down to about 46°F; however when I take a shower; do dishes; or mop I have a tendency to turn the thermostat up to 65°F to make it more comfortable this has the added benefit of having the furnace running continuously to help remove the moisture that upgrading by mopping, showering or doing dishes.
Since I’ve made these last changes and have been using these extra precautions; I’ve noticed that there has been significantly less condensation on the windows and doors. So far there hasn’t been any moisture coming down from my ceiling. We did have a real bad cold snap but it only lasted a few days. The real test will be the thaw out after an extended period of below freezing.
----
On a side note; like I said I think I inadvertently/indirectly screwed up the tuning of my furnace when I weather proofed my house by inadvertently changing the pressure. I dead reckoned the intake air adjustment and decided to error slightly lean. I am suspicious that the nozzle is partially clogged; through the inspection hole the spray pattern looks a little strange; and when it’s cold it sometimes doesn’t want to light, I suspect the electrodes may be carboned up also.
I’ve been trying to find someone reasonably priced to replace the nozzle, inspect and clean the electrodes and adjust if necessary, than to set the airflow. I think this is usually called an old furnace “tune-up“. so far I haven’t even been able to find someone that would work on a trailer park oil furnace; let alone a reasonably priced one. If I can’t find someone in my area that is reasonably priced; I will probably resort to trying it myself.
So if anyone has any one knows of a technician in the Cincinnati area that will work on trailer park oil furnaces; please PM me or post a response.
Also if anyone has any advice on how to make the tuning and inspection go easier; I would appreciate it. I have a bad back and I’m concerned how much it weighs and how many and the position of the bolts I need to remove. I was also wondering if I need a special wrench to replace my oil nozzle on my model of furnace? I would hate to tear it down and make a big mess and find out I have to wait several days to order and receive a special nozzle wrench. I heard a rumor that some furnaces require a special thin wall or shaped socket or wrench to clear a flame guard or baffle or electrodes.
Between never working on and oil furnace before and having a bad back I am somewhat nervous about trying to do this myself. But is starting to look like I may not have much other choice.
So far I haven’t had any response to the thread about the inquiry about a recommendation for a professional service company for my furnace or tips on how to R&R the oil burner and nozzle.
https://www.mobilehomerepair.com/phpbb/v ... php?t=4584
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peachlizzard
- Posts: 59
- Joined: Tue Nov 04, 2008 3:11 pm
Schemefighter, My issue is this, all the vents that are on the roof of my home are on one half of it. Everywhere there is a pipe or vent sticking out of the roof, I have a water spot on the ceiling. As the snow or whatever is in there melts, the water leaks. We haven't had much snow in the 8 years we have had the home, so this is new to me. Apparently I need to purchase caps for them. Not a big deal. Now the big deal is to get DH to go up there and put them on. We do not have any snow on the roof at all. So I am assuming that the snow we have had is blowing into these vents. We now have over 20 spots. GOOD TIMES! BTW, thanks Greg, I will check with a home center to see what they have. I appreciate your input on this matter.
Rhonda, does your home have a ridge vent? You know the type that runs down the center to allow the attic space to vent? If so rain/snow can back up in them if it can't run off fast enough and then will leak and eventually make it to your ceiling.
Problem we had was that the side of the ridge vent wasn't sealed and had a 1/4" gap under it and in heavy rain it ran under there and caused leaks. Later!
Problem we had was that the side of the ridge vent wasn't sealed and had a 1/4" gap under it and in heavy rain it ran under there and caused leaks. Later!
Do what you can today, as you might not be here tomorrow!
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peachlizzard
- Posts: 59
- Joined: Tue Nov 04, 2008 3:11 pm
Shadow745, I really can't say for sure if it does or not. All I do know is that everywhere there is a pipe or vent coming out of the roof, I have water on the ceiling inside. I guess I will have to ask DH about the ridge vent and check that out also! Thanks!
I am assuming that since the spots are in a line that they are roof vents, I would doubt that sewer vents are in a line, plus there shouldn't be 10 of them. Your best bet is to grab a ladder and stick your head up there and take a look. Greg
"If I can't fix it, I can screw it up so bad no one else can either."
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SchemeFighter
- Posts: 31
- Joined: Wed Dec 24, 2008 11:42 am
- Location: Ohio
Thanks, it sounds like Greg has given you good advice and it sounds like you probably have a different problem than I.Rhonda wrote:Schemefighter, My issue is this, all the vents that are on the roof of my home are on one half of it. Everywhere there is a pipe or vent sticking out of the roof, I have a water spot on the ceiling. As the snow or whatever is in there melts, the water leaks. We haven't had much snow in the 8 years we have had the home, so this is new to me. Apparently I need to purchase caps for them. Not a big deal. Now the big deal is to get DH to go up there and put them on. We do not have any snow on the roof at all. So I am assuming that the snow we have had is blowing into these vents. We now have over 20 spots. GOOD TIMES! BTW, thanks Greg, I will check with a home center to see what they have. I appreciate your input on this matter.
I don’t think I have the type of vents that is giving you problems. Though this thread has definitely aroused my curiosity. I suspect if I had the type of vents that you have that I may not have as bad condensation issues.
I haven’t been up on my roof due to my disability; back pain and transient intermittent paralysis and excessive weight; I guess I’ll try to get some photographs or video with the help of a neighbor or using a pole.
Good luck.
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