Mystery puddle

[razyca]

Hi I'm hoping someone can help, my bedroom carpet was soaked and bedside table damaged due to amount of water, I called a friends husband over to see what he thought, he checked loft said there wasn't any wet patches in loft, (check gutters also clear)so i contacted insurance company, they sent out a loss adjuster, he said there was no pipes there which had caused it which I had already said that there wasn't to him before he came out.
He basically said he didn't know what was causing it. Its a north facing wall so doesnt get much sun. in his letter he has wrote for insurance purposes (which covered nothing and has resolved nothing)it is possibly due to lack of cavity wall insulation or damp course. after putting on dehumidifier for couple of weeks dried out. Now floor is soaking again after heavy rain. PLEASE HELP I just want to resolve it... I'm at a loss don't want to get ripped off..

Water moves in very mysterious ways. We had a broken roof tile on a dormer window but the water came in under the skirting board (rather than ceiling). It was coming in through the cracked tile but flowing down behind the plasterboard/cavity then emerging at floor level.

Have lived here for 4 yrs an never had this before, could it be coming through bricks an going down cavity, i don't have cavity wall insulation.. would getting it done help or cause more problems.. thought loss adjuster was meant to discover the problem. (household insurance covers nothing, except giving loss adjuster enough money to drive a merc)

Is it a concrete floor?

How far above ground level?

Is there a drainpipe on the outside?

Look at the gutter during rain. Is it spilling?

How old is the house? Brick? Rendered?

Hi pigletJohn Its a concrete floor with black tiles and carpet on top, (how i discovered it was carpet was saturated) and its ground level as I'm in a bungalow, its corner of room. There is no drainpipe on that side of outside wall as its the(Corner) /\ part of the house if that makes sense. house is maybe early 70's late 60s and its brick, skirting and wall have mould on it but not wet, just flooring wet. if helps damp proofing is painted black and can be seen about a foot on the outside. There is no damaged pipes underneath I've been told too.

odd i know but tried to do a diagram
Northwall/\ concrete path around side btrm (bathroom
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ W window
| bdrm |btrm | Damp **|
W | | ~~~ | |Window here
|~~~~~| hall | bdrm |
W | bdrm ~~~~~~~~~~~|
| ~~~~~ |Ft Door
| K lvrm |
| |

it's possible water could be penetrating the wall. You say it happens after rain. It could be getting in round a badly fitted windowframe, that's more common than defective brickwork or pointing.

Old render can come loose and collect rainwater, but that would more likely show as a wet wall.

It's possible, but much rarer, for a roof leak to allow water to run down the cavity, but that would also show as a wet wall.

Post some photos if you can.

I had new windows fitted two yrs ago.. sorry about my poor diagram that went wrong when i posted. :(

How can i post photos on here?

take a pic (on a digital camera or your phone), plug it into the PC (they usually have a micro USB connector)

It may automatically start downloading the photos, if not you can copy them using file manager or similar.

On the phone IIRC they are usually inside a folder called DCIM

Once you have found the photos and can see where they are stored and their filenames, start a "reply" on mumsnet. Beneath the box where you type in says "images..... browse"

click on browse and navigate to where your pics are stored, and click on the one you want (usually the latest ones) then click "preview message" and it will show you what they will look like (in case you have accidentally attached the wrong pics). If OK, click "post message"

Couple of floor will also put on couple more. There is also a small mound patch in top corner

As you can see I managed it lol. Hope these help a little. I really don’t know how long it was wet for. But I clean skirting in Oct Found saturated carpet end Dec 2ft by 2ft.

your picture of the corner of the ceiling appears to show damp and mildew. Since water runs downhill, a roof or gutter leak here would run down the inside wall and form a puddle on the floor.

It will be quite awkward to crawl into the corner of the loft, but you might see daylight if there is a sunstantial hole, or evidence of water penetration during rainfall.

The defect might not be directly above the water, because water can tyrickly down or along sloping roof timbers until it drips off.

If the ceiling corner is damp, ask around for a reputable and experienced local roofer (they will usually also fix gutters if necessary. Look at your gutter for signs of spillage during rain).

Internet websites are not a good source of good tradesmen, because they are paid by the advertiser who usually has the power to reject unfavourable reviews. Good tradesmen don't need to advertise.

When my friends husband went up into the loft, he said he couldn't find any wet area's.
He said he did pull back a corner bit of insulation up there to see if that would help, also said couldn't see any wet area going between the cavities, or any wetness under the tiles.
Really appreciate your help..

but water does seem to be coming down from that corner ceiling, doesn't it?

maybe the felt is running water onto the brickwork instead of out to the gutter, maybe the gutter is leaking at a joint, or the end.

I'd try to get a good roofer to look at it. You did say it happens after heavy rain?

p.s.

did you friend look during, or shortly after, rain?

Yes he did go up there when it was raining.will see if when it rains again..
That all makes sense. so frustrating... I said to the loss adjuster about corner at top he said has nothing to do with it

I think the loss adjuster fobbed you off. Cheaper to hire a dehumidifier than find and sort out the problem. It's a roof/soffit/rainwater goods issue that's causing the damp.