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Original poster

Brown stains suddenly appearing on ceiling

28 replies

Tiggyyy · 14/01/2021 10:53

Hi, I wonder if anyone can help.

Today I just noticed brown water stains on the ceiling below our shower. They've appeared very suddenly and the area is completely bone dry.

We can't find any cause for leakage in the shower, but we've only lived in the house for 2.5 years so could they be old stains? What would cause them to suddenly appear?

It's also worth mentioning that previously the ceiling was covered in textured ceiling paper - one of the first things we did when we moved in was to remove this and get the ceiling replastered and painted. Is there any chance that the leak is current if the ceiling is completely dry?

Thank you

OP posts:

dementedpixie · 14/01/2021 10:55

Was there no stain when you removed the ceiling paper? Might need a stain covering product as stains can come back through normal paint

Therealone · 14/01/2021 10:56

We had similar, turned out to be a tiny leak in our shower sealant that was leaking then drying out over a long period of time.

Original poster

Tiggyyy · 14/01/2021 12:57

Thanks so much for the replies. We didn't notice the stain when the paper was removed, but I do know that sometimes stains can take years to come through.

I'm really hoping it's not a current leak - it doesn't seem to be wet under the bath, but I'm wondering whether there's some problem with the pipework which is encased behind tiling and we wouldn't be able to get to without presumably ripping off all the tiles!

OP posts:

joystir59 · 14/01/2021 13:07

It will be a tiny leak

Jaypreen · 14/01/2021 13:09

If it looks like someone has spilt coffee, then you've a leak.

If it's a transparent patch like BO on the underarm of a tight shirt, it's condensation.

Jaypreen · 14/01/2021 13:12

Is there's a shower, sink or bath above? Check the waste pipes before you go ripping stuff off of walls to expose pipes,,

It could be that one of them may just need tightening a bit. We had this problem recently.

Original poster

Tiggyyy · 14/01/2021 13:18

Yeah it's definitely a leak isn't it. Was hoping that if it was dry it might mean it's an old one

I think we'll need to get a plumber to take a look - unfortunately it's the type of shower where the pipework is all behind the wall.

OP posts:

dementedpixie · 14/01/2021 13:22

Is it a shower over the bath? Can you take the bath panel off to see the waste pipework?

Snowrabbit · 14/01/2021 13:43

I had this a few years ago. Shower plumbing also behind wall. If you have a shower over bath, as demented pixie said, get the bath panel out to see what you can. Call your home insurance company and they will send someone out to identify what is going on. My insurance ended up paying a big chunk, but not all as there were two leaks - one in waste pipe and one behind shower. The leaking waste wipe was covered but the issue behind shower wasn't as it was due to installation issues. Get it checked out and if you can, persist with insurance company to get them to properly identity source of leak. My insurance company initially said no as they thought the main part of problem was from the shower installation which isn't covered, but when I pushed them on the fact part of it was potentially insurable (waste pipe), they gave in and paid a load. My basic home insurance policy had some kind of tracing of water leaks protection included in it, but I think that's very expensive for insurance companies as they have to thoroughly check all pipes etc. In the end, I think mine just decided to pay out as it was cheaper doing that than doing the leak tracing. So they paid about half. Think total cost of everything was about £1500, but that included retiling the shower area as it all had to come out. I have now a shower which won't ever require that wall to be knocked in again!

Original poster

Tiggyyy · 14/01/2021 14:03

Yes it is a shower over the bath but unfortunately all the pipework is behind a tiled wall. I've contacted a plumber - just hope we've caught it early so not too much damage!

OP posts:

Original poster

Tiggyyy · 14/01/2021 14:07

Eek @snowrabbit just seen your message- insurance company might be a good call!

OP posts:

cabbageking · 14/01/2021 14:14

Possibly small long time drip leak that has penetrated floorboards and now finding lease area of resistance. Turning down heating often reveals this type of leak.track the pipes and feel the floorboards.

ChristopherTracy · 14/01/2021 14:15

We had this too recently. After it was all sorted I swapped the shower for one where the pipework wasnt all behind the wall!

troppibambini6 · 14/01/2021 14:26

This happened to us over the summer. Turned out we had a leak that had been slowly dripping away under the tiles in bath for god knows how long plumber advised an insurance claim as everything needed ripping out.
It's till on going now, it happened at the end of July. But a lot of the delay has been down to backlog due to COVID.

GlowingOrb · 14/01/2021 14:35

Ours was just the caulking wearing out, not a proper pipe leak. But moisture was getting through the tiles. Thankfully it was an easy fix.

Original poster

Tiggyyy · 14/01/2021 14:35

Oh god, I really hope it doesn't all need ripping out - we only have one!

OP posts:

PigletJohn · 14/01/2021 20:47

On a bit of a diversion, I think there's a lot to be said for shower pipes exposed on the wall (you can get chromed ones) and an exposed mixer.

A leak is easy to spot and repair, and no need to dig out the wall and break the tiles.

Sorry.

Original poster

Tiggyyy · 14/01/2021 20:57

Yep absolutely, I'd never have chosen enclosed pipes - we inherited them!

OP posts:

BananaPie · 14/01/2021 21:01

I had this recently. It was the sealant around the shower. Took a few inexpert goes with the sealant to make it watertight.

goingtotown · 14/01/2021 21:16

Put a moisture detector on the patches.

NancyDrew1966 · 15/01/2021 08:44

Same as so many others....tiny leak from a pipe at the back of the toilet caused huge stain on dining room ceiling below, also developed some mould and mushroom growth all happened quickly but suspect the leak had been there for ages.
Called my insurance co who sent out a plumber (have homeserve). Eventually after several visits he managed to mend it. Stain has now dried out but we are awaiting fairly major work to sort it out - redecorate dining room, possibly replace ceiling, check joists are ok and put new flooring down in bathroom.

NoParticularPattern · 15/01/2021 08:51

We’ve had a couple of tiny pin hole size leaks that have done the same on various ceilings- it’s the reason we put our new shower backing in to a cupboard so that we could still get to the pipes without having to start ripping tiles off and things. Plumber will find it easy enough I reckon but fixing it might require some creative tiling if it’s all hidden and not accessible!

Original poster

Tiggyyy · 15/01/2021 13:41

Thanks to everyone who has replied. Is it best to just go straight to house insurance for this kind of thing, or get an independent plumber to try and find the source of the leak first? I've never claimed on my house insurance before, and don't want to increase my premium unnecessarily.

OP posts:

PigletJohn · 15/01/2021 18:21

if it's brown and sudden, I'd think a leak, or a tap left running unattended causing an overflow.

A tiny leak is more likely to show as wet and mould.

I believe the brown comes from dirt on the wooden joists but have never verified that.

PigletJohn · 15/01/2021 18:22

I think I'd start with a plumber. Insurance may pay for redecoration and repair of damage caused by the leak, but not for repairing the leak.

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