Dripping sound when raining - no sign of leak...

goldbyron · 19 Oct 2014

Hi

In the last week I have heard a slow steady drip coming from the ceiling area in my bedroom near to the edge of the room. It only makes a sound when the rain has been heavy.

Last night it woke me up so I went outside (in the pouring rain) with a torch and all the gutters are fine with no leaks. I went into the loft and there was no sign of any water there (I checked again this morning). In fact I couldn't hear the sound when I was in the attic.

There are no obvious cracked or loose tiles in the area however the two tiles immediately above the downpipe (which is near the area I hear the noise from) seem to have a lot of moss built up on them. Is this a probable cause? The down pipe itself isn't overflowing but I wonder if the moss is backing water up into the bottom tiles when it is heavy...

I am assuming that as I can't hear or see anything in the attic itself, the leak could be either in the cavity wall or the edge of the eaves where the tiles are???

Does this sound right or should I be looking for something else?

Thanks

terrypin · 19 Oct 2014

Dripping onto the window cill, perhaps?

With all the insulation in lofts nowadays it's(dripping sound)unlikely to be from there unless it's a big leak or you've got an area bare of insulation, but then I'd expect it to show on the ceiling eg a drip or staining.

goldbyron · 20 Oct 2014

Thanks - I did consider the window sill and I thought it was this at first however can't imagine why this would suddenly be noisy after four years of not noticing it? I did look out when it was raining (and making the noise) and I couldn't see any dripping on the sill. Noise sounds like above window area on the ceiling. No doubt I will get another chance to listen tonight when it pours down! Going to ask a roofer to come out and get rid of the moss and check this out as possible cause.

terrypin · 20 Oct 2014

Possibly rain getting into the cavity and dripping onto the lintel.

For it to make a noticeable noise it must be dripping from a decent height and onto a solid object.

goldbyron · 20 Oct 2014

That sounds right - but can I ask what the lintel is (DIY novice here!)? And would the solution be to clear the moss?

terrypin · 20 Oct 2014

A lintel can be a load-bearing building component often found over doors and windows, usually wood or steel.

Photo gives a general idea.

goldbyron · 20 Oct 2014

Great, really helpful pic. Sounding like logical answer to leak...will let you know what roofer says and if it is this.

terrypin · 20 Oct 2014

goldbyron said:
Great, really helpful pic. Sounding like logical answer to leak...will let you know what roofer says and if it is this.

It's not the logical answer to the leak but possibly the cause of dripping sound which(if it is)at least gives you a rough idea of the water ingress location.

I think you'll find a broken tile or two up there.

Good luck.

Mw Roofline · 20 Oct 2014

Sounds daft but sometimes after it has been raining water trickles down the downpipe and hits the inside of the shoe causing the tapping noise to resonate up the downpipe and out the top. Wouldn't hurt to remove the shoe or if it's stuck see if you can shove a bit of rag in there with a stick holding it in or something to see if it stops the noise. You never know!

terrypin · 20 Oct 2014

Of course, the downpipe idea is another good call.

goldbyron · 22 Oct 2014

A quick update. Roofer came this morning and found a broken tile in the area roughly where the dripping sound was. He also cleaned the moss off the bottom tiles. He said he can't see where the water was getting in past the felt itself but we are hoping that the new tile will at least stop the dripping. He couldn't see any other broken or cracked tiles. So fingers crossed for next rainfall....

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Dripping sound when raining - no sign of leak...

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