We need to get the place ready to rent,
But I Can’t Find the Source of the Leak.
I got a call to repair a leak in a bathroom ceiling above the tub, the unit had already been rented and the new tenants will be moving in, five days from 
now. It shouldn’t be a problem, as long as we can find the source of the water. It was clear that the job needed to be done right away, so we got started.
The sheetrock was very wet, even pooling, but the water was not streaming down like there was a water supply leak. This meant that we would have to do some testing. The floor plan in the upstairs unit is identical to the downstairs unit. This made the plumbing in the upstairs tub suspect, but not the only consideration.
Two things happened at the same time that this leak was discovered: the first rain in months, and a new tenant moving into the upstairs unit. There were repairs done to the exterior siding outside the bathroom. We will be assuming that the repairs were done and made water-tight. This would eliminate the rain theory.
A quick test of the shower and tub proved there was not a leak in any of these lines. While testing the water lines, the maintenance supervisor instructed me that he had just replaced the shower diverter. This is a common source of this sort of leak, but he did not test it to see if it was leaking, he just replaced it. I wish he hadn’t.
At this point, the source of the water has not been found. We will be doing an exterior water test tomorrow to check the siding repairs for leaks. If this proves to be water tight, maybe it was the shower diverter.
I would hate to close the ceiling up without being certain where the water was coming from. I hope to have some answers tomorrow.
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