Lighting fixtures in my kitchen?
Question:my lighting fixtures in the kitchen are leaking some weird green liquid... i had a cover for one of the lights and it held some inside, i pulled it out and checked the wires and they look fine, what could be the problem?
Answers:
You didn't say whether these are flourescent or incandescent (light bulb) fixtures. If flouresecent, I'd guess it's oil leaking from an old ballast. But if they're incandescent, you've got a leak in the ceiling and you need to find it and fix it. If the liquid appears to be green colored water, my first guess is that your light fixture has a faux-brass finish, and the green is from the metal corroding. Another possibility - do you use those colored in-tank toilet freshener things? Could be this is colored water leaking from the toilet tank.
Despite Mark's comment about "what are the chances of leaking right into the light", this is exactly where you WOULD expect to see a leak (looking at some of his answers, I really have to wonder about his claim of being a 20yr Master Electrician). Water flows to the lowest point, and in your kitchen ceiling, that lowest point is the hole into the light fixture. I've walked into places where a bathroom leak upstairs has turned the light fixture globes below into fishbowls.
If you've got attic access above the kitchen, crawl up there and start looking for the source of the leak. If you don't have attic access-- first, starting by closely examining all water sources upstairs, checking the toilet tank and all the supply lines for signs of leaking. If you can't find an obvious source upstairs, you're going to have to open up the ceiling to access it from below (on the up side, there's a good chance you're going to have to open the ceiling to replace damaged drywall anyway).
It's quite possible that the source of the leak is nowhere near the light fixtures. If you don't see a puddle (or staining) on the ceiling surface between the joists, starting looking for paths that the liquid could be following to getting to the area -- either along a framing member (look at the underside of the rafters above the area, or along a pipe, conduit or cable.
You have a leak and the leak is causing corrosion somewhere and collecting in the fixtures. It could be a small leak from the roof or from water pipes. I'd guess a leak in the roof. Corroded metal is green.
I would have to agree a roof leak better get it fixed fast what is the chance leaking right into a light fixture go figure
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