Water Leaking Through the Ceiling: What to Do First

If water is leaking through the ceiling, deal with electricity first: keep away from light fittings and switches near the water, and switch off the power at the consumer unit if you can reach it without touching anything wet. Then turn off the water at the stopcock, switch off the boiler and any immersion heater, and catch the water while you find the source. A leak that is coming through a light fitting or making the ceiling bulge is an emergency and needs a plumber, and possibly an electrician, straight away.

Most ceiling leaks come from the room directly above or from pipework running in the floor void between. Here is a clear order of actions for the first ten minutes, then how to find the cause and what to do afterwards.

Water leaking through the ceiling: the first ten minutes

1. Keep everyone away from the wet area, especially children and pets, and anyone standing under a sagging section of ceiling.
2. Make the electrics safe. Do not use light switches in the affected room. If you can reach your consumer unit (fuse box) without touching anything wet and you are standing on a dry floor, switch off the main switch or the circuit for that area. If the consumer unit itself is wet, leave it alone, leave the area and call an electrician.
3. Turn off the water at the stopcock. It is usually under the kitchen sink, but can be in a utility room, downstairs toilet, garage or under the stairs, near where the supply enters the home. Our guide to finding and testing your stopcock shows where to look.
4. Switch off the boiler and immersion heater. This stops them heating with no water flowing and stops a heating leak being topped up.
5. Open the cold taps in the kitchen and bathrooms and flush toilets to drain water out of the pipes, reducing what can escape.
6. Catch the water with buckets and towels, and move furniture, rugs and electrical items out of the way.
7. Call a plumber. For an active leak, use an emergency plumber.

The South Staffs Water winter factsheet recommends exactly this approach for a burst: shut the internal stop tap, open the cold taps and flush toilets to drain the system, and switch off central heating and water heating appliances. It also advises keeping hot taps closed if the hot water system might be frozen.

Water coming through a light fitting

Water coming through a light fitting is the most dangerous version of a ceiling leak. The water has found the cable route, which means it is in contact with live wiring unless the circuit is off.

• Do not touch the fitting or switch, and do not try to remove the bulb.
• Turn off the lighting circuit or the main switch at the consumer unit only if you can do so safely and dry.
• Do not turn that circuit back on until an electrician has checked it, even after the leak has stopped and things look dry.

If you are unsure, assume it is live and stay clear.

Bulging ceiling water: what to do

A ceiling that is sagging or bulging is holding a pool of water on top of the plasterboard. Plasterboard loses strength when soaked and can give way suddenly, bringing a lot of water and debris down at once.

• Keep everyone out from underneath it.
• Make sure the water supply is off so the bulge stops growing.
• Place a large bucket or container underneath and cover the floor.
• Get a plumber or builder to deal with it. Professionals sometimes make a small controlled hole at the lowest point to drain the water into a bucket, but this should only be done well away from light fittings and cables, with the electrics off, and by someone who knows what is above.

Do not climb a ladder under a bulging ceiling.

Where is the water coming from?

Once the supply is off and the area is safe, think about what is above the leak. This helps the plumber and tells you whether the stopcock alone will stop it.

When the leak is from the heating system

If your combi or system boiler’s pressure gauge is dropping and the water is discoloured or dark, the leak may be on the central heating circuit. Switching off the boiler stops it running dry. Do not repressurise it until the leak is found and fixed, or you will simply feed more water through the ceiling. If water is also dripping from the boiler itself, see our guide to water leaking from a boiler. Only a Gas Safe registered engineer should open the boiler casing.

Tank-fed systems in older houses

Many older homes in Stoke-on-Trent and the surrounding towns still have a cold water storage tank in the loft feeding the bathroom and hot water cylinder. The main stopcock stops the tank refilling, but the water already in it can keep flowing. Turning off the outlet valve on the tank, or opening the bathroom cold taps to drain the tank faster, reduces how much escapes. Our loft cold water tank guide explains how these systems work.

Emergency ceiling leak: when to call who

• Emergency plumber: for any active leak from pipes, tanks, cylinders, fittings or the heating system.
• Electrician: if water has reached light fittings, sockets, switches or the consumer unit, or a circuit keeps tripping.
• Roofer: if the leak only happens in rain.
• Your water company: only for problems on their side of the property boundary. Severn Trent says anything inside your property boundary is the homeowner’s responsibility.
• Your insurer: once the leak is under control.

If you smell gas at any point, for example because water has affected a gas appliance, leave the property and call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999.

After the leak: drying out, insurance and repairs

Once the plumber has fixed the source:

• Photograph everything, including the ceiling, stains, damaged belongings and the repaired pipe, before you throw anything away.
• Contact your insurer early. Many buildings policies include escape of water cover and some include trace and access cover for finding hidden leaks, but policies vary.
• Let it dry properly. Ceilings and joists can take weeks to dry. Ventilate the room and use dehumidifiers where possible. Repainting too soon can trap moisture and lead to mould.
• Get the electrics checked before using any circuit that was affected.
• Watch for signs of further leaks, such as new stains, a musty smell or rising water bills. Our guide to signs of a hidden water leak explains what to look for.

If the leak came from a frozen pipe, read our burst pipe guide to stop it happening again.

Need an emergency plumber now?

If water is coming through your ceiling in Stoke-on-Trent, Newcastle-under-Lyme or the surrounding area, turn off the water and electrics as above, then call our emergency plumber in Stoke-on-Trent. Our engineers can trace the leak, repair pipework and fittings, and check your boiler and heating system if they were involved. For non-urgent follow-up work, contact Gasmaster to book a visit.

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