Leak Stumper

Situation:

Main floor with Daylight basement. Main floor has two bathrooms, basement has one. Regardless of which shower I use (main or basement) after I take a shower I hear a leak – drip, drip, drip, coming between the basement ceiling and main flooring. The only items that are in this area is a line that connects to the master water line and goes to an outside faucet – and one other line that T’s into it, that ‘may’ go to the downstairs basement bathroom, but not positive – and from what I recall the T line wasn’t in the area I hear the leak from.

The ONLY time I hear this is AFTER taking a shower – which to a layperson such as me does NOT make sense, because water would always be in any pipe – and I only hear it after a shower. Can a leak sometimes only occur after some type of a pressure change – and otherwise not leak??? I’m truly stumped by this…..

Here were my thoughts:
1. Master bath shower floor (tile) was having issues, or leak at showerhead behind tile – but again, occurs in any of the showers – so it doesn’t make sense either.
2. Doesn’t occur if you just use sinks, toilets, etc. – only after a shower.

This is driving me to drink more…..please let me know what it might me, things to try, etc.!

Thank you all for reading and hopefully providing an answer!

David

It could be the sound of your pipes expanding and contracting from within the walls since you hear it after the hot water pipes are warm.

Thanks Havasu - but it is definitely a drip, drip, drip onto the top of the sheetrock - different from the click, click, click you get from a hot water pipe, or heating/cooling duct......plus I should mention in that space I have a squirrel (and babies in there) - and the other morning I could hear them around that area and the rhythm would change - as if they were 'under the drip' (could hear them moving) it would be say every 4 secs and then jump longer.....then back to every 4 secs.....and yes, I have someone coming out to take care of that little problem as the babies are starting to venture out.....sigh.......that is another story for another day!

Thanks again!

Also I should mention that in that area we replaced with copper pipe with PEX - so other than the T coming off of it, it is PEX from the hookup by the shower to the outside faucet.....and so I don't think the PEX in that area would creak on the hot water pipe.....