Look inside the attic if possible to identify the direction in which the rafters or joists travel.
Finding inside of wall from attic.
These fixed points can be perpendicular exterior walls a fireplace chimney or other components that extend through the finished ceiling to the attic space or roof surface.
There can be thousands of them in there all the way from the support beams in your cellar to the trusses in your roof.
A magnetic stud finder detects the metal nails in the wall studs.
Remove any insulation in the general area to make the bit easier to locate.
A moisture meter is a piece of equipment which when placed directly against a wall will analyze the moisture content of that wall.
Drill the same size hold in a cardboard box.
If you know that you have a leak within a certain wall but are unaware of the precise location place the moisture meter at 5 or 6 different spots on the wall.
Secure the box against the wall so the two holes are lined up.
Drill a small hole in the wall a few inches above your floor.
Not just inside your walls but inside of the wood itself.
Due to the triangular shape of all but flat roofs the rafters or joists will run.
An electronic stud finder produces a small electrical field which changes when it reaches a denser region of the wall like the area over a stud.
If unable to locate the bit repeat the drilling process after moving to a spot a couple of inches away from the first hole.
Go to the space into which the drill was boring.
Traps with live mice should be put into a heavy duty plastic bag cage and all and carried to a forest or park at least 500 feet away from the home so that they cannot find their way back.
Place a food scented trap inside the box and cover box with cellophane.
Go into your attic and locate the source of the leak on the underside of the roof deck using the measurements taken from your home s living space.