# Water damage?



## brianf1977 (Jan 16, 2017)

I'm not sure what caused this or how long it's been there but when I removed the lattice decoration on the wall this was there. I took the decoration down because last time it rained there was drops of water coming from a nailhole under this mess. I'm concerned about how much damage is done.


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## nealtw (Jan 16, 2017)

Tell us about the wall, interior, exterior. basement, near a window, condition of roof,.
Have you add snow on the roof for an extended time?


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## brianf1977 (Jan 16, 2017)

nealtw said:


> Tell us about the wall, interior, exterior. basement, near a window, condition of roof,.
> Have you add snow on the roof for an extended time?



Sorry,should have thought about that. It's an interior bathroom wall on the main floor of a bungalow. The roof has seen better days but not terrible. As far as snow, it's had snow for a few days or so like usual here. There is a window about 18 inches away.


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## nealtw (Jan 16, 2017)

brianf1977 said:


> Sorry,should have thought about that. It's an interior bathroom wall on the main floor of a bungalow. The roof has seen better days but not terrible. As far as snow, it's had snow for a few days or so like usual here. There is a window about 18 inches away.



So what about the roof, this is where you have gutters, do you have soffet vents?
Do you have access to the attic?
How long did the snow sit on the roof? Is that longer than usual?

Is that drywall or plaster?


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## brianf1977 (Jan 16, 2017)

nealtw said:


> So what about the roof, this is where you have gutters, do you have soffet vents?
> Do you have access to the attic?
> How long did the snow sit on the roof? Is that longer than usual?
> 
> Is that drywall or plaster?



It's lath and plaster, the whole house pretty much is as far as I know. The snow sat a typical time frame. The attic would be questionable to reach that far in but possibly. I'm guessing it's about 15 feet from the crawlspace entrance in the closet upstairs. The gutters are on that side of the house and the wall in question runs perpendicular to the outer wall.


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## nealtw (Jan 16, 2017)

When water gets in, there is no accounting for where it can get to.
At this time of year, ice damming is always a good suspect.
The only protection you have against ice dams is airflow between the sheeting and the insulation over the outside wall.

You really do need an inspection in the attic for indication of leaks where water runs down a rafter or just we insulation near that out side wall.
Then you could determined if the roof needs repairs or more venting is needed.
https://www.google.ca/search?q=soff...2&ved=0ahUKEwixyejbpcjRAhVS6GMKHYFYCVoQsAQIMQ


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## brianf1977 (Jan 16, 2017)

Thanks for the help and fast responses


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## slownsteady (Jan 17, 2017)

In any case you're going to have to open up that wall and remove the wet material. (Give it time to dry out before you close it back up). And of course find the source of the leak. You may get some clue from looking inside the wall while you have it open, but, yes, you need to get a look at the attic, and the roof, and the outside walls....


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## nealtw (Jan 17, 2017)

slownsteady said:


> In any case you're going to have to open up that wall and remove the wet material. (Give it time to dry out before you close it back up). And of course find the source of the leak. You may get some clue from looking inside the wall while you have it open, but, yes, you need to get a look at the attic, and the roof, and the outside walls....



I think most times a lath and plaster wall will dry out and be fine some of the keys could break with wood swelling but that is repairable.

And yes I have been wrong before.


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## slownsteady (Jan 17, 2017)

I was thinking mostly about insulation.


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## oldognewtrick (Jan 17, 2017)

I would first look at the seal of the plumbing vent boot on the roof to see if the seal has failed. Check to see if a shingle has been damaged or a nail has popped. This will require getting on the roof. If you are not comfortable doing that, call a roofer.


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## brianf1977 (Jan 17, 2017)

slownsteady said:


> In any case you're going to have to open up that wall and remove the wet material. (Give it time to dry out before you close it back up). And of course find the source of the leak. You may get some clue from looking inside the wall while you have it open, but, yes, you need to get a look at the attic, and the roof, and the outside walls....



Will removing the lath be sufficient or do I need to remove the plaster and look at the condition of the framing behind it?


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## oldognewtrick (Jan 17, 2017)

If you remove the plaster and lathe, you will start another set of issues. First priority, stop the water.


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## slownsteady (Jan 17, 2017)

Looking back at previous posts: interior wall, no second floor......I take back my earlier posts.


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## oldognewtrick (Jan 17, 2017)

slownsteady said:


> Looking back at previous posts: interior wall, no second floor......I take back my earlier posts.



What is once seen cannot be unseen...:nono:


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## brianf1977 (Jan 17, 2017)

slownsteady said:


> Looking back at previous posts: interior wall, no second floor......I take back my earlier posts.



there is a second floor, it's a bungalow house. the bathroom is on the main floor.


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## brianf1977 (Jan 17, 2017)

oldognewtrick said:


> If you remove the plaster and lathe, you will start another set of issues. First priority, stop the water.



stopping the water is beyond me, I don't know where or when it started from. I inherited this house from my parents and the decoration on the wall was there before I got it so who knows what has happened by now. I'm concerned with the distance the water had to travel and how far it went after that.


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## nealtw (Jan 17, 2017)

brianf1977 said:


> stopping the water is beyond me, I don't know where or when it started from. I inherited this house from my parents and the decoration on the wall was there before I got it so who knows what has happened by now. I'm concerned with the distance the water had to travel and how far it went after that.



You might call a trusted roofer to look at the roof, the problem with that is he could sell you more than you need.
You might call a home inspection company, tell them the problem and you want the roof looked and and the inside inspected for damage and wet insulation and get his best guess at the cause of the problem.


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