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Random Puddle Of Water Appeared

dani161

Fresh Blood
Joined
Mar 13, 2019
Messages
9
Hi, I’ve signed up to this forum as a result of something strange that happened to me last night. I’m brand new to all of this and pretty freaked out.

My boyfriend and I came home from work and there was a puddle on our coffee table in the living room. Looked up to check for a leak as there has been heavy rain here in the UK the past few days (thanks, Storm Gareth!). There was no water on the ceiling AT ALL and we checked in the loft and there’s no pipes/leaks/water at all! We reported it to our Letting Agent and someone has checked the roof today; no leaks. (See photo 1, water in the centre of the table, no run off!)

Cleaned it up and watched TV for a bit before bed. A few hours later I suggested clearing the table before bed (our laptops etc. are stored there) in case the water came through the ceiling again over night.

Boyfriend lifted his laptop and there was a perfect rectangle (see photos) under the laptop. The lid and screen were bone dry, no spillages, nothing, no splatter, no bottles/glasses, he hadn’t had it out with him and spilled in bags etc.

I can’t seem to find any reasonable explanation for this but I am very freaked out. It doesn’t help that my boyfriend doesn’t believe in the spirit world!

Also, and I think this really is my mind overacting, but it looks like there’s a child’s face in the reflection of the water!!!

Can anyone shed some light/give me some tips?

Thank you all in advance!

Nervous newbie.

Dani

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Last edited by a moderator:
Welcome to our Board!

You may be interested to learn that we have threads on this very subject, of water from nowhere. Here are a couple -

Appearing Water

Unexplained Water

We also have discussions about a 'Phantom Drip', where water (or summat) drips from ceilings onto people's heads and property.

With your own puddle, we needn't ask if you have a naughty pet that might be adding to the table's rather attractive patina as you'd've mentioned that.

I'd suggest taking valuables off that table forthwith and putting trays or cooking tins on it overnight. If there's water in them in the morning it's come from above, and if it's underneath, well, yup, it's a well, I dunno.
 
Welcome to the forum!

Had either of you checked or cleared the lower shelf when you first discovered and dried off the top surface?

Edit to continue ...

I'm wondering if the puddle beneath the laptop was there all along, and you didn't discover it until you removed the laptop later.
 
Welcome to the forum!

Had either of you checked or cleared the lower shelf when you first discovered and dried off the top surface?

No we didn’t think to look because there was no run off if that makes sense? I thought maybe it had seeped through but it couldn’t have because there is an extending part of the table that can be pulled out and it was also bone dry!

I’m sure the water was probably under the laptop all day but we had no reason to check because there was no drip etc! So so weird!!
 
Welcome to our Board!

You may be interested to learn that we have threads on this very subject, of water from nowhere. Here are a couple -

Appearing Water

Unexplained Water

We also have discussions about a 'Phantom Drip', where water (or summat) drips from ceilings onto people's heads and property.

With your own puddle, we needn't ask if you have a naughty pet that might be adding to the table's rather attractive patina as you'd've mentioned that.

I'd suggest taking valuables off that table forthwith and putting trays or cooking tins on it overnight. If there's water in them in the morning it's come from above, and if it's underneath, well, yup, it's a well, I dunno.

We removed everything on the way to bed last night and we have left it empty today whilst at work. Got home about an hour ago and no more water even though it’s rained heavily all through the night and this morning!

No pets unfortunately! (I wish)

I dunno either but I’ll give the other threads a read! Thank you so much.
 
... I’m sure the water was probably under the laptop all day but we had no reason to check because there was no drip etc! So so weird!!

That would be my guess - that the original drip / leak dumped water onto the table top, some of it seeped down onto the lower shelf, and the lower shelf water pooled under the laptop. Alternatively, more water than what you found had seeped down to the lower shelf, but only the water that pooled under the laptop failed to evaporate away by the time you came home.

During a heavy rainstorm it's possible for water to leak in through the roof and travel (e.g., run down an angled rafter) before dripping down into a room. In other words, the entry point in the roof needn't be directly over the coffee table, or even the living room.
 
That would be my guess - that the original drip / leak dumped water onto the table top, some of it seeped down onto the lower shelf, and the lower shelf water pooled under the laptop. Alternatively, more water than what you found had seeped down to the lower shelf, but only the water that pooled under the laptop failed to evaporate away by the time you came home.

During a heavy rainstorm it's possible for water to leak in through the roof and travel (e.g., run down an angled rafter) before dripping down into a room. In other words, the entry point in the roof needn't be directly over the coffee table, or even the living room.

I’ve attached another photo showing the extended table part .. if it had seeped, it would have to seep through to the extended bit (which was not extended at the time) then seep down onto the lower shelf but the extending bit was bone dry ? :/

I have honestly tried to rationalise this in so many ways but the location just doesn’t make sense :/ and the fact that there was no water on the lid of the laptop or around the laptop. The laptop is totally broken now!
 

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Got home about an hour ago and no more water even though it’s rained heavily all through the night and this morning!

During heavy rain once, years ago, water started pouring from our upstairs ceiling next to the loft hatch. I assumed the roof was leaking so had a look but found nothing amiss. It never happened again. I still don't know what that was about.
 
During a heavy rainstorm it's possible for water to leak in through the roof and travel (e.g., run down an angled rafter) before dripping down into a room. In other words, the entry point in the roof needn't be directly over the coffee table, or even the living room.
Exactly this is happening in my garage. I need to get it fixed.
 
I’ve attached another photo showing the extended table part .. if it had seeped, it would have to seep through to the extended bit (which was not extended at the time) then seep down onto the lower shelf but the extending bit was bone dry ? :/
I have honestly tried to rationalise this in so many ways but the location just doesn’t make sense :/ and the fact that there was no water on the lid of the laptop or around the laptop. The laptop is totally broken now!

The most likely explanation is that the water from the table top bypassed the extension completely - most probably by running down one or more of the table's legs or perhaps seeping through and dripping only at one end (just beyond the extension's side edge).

You might try clearing the table (without moving it in the least) and placing a marble or ball on both the table top and the lower shelf to see if there's a lowest spot / area that correlates with the puddles' locations.
 
The most likely explanation is that the water from the table top bypassed the extension completely - most probably by running down one or more of the table's legs or perhaps seeping through and dripping only at one end (just beyond the extension's side edge).

You might try clearing the table (without moving it in the least) and placing a marble or ball on both the table top and the lower shelf to see if there's a lowest spot / area that correlates with the puddles' locations.


I have thought about this but if you look at the photo of the table top you will see that it didn't go anywhere near the edges, so it didn't go near the table legs. The puddle was (quite a deep one) in the middle of the table...
 
I have thought about this but if you look at the photo of the table top you will see that it didn't go anywhere near the edges, so it didn't go near the table legs. The puddle was (quite a deep one) in the middle of the table...

That was the puddle that remained when you discovered it - not the maximum puddle that had been on the table top that day.
 
Was the living room relatively cold during the day? It's possible to get significant condensation in a cool and very humid room - particularly on or around metallic objects (like the laptop). However, it appears to me there's too much residual water to have been condensation.
 
Was the living room relatively cold during the day? It's possible to get significant condensation in a cool and very humid room - particularly on or around metallic objects (like the laptop). However, it appears to me there's too much residual water to have been condensation.


No, we have the heating on at regular intervals through the day...
 
Ok, the only other options, next to a spook is that a sneaky cat from next door is getting in and peeing on things, or, you have rats who pee a lot
 
Just a theory on unexplained puddles.
Could it be an errant ice cube or piece of ice that has fallen from food being prepared and not noticed until it melts?
 
I wish but it was in the living room and it happened during the day while we were both at work :/ there was nothing there in the morning when we were leaving
 
Does the laptop still work?
 
A small amount of water looks incredibly significant when spread out on a wooden surface. It wouldn't take as much as you think to make a puddle in the middle of the table.

It may not have spilled out or ran down the edges of the table but may have seeped through the table, ran over the extension bit and droppe donto the bottom bit.

Is the bottom of the laptop perfectly flat - as in, was it flush with the wooden surface or does it have small rubber feet? A flush (or near flush smooth surface) would draw water from around it and then under it due to capillary action. So any water near it would be sucked up and naturally pooled under the laptop. Any remaining water would evaporate quickly.

I have two theories:

1. The table is quite close to a window. Was a window left open during the day or even was it open for a time while the storm blew? Water may have come in sideways to pool on the table top and the bottom shelf (but not the protected extension bit).

2. My other theory is similar to Enola's. A leak (is there a light fitting anywhere above the table's surface) caused water to pool on the table top and somehow find it's way down to the bottom shelf to be drawn under the laptop.

Have you moved the table to check for wet patches under the legs, around the carpet etc?
 
This reminds me of events that occurred when I was studying at York University. On two or three occasions I woke to find a puddle of water on my desk. There were no obvious signs of leakage, and the only source of water (pipes, sink etc.) was some distance away. These puddles occurred after a night of drinking sessions. I know what you're thinking: that I stumbled out of bed in the night and unable to get to the lavatory, I peed on the desk. But I hadn't drunk enough to forget doing this - and there was no other puddle in the room. It would have to be a bit of a detour as the lavatory was in a different direction to the desks. I dipped my finger in the puddles and did a taste test and they were water - not urine. I have no idea what happened and the weather was dry. Its not happened since.
 
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