3 Most Common Ceiling Leaks 

It’s no fun when you have water leaking through your ceiling. Other than clogged drains it’s probably one of our most frequent calls. We can usually hear the anxiety in the callers’ voice. With a ceiling leak there’s a lot of unknowns. Whats causing the leak? Where is it coming from? Is it a drain or a water line? Is something about to burst and flood our living room? Let’s look at the 3 most common causes of ceiling leaks, what to do first if you have a ceiling leak, and finally, what to expect when a plumber comes out. 

3 Most Common Plumbing Related Ceiling Leaks 

Shower Drains

This is the least common of all three. This leak usually happens on fiberglass shower-only units. The leak happens at the drain assembly usually because the nut holding the pipe and gasket together has loosened up. Or, on shower drains that are 100% plastic we also see the flange cracks due to stress. Usually, the fix involves cutting a small section of ceiling out, replacing the drain assembly, rebuilding the trap. 

Tub Shower Walls or Overflow 

These are the second most common leaks we see. On tub or tub showers with tile walls (and especially shower doors) we find water is leaking through the tile, near the bottom and usually the corner nearest the faucet and closest to the outside of the tub or tub shower. Another common leak point is tub overflows. These are the round plates near the top of the tub that prevent the tub from being filled up too high and “overflowing” the tub. The problem is that there’s a gasket in there that goes bad over time. All it takes is the water to run up too high to where it goes into that overflow and then the water can drip down the back side of the tub and through the ceiling. The bad news on the tile leaks is that the solution usually involves tearing out the tile and starting over from scratch. It is possible to re-grout tile but that is not a good long-term solution. For bad tub overflow gaskets the fix is much simpler. That repair involves going through the access panel to replace the overflow gasket or tub drain assembly. 

Toilet Drains

By far, this is the most common ceiling leak fix. 90% of the time the leak is caused by a faulty wax ring. Toilets mount to the drain by way of a toilet flange. And the seal between the toilet and the flange is made by a wax ring. Over time the wax ring can fail due to drying out. It can also fail if there is movement when someone sits on the toilet. Another culprit can be a rusted out flange or damaged flange. The good news is that the wax ring and rusted out flanges can be replaced.

What To Do First If You Have A Ceiling Leak 

When you first notice a ceiling leak it may be a good idea to shut the water off to the house using your main water turn-off valve. Because, initially, you may not know if the leak is on the drain side or supply side of your plumbing system. And if it’s the supply side you don’t want to risk a complete break and flood. If it’s the drain side you’ll be able to keep the house water on, knowing that the leak won’t continue unless you continue using the plumbing in the area above the leak. 

What To Expect When The Plumber Arrives

Ceiling leaks can be tense so the plumber will: 1.) Visually assess the situation by looking at the affected area and then checking out the location of the plumbing upstairs. Many times they can diagnose the issue just based off the visual assessment. If needed (and with your approval) they may 2.) set up work area protection and cut a small inspection hole in the ceiling.  Finally, they will 3.) continue their diagnosis by running the faucets, sinks, and toilet, paying special attention to the order in which they test each fixture so they can rule out certain things.

Once the cause is identified the plumber will provide any options available for repair. Sometimes it’s just Jr. splashing around in the tub, making a mess. Sometimes we find the tiled shower is passed it’s useful life and needs to be replaced. Either way, the plumbers goal is to explain the issue, the options for repair, the pro’s and con’s of each, and then complete the work.