Wet Ceilings, Any thoughts?

[IBMally]

I just had a home inspection and the inspector found that the ceilings all along near the front wall and the rear wall of the home had moisture. The roof is only about 6 years old and appears in good shape. No issues apparent where the gutters backing up would cause that as there is about an 18 inch overhang. There are no water pipes running through the areas. Any ideas on what could be the cause?
:SM110:

[Ceres]

Did you ask your home inspector what he thought the cause of mositure may be?

Some questions to ask.
Did it rain within a few days of the inspection.
Are there stains? Fresh paint? A/C vents located near the sourse of moisture?
What is the inside temp of the house durring the time of the inspection and time of day? What was the outside temp? Along with the RH reading.
Type of construction?
How big of a area are you talking about.
What kind of reading did the inspector get according to the meter used.

Just a few question that may help?

[IBMally]

It has rained over the past few days. The home inspector is unsure of the cause although he suggested two issues, either a leak that he could not find or possibly condensation issues. There are water stains all along the front and back wall of the house (Front and back wall are about 45 feet long). The house is about 1200 sq ft with gable ends, nothing fancy on the roof. Construction is frame with wood lap siding that needs to be replaced (cracked, rotting etc). The home is 50 years old. When the inspection put the moisture meter on the spots it went off the scale as opposed to a few inches away it would have a normal reading. No AC vents as the home currently has a window unit. The temperature was in the high 70's during the inspection and the house has been closed up with the power off so it was warm and muggy inside. Sorry, not sure what an RH reading is.

[StepUp]

From what you describe, it sounds like a roof and/or siding issue. The stains apparently appeared new when it rained, so the problem is exterior. Time for that licensed roofer and contractor to take a closer look.

Eric

[Tim Wieneke]

"The home is 50 years old." With wood siding. This could be part of your problem. I work on 50 year old wood siding. I often need to keep a caulk gun with me while I paint the exterior.

Not having seen it, I would guess though that roof has weathering damage leading to small leakage across the entire roof. My guess would be hail damage and/or weathering. The water is coming in this leakage and running down the rafters to the bottom of them - right at the edge of the wall.