Plumbing tips · October 20, 2026
A stain creeping across the ceiling
A brown ring on the ceiling that gets a little bigger every week is water getting in from above. Paint will hide it for a while. It will not stop it.
What the stain is telling you
Water soaks into the drywall and carries dirt and minerals with it. When it dries it leaves a brown edge, so a ring with several edges has been wet more than once. A spot that is soft, sagging or still damp to the touch is wet right now.
Under a bathroom
The usual sources are a toilet seal that has stopped sealing, a shower or tub drain leaking at the joint, a cracked supply line, or grout and caulk that lets water through around a shower. A stain that grows after somebody showers or flushes points straight at that bathroom.
Under an attic
It can be the roof, but it can also be a water heater in the attic, a water line running through it, or an AC condensate drain that has clogged and spilled over its pan. A stain that shows up when it has not rained is rarely the roof.
What to do now
If it sits under a bathroom, turn off the water to that toilet or stop using that shower until it is checked. If the ceiling is sagging, keep people out from under it and put a bucket down. Have the source traced before the drywall gives and before mould has time to start.
Questions we get asked
Can I just paint over a water stain?
Only once the leak is fixed and the drywall is dry. Paint over an active leak and the stain comes back, and the wet board behind it keeps getting worse where you cannot see it.How do I know if it is plumbing or the roof?
Timing is the best clue. A stain that grows after rain points at the roof. One that grows after showers, flushing or with the AC running points at plumbing or the condensate drain.Is a ceiling leak an emergency?
A dry old stain can wait a few days for a look. A ceiling that is dripping, soft or sagging cannot. Shut the water off and get it checked that day.Plumbing questions we answer
Where we go
Parker, Wise and Tarrant County, out of the shop in Springtown. Springtown, Weatherford, Azle, Boyd, Decatur, Newark, Millsap, Fort Worth and the country in between.
Call 817-487-8866