Dripping and Stained Ceilings in Cartersville, GA

Four habits that make a ceiling stain worse

• Poking it to see how bad it is. A sagging ceiling is heavy and dangerous, says the Red Cross, so look from the side and stay out from under it.

• Painting over it. Fresh paint covers the mark while the wet stays put. EPA wants water-damaged areas dry within 24 to 48 hours, with humidity below 60 percent.

• Waiting for the next rain to see where it comes from. A stain that comes and goes with weather points to the roof; one that grows on a dry day points to plumbing. Dated photographs settle the argument.

• Climbing up to inspect a wet roof. Ladders and wet shingles are a fall risk, and the photographs can be taken from the ground.

Around Cartersville

• The Red Cross treats a wet ceiling that sags as heavy and dangerous. That leaves this page with one line about bringing it down: leave it to someone with the gear and a plan.

• EPA's list of porous materials that may not survive a soaking starts with carpet and ceiling tile. Whether your ceiling is tile or drywall is worth saying on the call.

On the visit itself

1. Call (678) 288-4775, say which room sits under the stain and what is above it, and ask the contractor for a visit.

2. A look at the ceiling from below, with a meter, to separate the wet from the dry.

3. A check of what lies above: a bathroom, a washer, a roofline or an attic.

4. A view on whether the drywall is too wet and heavy to stay, and how it can come down safely.

5. A drying plan for the ceiling, the insulation above it and the walls beside it.

6. A talk about repair or replacement, including the paint that goes on afterward.

Reading a ceiling stain

1. Does the ceiling sag, bulge or drip right now?

   Treat it as a stop-now item: out of the room, no poking.

2. Is a bathroom, laundry or kitchen directly above?

   Look there first. A supply line, a drain or an appliance may be the source. See appliance and heater leaks.

3. Did the stain appear after rain or wind?

   Think roof, flashing or gutters. See storm rain through the roof.

4. Is the stain dry and the same size as last week?

   Draw a dated line along its edge and look again after the next storm.

5. Has it grown since you first saw it?

   The source is still active. Photograph it with the date and phone the contractor.

Ceiling materials, as the pages describe them

• Drywall ceilingThe Red Cross treats a sagging wet ceiling as heavy and dangerous; the contractor decides whether it stays
• Ceiling tileEPA says ceiling tile may have to be thrown away once it stays wet
• Insulation aboveThe pages give no rule; the contractor checks it once the ceiling is open
• A small dry stainA dry patch that is not spreading is a smaller worry, though the source still needs finding

Where an overhead stain may start

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  Appliance and water heater leaksWhen a machine sits in the room above

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  Storm rain through the roofWhen the stain followed weather

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  Split pipes and supply-line floodsWhen a pipe runs through the floor above