Hidden Wall & Ceiling Leak Repair in Toronto

Signs you need wall leak repair

• A brown ring on the ceiling under a bathroom or kitchen
• Bubbling paint or soft drywall near a fixture
• Baseboards swelling or floor tiles lifting
• A musty smell inside a closet that backs onto a bathroom
• The water meter turns with every fixture off

What causes it in older Toronto homes

In older houses the leak is often not a pipe at all. Failed grout and caulk around a tub, a shower door sweep, a loose overflow gasket or a worn toilet wax ring account for many ceiling stains. When it is a pipe, it is often a corroded galvanized nipple behind a shower valve, a cast-iron drain cracked along its seam, or a lead bend under a toilet that has finally split.

What we do on site, in order

1. We run each fixture above the stain in turn, from the tub tap to the shower head to the overflow, to see which one makes the stain grow.
2. We use a moisture meter and, when it helps, a thermal camera to narrow down the wet area.
3. We open the smallest practical hole, usually in the ceiling below where patching is easiest, or through an access panel.
4. We repair the cause, not just the drip, and leave the opening clean and dry for your drywaller.

What affects the price

Finding the leak is often the bigger part of the job. Accessible leaks under a tub panel are quick; leaks inside a tiled shower wall may mean removing tile. We tell you what we have found and what it will cost to fix before opening any finished surface.

When to call right away

Call right away if water is dripping through a light fixture, a ceiling is sagging, or the stain is growing while nothing is running. Close the main shut-off if you cannot find the source.

The job, in four moves

1. 1
   Trace the run

   Pipe followed from the meter, material identified at each change.

2. 2
   Isolate the section

   Nearest valve closed, line drained at the lowest tap.

3. 3
   Cut and replace

   Copper or PEX run in, transitions made with proper fittings.

4. 4
   Gauge it

   Pressure gauge on a hose bib, joints watched before walls close.

Common questions