# Water Dripping from the Basement Ceiling



## snootchiebootchies (May 23, 2009)

Hi,

I'm having a contractor come in next week to start developing my basement.  During a couple of heavy raining days this past weekend, I noticed a small puddle of water near a corner of the basement.  I checked for cracks along the wall and floor and found nothing.  Eventually, I did find the source of the leak and the water is coming from a couple of blue, small-diametre hoses in the ceiling.  When it is raining outside, water will run along the outside of both of these hoses and then drip onto the basement floor.  Both of these hoses emerge from the ceiling through a couple of punctured holes in the ceiling.  I don't think there are leaks in the hoses themselves though.  I've attached a couple of pictures of the source of the water in the basement.  I'd like to fix this before the work on the basement begins.  Any idea how this problem can be fixed?  Thanks in advance for any help!


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## Nestor_Kelebay (May 23, 2009)

We can tell that's an exterior wall by the fiberglass insulation stuffed into plastic bags and set between the joists.

Measure from the closest corner of your basement walls and go look on the outside of your house near where those blue plastic pipes are.  Look for any metal flashing that's bent upward so that water is directed toward the house instead of away from it.  Are there any windows on the wall above that point.  It could be that water is getting into the wall at the top of the window because it wasn't properly flashed, or at a bottom corner of a windows if it wasn't caulked properly.

check for any other penetrations through the wall in that area as well, like outdoor hydrants, a hose reel bolted to the wall, etc.


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## turneyreed (Jun 5, 2009)

Those blue plastic pipes look like PEX water lines.  What is directly above the pipes?  A bathroom or kitchen nearby.  You could have a leaking connection to a fixture somewhere above the basement that is following the pipes down and where the pipes turn horizontal, the water then drips off.  Go to all the shut off valves and feel if any are wet.  Hope this helps.


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## handyguys (Jun 8, 2009)

It could also be condensation. More than likely its a leak since its associated with rain though. Could one of these be for a hose spigot? Maybe that's not caulked correctly. Regardless - this absolutely must be addressed before finishing the basement. Good thing you caught it now and not later.


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