My name is Tom Lopatosky. I’m the President of LOPCO Contracting (www.LopcoContracting.com) and I’m honored to have the opportunity to talk to you about home improvement on a monthly basis. I love answering your questions! Please send them to tom@LopcoContracting.com or call 401-270-2664. Thanks in advance for taking the time to read this column!
Diagnosing Leaks – The Last Resort!
Attempting to figure out where a leak is coming from can often be the ultimate exercise in frustration.
Whether the leak is coming from the interior, the exterior, or someplace in between, correctly figuring out where a leak is stemming from is enough to drive the most cool, calm, and collected of us, entirely batty!
Sometimes, you believe you have found “it,” and corrected the problem, only to hear the dreaded “Drip…Drip…Drip…,” at some point after.
Totally NOT fun!
What convolutes these types of things even further is that sometimes the leak comes from multiple sources, some easier to diagnose than others.
So, what is one to do?
If you have a situation where you have tried to figure out a leak, again and again, and it just does not seem to be stopping, what is now the next step???
While I am totally a fan of cerebrally eliminating possibilities and coming up with the correct answer (believe it or not), there are moments when I myself become stuck and begin to scratch my head.
When things reach this level, there is simply one logical thing that can be done to truly get a handle on the leak.
Begin to open up ceiling & wall areas from the inside out.
Though some folks may be more of a fan of doing this from the outset, I prefer the process of elimination, and ‘when all else fails,’ then turn to opening up the ceiling, or the wall, or whatever else makes sense to open up, to more aggressively track the leak.
There is absolutely something to be said for doing this from the very beginning with the idea of ripping the proverbial band-aid off and getting to the root of the problem, as fast as possible, and many times, this approach, from the very beginning, is actually quite necessary.
The challenge that I have with going right to this tactic immediately is that the solution to the leak could be quite simple if you are experienced enough to know what to look for.
My preference is to save ripping into ceiling and wall areas until all other more “kinder/gentler” avenues are exhausted.
I also believe that sometimes you simply do not have a choice and it absolutely makes sense to begin opening things up to explore from the inside right from the very start of the leak discovery process.
This type of situation probably occurs about 20% of the time.
Eighty percent of the time, if you methodically work to analyze component by component of where the leak most sensibly can be coming from, then you should be able to figure out how to neutralize the leaking, without causing a bunch of collateral damage.
For times, however, when the mystery cannot be solved, strategically opening things up from the inside out and paying VERY close attention to any paths that the moisture may have created over time – so that the leak can be properly fixed – is an approach that is not only the obvious next step, but also what I tend to view as the last resort for an accurate diagnosis and subsequent correction.
About Tom Lopatosky
Tom Lopatosky has run his own RI-based painting and repair business since 1995; LOPCO Contracting – the “Personable, Particular Professionals” – specializes in exterior & interior painting and carpentry. Recently LOPCO Contracting was named ‘RI’s Finest Painting Contracting Company’ by ShopInRI Magazine. In 2013, Tom was named “Humanitarian of the Year” by the Painting and Decorating Contractors of America (PDCA) and a “40 Under 40” award winner by Providence Business News. He is a member of both the PCA (Painting Contractors Association) and RIBA (Rhode Island Builders Association). Tom has often had weekly ‘Home Improvement Tips’ that have aired on the radio on 630 WPRO AM and on television on WPRI 12. You can catch Tom LIVE on the radio EVERY Saturday, 2pm-3pm, on 630 WPRO AM (99.7 FM) during his weekly PROTalk Home Improvement Radio Show! Tom has also written a book ‘The Care And Maintenance Of A New England Home’ (available on Amazon or through Barnes & Noble), detailing what he believes every New England Homeowner should be acutely aware of while owning a home in the region.
