Ceiling Leak — What to Do Right Now
A ceiling stain is water that has already tracked from somewhere else. Don't cut the ceiling yet — the source is almost always upstairs and we can usually find it without any downstairs damage.
Make it safe — before anything else
Watch for bulging plasterboard
A saturated ceiling can drop suddenly and dump every litre it's holding at once. If it's bulging, keep clear and warn everyone in the house.
Isolate the room above
Don't run the tap, use the shower, or flush the WC directly above the stain until we've traced it.
Kill downstairs lights near the stain
Water tracks along joists and can drop into a light rose. If the stain is near a downstairs light, trip that circuit at the fuse box.
Small controlled drain hole if it's bulging
A single small hole with a pot underneath drains it safely. Better than a collapsed ceiling — but only if you're comfortable, otherwise wait for us.
What Kevin (our AI) will check first
Message Kevin and he'll ask exactly these questions before we send an engineer, so we bring the right parts on the first van.
- Which room is directly above the stain?
- Is the stain new, or has it been growing for weeks?
- Is the water clean, brown (rusty central heating) or foul (waste)?
- Has the boiler been losing pressure or has the water bill jumped?
- Is the patch under a shower tray, a bath, a WC or a radiator?
Common causes of a ceiling leak
Failed shower / bath silicone
Water bypasses the tile edge or shower-tray seal and tracks along the joist to the ceiling below. The commonest cause we see.
WC pan or waste-pipe leak
Perished pan-to-soil seal or a leaking waste joint under the WC. The stain is often to one side of the room above, not directly under the pan.
Radiator or heating pipe leak
Rusty brown water on the ceiling = heating system. Usually a pinhole in a rad, a bad valve, or a leaking pipe joint under the floorboards.
Burst / weeping supply pipe
Copper mains or feed pipe under the floor. Small pinhole, big damage over weeks or months.
Roof or external leak (not plumbing)
If the stain is at the edge of the ceiling near an outside wall or under a flat roof, it may be roofing rather than plumbing. We'll tell you honestly and refer you on if that's the case.
Honest cost band — why we won't quote blind
Typical
£220 – £360 for trace-and-repair on a clear source (silicone, WC seal, accessible pipe)
Complex
Hidden under-floor leak with thermal / acoustic detection and lift-and-repair: £360 – £850.
The ceiling stain is downstream evidence, not the leak itself. £50 diagnostic gets you a written fixed price once we've actually found the source.
Fixed £50 diagnostic
Flat fee. No hourly meter running.
Fair quote or refund
Transparent pricing — refunded if we don't fix it.
Vetted UK engineers
DBS-checked, insured, real reviews.
AI-triaged in seconds
KJ chats first so the right engineer arrives.
Related emergencies
See all in the emergency plumbing hub — or the leaks & water damage hub.
Areas we cover for ceiling leak
Same-day across Greater Manchester and Rochdale.
Ceiling leak — FAQs
Dealing with a ceiling leak? Chat with Kevin now
Real triage in seconds. £50 diagnostic visit — refunded if we don't fix it.
Related hubs: emergency plumbing, leaks & water damage, all services.
Chat with Kevin about Ceiling leak