leak in ceiling

[mutley racers]

If you get called to a clients house and they have a big water mark on the ceiling below the bathroom, do you just cut a hole in the ceiling and inspect?

 

[Rickster123]

Is all the pipework boxed in? I'd be looking upstairs first before chopping holes.

 

[Chalked]

Called to a damp ceiling a few months back, was under the shower. Had a quick look around mixer and any water staining outside.
so cut a section of ceiling out only to find the 3" waste fitting was loose!! Didn't check that!! Would have been a two minute job, but now to put the ceiling back together.

 

[mutley racers]

Is all the pipework boxed in? I'd be looking upstairs first before chopping holes.

Yep all boxed and tiled. Everything. And it is in between two bathrooms

 

[mutley racers]

Funny thing is, I went there 6 weeks ago and found water.staing under the bath where one of those flexible shower heads sit. Turned bath on and it started leaking from the washer. Told think that might be it so see how that goes before I cut into ceiling. She drew a pencil mark around the water mark on the ceiling and said it was all drying out. She goes on holiday for 2 weeks and notices it's got worse!!!

 

[Rickster123]

It's got worse with no water running during the two weeks she's been away?

 

[mutley racers]

It's got worse with no water running during the two weeks she's been away?

Apparently so

 

[bigads28]

Something died maybe! :6:

 

[plumben]

If theres no access in the bathroom the jab saws coming out

Your best replacing wet plasterboard anyways and its not too much ££ to get it skimmed

 

[PlumbersMate]

First thing I check is grout lines and seals around tray, I'd say 90% of the ones I've been to were from leaking seals or cracks in tile grout?but failing that then yes pad saw out and access hatch cut in ceiling. Had one though where I cut the hole, and the actual leak was about 2m away and the water was just finding it's easiest route

 

[stevetheplumber]

I always check realy well from above before cutting ceilings as its usually seals or grout ,one thats often missed is in corners of shower screens just dribbles down the side of the bath
you can often find it with a torch as the limescale shows up then its bath panel of run shower around edges of bath and check the walls below for stains
showers i start with water\ straight down the waste with a hose or screw a spare shower hose on to existing then i run it in the tray then over the sides

 

[townfanjon]

Couldn't agree more than with Steve and PM above

 

[Neil K]

If is as you describe then yes cut a hole in the ceiling, it'll be easier to identify and fix the problem, better off putting new plasterboard up and skimming again once it's fixed

 

[mfgs]

As the others have said, normally its silicone or grout that has gone. However if they have been away for two weeks and it has got worse then that may not be the case. Check all the sealing and anything visible before cutting a hole in the ceiling. The last one I had turned out to the pipes coming out the floor for the towel rail weren't sealed to the tiles under the pipe covers and the wet towels were dripping down and getting through the gap.

 

[mutley racers]

As the others have said, normally its silicone or grout that has gone. However if they have been away for two weeks and it has got worse then that may not be the case. Check all the sealing and anything visible before cutting a hole in the ceiling. The last one I had turned out to the pipes coming out the floor for the towel rail weren't sealed to the tiles under the pipe covers and the wet towels were dripping down and getting through the gap.

That must have been a bugger to find

 

[Chris F]

First thing I do is get the bath panel off or shower plinth and have a look. Use some blue roll and stick it under the waste and run a tap. Any drips on my blue roll and it's the waste. Went to one the other day and it was the discharge from an unvented cylinder was not connected under the bath.

 

[hammers4spanner]

Just rip it to bits then get her to claim off insurance then come back at double your rate to do repairs courtesy of the insurer

 

[rocketmanbkk]

I got one tomorrow (£80 call out) I'll look under bath first!

 

[Ermintrude]

Look at floor and the wall around bath before u start

 

[Radioman]

No ones mentioned the shower valve. Feed pipes to concealed valve inside wall. Leaks getting worse when system not in use is also I sign of supplies to water storage as steady increase of mains pressure whilst system not in use. Bet she didn't turn stopcock off when she went away! Or she left teenager home alone who had two's up's in the bath!

 

[brum]

I had one this week thought it was feeds to concealed valve turned out to be connection into wall elbow outlet not taped and fitted loose. taped it up refitted voila..brum

 

[REDSAW]

i stick my camera in from unerneath then tell them to fill hole

 

[stevetheplumber]

we once had a wet patch problem in a bank every morning the carpet was wet no sign of anything above or below turned out the cleaner had a leaky bucket which she left on the carpet while she mopped the stairs every morning

 

[Steve ski]

ahem Yes had one last week student rental, water dripping through smoke alarm etc, upstairs to bathroom bathpanel off, shock horror aqua panel installed as flooring covered in tiles ffs????. Low level shower tray and no choice but to cut into ceiling below, shock horror where are the pipes and wiring ??? , ohhh in the original ceiling 6inches above, fibreboard bulging like king henrys waistline??
the leak was on the connection to the shower buried in the wall (more aquapanel ) the numptie who fitted it had used an angled tap connector to a 15mm mech 90 elbow ???. spent rest of the day removing soaked fibre board what a joy, I know its a job but some so called plumbers just make me despair ?

 

[JCplumb]

I had one a couple of weeks back, tiled floor and low level shower tray so it was obvious that the waste was under floorboards. measured up and hacked through the downstairs ceiling to find a bath waste on the shower that had failed.
It was a waste for a bath with overflow slots in it where the slots had been ingeniously sealed by inserting a piece of glued up solvent waste up there. (was a perfect fit) It had held for 10 years, so I just replaced the offending part with a bath waste without slots. Would have preferred a proper shower waste in there but this was like for like and made it a 2 minute job once I had sourced the unslotted waste.