[maghob]

We have cold water dripping from a recessed light in our finished basement. It came on very suddenly and fortunately we were home and could quickly turn off the main water supply. The water was pooling around the light "can" and you can see a few drip marks near the can. (Electricity has been turned off to the area also.) Because there is a ceiling stud next to the recessed can, we can't see the actual water line to determine if the leak is near or coming from another part of the house. We checked under all toilets, sinks and showers and found no other water. How should we proceed?

[massplumber2008]

Hi Maghob.

First, turn the water back on and see if the leak shows up again. Here, do not use any fixtures at this time... want to know if the leak is in a water pipe ONLY!

If no water shows up then the problem is probably in a DRAIN PIPE. Here, you would try to figure out the nearest fixture to the leak and then run water down the drain. If you have a whole bathroom near here, test one fixture at a time and wait ten minutes before testing the next fixture, etc... until water shows up and then you'll have a better idea of what may be happening.

If this all fails to show the leak then you start using other fixtures in the house until the leak shows, right?

Anyway, see if you can determine the leak source first and then, if needed, remove the canister light (if possible) and use a mirror and flashlight to look up and in the hole... see what you can see. Most likely, you'll then need to open the ceiling up to make repairs after that!

Back to you...

Mark

[speedball1]

Sorry Mark, I posted on top of you.
I don't see where you have much choice. You must open up the ceiling and track the leak back to the source. Once you have located the source click on back and we'll help repair it. Good luck, Tom