Everything You Need to Know About Bathtub Leaks

9/2/2022 (Permalink)

A leak can lead to more than just a discolored and damaged ceiling

If you notice a damp spot on your ceiling, it usually signifies a leak. Depending on your home, the source of the leak could be your roof or plumbing in one of the upstairs rooms.

Plumbing leaks often originate in bathrooms—and the chances are good that a water-damaged ceiling is the result of a leaky bathtub or pipe.

Read on to learn everything you need to know about addressing a bathroom or bathtub leak to prevent further damage to your home.

Determining the Cause of Your Bathroom Leak

The first step to addressing a leak is pinpointing its origin point. A bathtub leak is likely to blame when a downstairs ceiling is leaking from an upstairs bathroom. Bathtub leaks usually originate with the drain, the overflow drain, or a bathtub crack.

Once you’ve addressed the source of the damage, it’s critical that you 1) hire a licensed plumber and 2) hire SERVPRO of Kendall County.

The three most common sources of bathtub leaks are:

• Bathtub Drain Leak: A leaky bathtub drain is a common cause of bathroom water damage. This type of leak occurs when the drain and attached lines beneath your tub may weaken, causing the seals to fail or cracks to form. This drip, even if slow, will result in water damage to the infrastructure below the tub area.

• Bathtub Overflow Drain Leak: Every tub is equipped with an overflow drain to preemptively stop a tub from overflowing into your bathroom. Unfortunately, as tubs age, this overflow drain may crack, break, or leak. Most likely it is the drain gasket. Like a drain leak, a bathtub overflow drain that is leaking may cause damage to your home.

• Bathtub Crack Leak: Perhaps the leak isn’t from the pipes at all. Bathtub leaks can be from discrete hairline fractures in the body of the tub itself. This type of leak can be easily missed. To determine if a crack in the bathtub is the source of your leak, fill the tub with water. Allow the water to be still and look for areas that pull the water. Those small currents are flowing to your bathtub crack.