How do you find the leak

sjh

After seeing water dripping down a wall in the basement, and down the wall above it, when it hadn't rained, I eventually discovered water pooling underneath a radiator on the 2nd floor. I don't see what or where the leak is coming from though. There doesn't seem to be any leaking coming from above it. I'd like to know how to find the leak, so I can then determine whether it's something I might be able to fix, or whether I should call a plumber. For all I know, the leak could even be coming from elsewhere, even though it looks like that radiator area is the source of the leak. Could be a pipe, could be the radiator is cracked, could be a pipe that I don't know is there behind the wall behind the radiator doing this, could be something else, IDK. I attempted to unscrew the one bolt on the radiator but was unable to get a grip on it with a wrench - it's not in the most accessible spot.

neilc

ya gotta look harder,

a good flashlight, dry up what you have with paper towels or a rag, use paper towels or toilet tissue and pat the bottom of the rad, the end connections, and observe the tissue after each pat,

post a picture of your puddle, where does it show once you dry up as above?

hot_rod

Typically the leak is above the puddle, unless water is spraying up somehow?

mattmia2

wipe it up and put a pan under various places and see if it ends up in the pan

mikedo

i got my but kicked by a intermitent copper pin hole spraying up.

EBEBRATT-Ed

@sjh what bolt are you trying to loosen.

mattmia2

and like @EBEBRATT-Ed said, don't start randomly unscrewing things.