Mysterious Water Spot

[Crockett]

Hello folks,
I have an upper/lower and seemingly out of nowhere a water stain has appeared on the ceiling of the lower living room. Above it is the living room for the upper, my family lives in both units and have said there were no spills or anything out of the ordinary. The water pipes are no where near the area so I can't imagine how this occured. I don't want to start ripping the celing apart just yet. Any thought on how water can end up in the middle of the ceiling?

thanks for any thoughts or advice
Al

[JoeyGee]

Maybe a leak elsewhere, and the stain showed up at the low point where the water pooled?

Just a guess...

[LCHIEN]

does your family always tell you when things are spilled????

Is there a wall above this point or is it an open area?

Sometimes water runs from a leak along wires or pipes or other objects, between floors. so a leak to the side might drip to the center point of a wire.

[Sugarman]

I have seen huge bees nests and ant nests soak through a ceiling and leave a water spot. Hope it's not either one.

[Slik Geek]

Had a ceiling water stain once where there was no water "leak".

It was caused by a dryer vent tube that had come loose. The vent tube passed through the space between the upper floor and lower ceiling. The humid air from the dryer was condensing on a cold water pipe that passed through that area. The condensate dripped onto the ceiling drywall and eventually bled through as a water stain.

The water could be coming from a different area and running down a wire to the spot where it shows - thus water with no pipes in the area...

[SARGE..g-47]

What other have said about the leak in one place and moves to another via joist, etc. Crockett. I had a limb come through the BR ceilin in the 90' ice storm in Atlanta. I had water spots as far away as 20' in some spots that moved across joist I assume.

Had another leak under a bay window on the end of my break-fast nook in the kitchen. Both are over my shop down-stairs. I found the leak after back tracing 8' from over my work-bench back to the source just outside the shop outer wall.

I have seen the same scenario many times re-building muscle cars. Leak one spot and wet somewhere else after it traveled via of a host piece. And they are much harder to find in cars than in the house, IMO.

Good luck as it can be a challenge...

[jhart]

Check for condensation in a window above/near the area.

Also, 2 years ago, got a spot in cceiling under a window with a portable A/C unit that wasn't tilted down enough. Leaked on the sill and down the wall to ceiling below.

[gabedad]

maybe it's from an ice dam and traveled inside the walls from the roof /attic

[Crockett]

thanks for the input guys, it sounds like I better open it up and see where it is traveling from. There is a window in the upper apartment about 8 feet from the stain so maybe it is getting in there and traveling down behind the wall to a floor joist.

thanks again
Al