Water, water, everywhere: Diagnosing and fixing leaks in your property

Perhaps one of the most frustrating things about building maintenance is diagnosing leaks. Often skylights are dripping or a pipe bursts and the solution is simple, repair or replace and move on with your day. However, most of us have had those hard to reach, difficult to diagnose leaks through the years in which finding the cause can be extremely difficult. When attempting to diagnose the source of a leak, you should first recognize that like so much else in life, its an exercise in problem solving. First think about the type of leak it is: Is the leak continual or is it sporadic? If it's continual, there must be an abundance of water. What has the weather been like? If its raining out, its likely to be entering the building envelope, but if the weather has been good, you've most likely got a pipe leak or a grouting/caulking issue. Don't forget that even if the rains have stopped, you may be looking at a puddle on the roof for a prolonged period of time. If the water is indeed emanating from a puddle on the roof, remember that it may be entering in a crack around the seam of the drain and running down the outside of the pipe. And of course it is possible that the drain pipe itself is cracked. Try placing a hose of water in the pipe itself and see if there is a leak. If not, it's likely not the pipe itself but water getting in through the roof around the pipe. If it's near a building façade remember that the water may be coming in through the masonry directly (look for damage where there's no damage above it), or running down from a parapet leak above (damage would be evidenced from the top down). If it's coming from the parapet, check the top along the coping stones to see if the seems have opened, and also check the flashing at the base to see if there are any cracks or openings. If the leaks are more of an interior nature to the building, it's more likely to be a plumbing issue. Off and on leaks tend to be associated more with toilets and shower bodies then a consistent leak which could be a break in a pipe in the wall. If it's an inconsistent leak, start with toilets and tubs. To diagnose toilets, try flushing and see if that causes the leak to appear. If so it's your waste pipe. If not, try throwing water along the floor around the toilet, to see if its perhaps a crack in the tile floor. Similarly with showers, try plugging the drain and first run the shower and bathtub. If no leak shows up, try unplugging the drain and see if it's coming from the waste pipe as the water drains. When all else fails with the tub, try adding a small amount of food coloring so you are able to trace the colored water if it's indeed coming from a draining tub. Like with toilets, don't forget that it might be water finding its way down around the outside of the tub where it meets the floor, or even around an old standing waste pipe. Don't forget if you are unsuccessful that it might be water getting through the tile wall. Try aiming the shower head at the wall to see if it's leaking through grouting or caulking cracks. In one situation, I was finally able to realize the leak would only show itself when a person stood in the shower and had the water bounce off at a certain angle against the wall. Don't ask how I figured it out! Like so much else in property management, solving leak issues and finding their origins does not take a degree in astrophysics. A creative problem solving approach, coupled with patience and a lot of trial and error is all it takes to find your problem! Matt Engel is a vice president at Langsam Property, Bronx, N.Y.