Shower leak
A shower can leak from its seals, the screen, the tray, the waste under it or the pipes behind the tiles. Test them one at a time and the leak gives itself away.
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Stain on the ceiling below the shower?
Only run the shower for the tests below until you have found the leak. If the ceiling bulges or water is near a light, keep out of that room, and switch off at the fuse box if it is safe and dry where you stand.
Where a shower leaks from
The numbers match the drawing.
| Part | What goes wrong | Who fixes it |
|---|---|---|
| 1Seals where the tray or bath meets the wall | Silicone splits or peels and grout cracks, so water gets behind the tiles and under the tray edge. | You or a bathroom fitter |
| 2The screen or door | Worn seals or a badly set screen let water run out onto the floor. | You or a bathroom fitter |
| 3The waste under the tray | The joint under the plughole or the trap below it leaks every time water drains. | Plumber |
| 4Pipes behind the tiles | A joint on the hot or cold feed to the shower valve leaks inside the wall, whether the shower is on or off. | Leak detection, then a plumber |
How to find a shower leak
Leave the stain to dry out first if you can, or mark its edge in pencil so you can see it grow. Do one test, wait, check below, then move on.
- The waste
Pour a few jugs of water straight down the plughole without splashing the tray or the walls. If the stain grows, it is the waste.
- The tray
Block the plughole, put a little water in the tray, and leave it for about an hour. A leak below with the waste blocked points to a cracked tray or its seal.
- The seals and tiles
With the plug out, spray the shower head at the corners and the join between tray and wall only. Then at the tiled walls only.
- The screen
Spray along the screen or door while it is shut, the way water hits it when you shower.
- The pipes
If none of these wet the ceiling but the stain still grows, leave the shower off for a day. Growth with no use points to the supply pipes.
Why the order matters
Each test wets only one part. Start with the ones you can do without mess, and do not spray everything at once, or you will not know which part let the water through.
Shower leaking through the ceiling
Water under a shower tray runs along joists and pipes before it drips, so the stain below is not always directly under the shower. When a stain appears after showers, the seals and the waste are the usual suspects. When it grows with the shower off, suspect the pipes that feed it.
If you live in a flat and the stain is on your ceiling, the shower above is your neighbour's. Tell them and the managing agent.
Who fixes a shower leak
Resealing and screen seals are often DIY. A leaking waste or tray needs a plumber or bathroom fitter because the tray usually has to come out. A leak on the pipes in the wall needs finding first, so that only the right tiles come off.
Stain grows with the shower off?
If the ceiling below keeps getting wetter when nobody has used the shower, the leak is on a pipe behind the tiles or under the floor. ADI traces it and marks the leak on site before any repair is discussed.
- 25 leak investigation engineers, around 5,000 jobs a year across England, Scotland and Wales
- A fixed price quoted before you book, and a written report you can give your insurer
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ADI figures as of September 2026, from ADI's About page. Trustpilot rating read 28 September 2026.
Shower leak questions
What should I do when my shower is leaking?
Use it only for the tests until you know where the water gets out, and look at the ceiling below for a stain. Then test one part at a time, starting with the easiest: the seals, the screen, the tray and the waste. Each test takes a few minutes and needs only a jug or the shower head.
How expensive is it to fix a shower leak?
Resealing is cheap and often DIY. A leaking waste or a cracked tray means lifting the tray, which costs more because tiles and seals have to be redone. A leak on the pipes behind the tiles costs the most if the wall is opened blind, which is why finding the exact spot first saves money.
This site does not publish prices.
What should I do if my shower leaks through the ceiling?
Only run the shower for the tests. If the ceiling is bulging or water is near a light fitting, keep out of the room below, and switch off at the fuse box if it is safe and dry where you stand. Then run the tests on this page to find whether the water comes from the seals, the tray, the waste or the pipes. A stain that grows with the shower off points at a supply pipe.
Why is my shower leaking from underneath?
Usually the waste: the joint between the tray and the trap under it, or the trap itself. A tray that flexes when you stand on it can crack or break its seal as well. Pour water straight down the plughole without wetting the tray: if the leak appears, it is the waste.