5d ago

What the heck is this stain by my window?

Just noticed this brown stain above my living room window. I don't have a ladder at the moment so can't reach it to touch it but the wallpaper near it is starting to lift so I think it might be damp. But it's on the ground floor and there doesn't appear to be anything else around it or in the room above it. My bathroom is on the floor above too but to the right. Could it be water travelling from the bathroom down or getting in from outside? It hasn't rained locally since Saturday.

36 comments

It's water damage from a leak. Get your roofers over asap.
- Damn. Is it likely to be from outside?
  
  Probably. Considering A) It's an exterior wall, and B) it's over a window, it's unlikely there's any pipe fitting running through there.
  Edit: Sounds like the boiler is to blame. Godspeed OP.
  
  Water will move around so it hard to know for sure. If above that is attic then anywhere along the ceiling could be the leak. I had a leak by my chimney that traveled 20ft across the attic, doubled back and then found a drywall seam in the ceiling before leaking through and presenting its self.
  Chances are high its a roof leak, but it could be a leak around a wall or window as well, but that is less likely.
  
  You’ll really need to take down the drapes and cut the ceiling drywall away.
  Once you do that you’ll be able to see if the water is coming from. It’s pretty hard to know where water is coming from if you don’t do that. Otherwise you’re just going to be making wild guesses.
  Also, cutting the dry wall away will allow that wet space to dry so you don’t get mold.
  
  Is there an upstairs above the leak? Likely, it's from shingles lifting. A roofer would be likely able to find it and mend it until you get your roof replaced. Don't wait long though.
  
  Entirely depends what is on the floor above that spot? Is there a bathroom above it or anything?
  
  If it were from the inside, you would need to explain how somebody could have moved his ass that close to your ceiling...
- This. I don't know how to fix that but it's pretty obvious.
You either have a demonic entity in your home or a leak. My money is on demon
As others have said, 100% a leak.
I would advise to stand on a chair or stepladder underneath the ceiling and check to see if it is still level. If you see an obvious deformation around the stain, this will be being caused by water pooling on top of the ceiling plasterboard. In which case, once the leak is sorted, you will likely need to drain the pooled water, cut out the damaged section, replace it, then replaster and repaint.
We had exactly the same issue in our last house. It was in a difficult to see spot hidden behind our kitchen cabinets. We only realised the severity of the issue when the ceiling boards gave way and fell on my head.
Water and maybe allready mold
Lick it
Looks like damage from an ice dam.
Happens when water freezes and blocks water from flowing past, causing it to pool up and seep where it isn't supposed to.
Thanks all for the advice, it really is greatly appreciated. I was able to get on a chair and just reach to touch the stain and its damp to the touch so its definitely water damage. I'm going to go to bed now and make some phone calls to start getting this sorted in the morning.
That was me, sorry.
- This is why we don't invite you to things
  
  I swear it was an accident, I thought it was a fart.
Looks like rust left by water damage from a leaky pipe.
- Doesn't even have to be rust, wallpaper glue turns that colour when it gets wet. My grandma's farmhouse still has a few small patches like these in some rooms. The old tile roof had tiny leaks in the 60's, they fixed the roof but never had time to start tearing the room ceilings open while running the farm.
  We had the patchy room ceilings checked for microbial damage and moisture ~20 years ago by a pro and they were all clean.
Why is there a giraffe in your house.
That is definitely water damage. Something directly above it is leaking.
That's zeus taking a shit on your house
Also the house I live in is kinda like that, whenever the shower is running, water would just leak, hasn't been fixed in 5 years. Oh well, not my house, not my problem.

36 comments