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My contractor has run out of ideas about my leak so I thought I'd ask here in desperation to see if anyone has any thoughts.

Please see here for photos https://imgur.com/a/t4OGXkw

Some background:

  • my roof is a flat rooftop deck with the heat pump on the roof
  • the heat pump has a hose that goes through a parapet wall (shown in the pictures) which is above my leak
  • I've been watching a crack ceiling patch grow over time for 1-2 years now, testing it with a moisture meter and noticing it gets wet from time to time
  • my contractor initially "fixed" it by tearing off the metal flashing of the parapet and sealing it up "correctly" as it looked like there were gaps where water could get in
  • the leak was dripping wet when it was raining hard about a month ago but since then it does not seem to get wet during heavy rain

What we found:

  • my contractor tore up the siding and flashing of the parapet wall but it all looked try
  • they opened up the drywall ceiling and saw there was a evidence of a puddle concentrated to the area beneath the hose of the heat pump but it was dry now
  • the insulation around the heat pump was also dry, but there were a couple brown spots on the insulation directly underneath the hose which they say indicate it was wet at one point
  • there appears to be no evidence of water trickling in from outside

Grasping at theories:

  • I have heard of the heat pump hoses possibly having condensation, does that seem like a possibility?
  • If that was the case would the form outside of the layer of spray foam surrounding the hose?
  • Does it even seem advisable to have that layer of spray foam around the heat pump hose like that?

This thing is driving me crazy. Any thoughts are most welcome, thank you!

Jacob
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  • Is this on the ceiling of the top floor or ground floor? – Rohit Gupta Nov 21 '23 at 02:30
  • those are copper pies with lagging, not hoses, the lagging should prevent condensation, – Jasen Nov 21 '23 at 03:39
  • The lines are a low spot where leaking water can accumulate before dripping. Forget about the heat pump for a moment. Could there be a leak in the roof near this spot? How does the roof slope and drain? If you used some sculpting clay to fence in a pond of water, would such a pond accurately simulate water accumulation during a heavy rain? If so, then use sculpting clay to methodically check decent sized chunks of roof area with the depth of water present during your heavy rain. – popham Nov 21 '23 at 06:47
  • @RohitGupta The ceiling is on the top floor, below the heat pump on the roof. – Jacob Nov 21 '23 at 16:39
  • @Jasen got it thanks, I will forget about the condensation theory for now – Jacob Nov 21 '23 at 16:42
  • @popham thanks for the suggestion, I can give that a try to see if it's coming through the roof itself.

    Given the heat pump lines go in through the siding I suppose the leak could be coming through there too right, any suggestion for checking that other than spraying the siding with a hose?

     – Jacob Nov 21 '23 at 16:48
  • Seal the line entry. Or you could tape a piece of plastic to the wall above the line entry and down the sides to contain the lines so that splashing and running water have about zero chance of infiltrating. Leave some drains along the bottom well below the lines. Now wait for heavy rains to see whether the plastic has plugged the leak. Be sure to build a dam around the heat pump itself and test the roof around it for water tightness. The heat pump is a vibration source that is mechanically attached through the roof, so it's location is a good candidate for roof failures. – popham Nov 21 '23 at 18:14
  • yes, some sort of "hood flashing" over where the AC pipes enter the wall may help. if building plastic works a permanent one in metal would be a more permanent solution. – Jasen Nov 21 '23 at 22:07

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