6
Barring very unusual circumstances, they are more likely to shrink from the "as installed" state than expand from it.
If they do expand, the small and sloped contact area works in your favor.
6
After fixing the leak, you might want to try bleach. I had luck with 25 percent bleach in water. I put a sponge, saturated with the solution, in a plastic tray and pressed it up onto the ceiling. The stain returned in a few months and so I did it again...it is now gone. You could try a small test area to see if it will work.
Bleach is nasty stuff. Take ...
5
Based on the picture that was posted in a comment (then added to the original question). It looks like this was a poorly done patch.
At some point in the past, someone had to remove a portion of the ceiling drywall. Possibly to repair a leaking pipe, to repair a water leak from outside, or some other reason. When the person (a lazy contractor, or a previous ...
2
The box up there is similar to the one below.
If you have attic access, you can remove the old box and replace it fairly easy.
If you don't have access, then you'll have to cut the tabs the nails are in so you can remove the box. Be very careful not to cut the wires going into the box. A keyhole saw or hack saw blade with a handle works great. Once the box ...
2
Ecnerwal is spot on.
While you figure out how to fix this poke a few holes through the ceiling and place a bucket underneath so the water can get through. It may seem worse initially but remember the water has to go somewhere. If it isn't coming through the ceiling then it's soaking into the drywall and insulation and the extra weight might bring the entire ...
2
AFTER FIXING THE LEAK is how this starts, but at a glance, that looks worse than a bit of bleach.
You probably have wet insulation that needs to be dried or replaced. You can find out for sure by cutting a small (8"x8") exploratory hole in the midst of the big stain.
If by some miracle, you don't have wet insulation, you now need to establish that ...
1
Those are not studs, they are joists and carry dead/live loads of the closet floor, any walls resting on it and that transfer loads, foot of any attic stairs etc..
You also have to check what's loading the double rim joist there. What exactely is resting on it?
Even if the load is minimal, supporting the joists will also prevent any temporary deformation ...
1
Search for ceiling fan joist hangers - sound like that would be perfect for what you need.
1
No, you would need to reframe the ceiling with timbers that are continuous and rated to bear the load of a ceiling, rather than simple rafter ties.
Timbers that are butted together like that are in tension - their job is to stop the roof from spreading outwards. Adding the weight of quite a significant amount of drywall underneath would make them sag ...
1
Somebody else worried about the leaks and this is the results of someone fixing them in all probability. With limited access to the attic, you would have to cut an access area out to get to the problem and fix it. It looks like they used thicker drywall to repair the ceiling than what was there before. It's a shame they didn't do it right because the ...
1
The green arrow shows the direction to turn to close it.
The purple arrow shows the packing nut discussed in the comments.
I'm not sure what you mean about North, South, etc but if this thing is installed in the ceiling with the red handle pointing up, you could stand directly below it, reach up and over it with your hand to grab it from above, then turn ...
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