Water's coming through the ceiling: what to do first

If water is coming into your home right now, the order you do things in matters more than the speed. Here's the sequence.

1. If it's anywhere near a light or a socket, kill the power

This is the only genuinely urgent part. Water through a light fitting means water in contact with a live circuit.

Turn the power off to that circuit at the fuse box — or the whole board if you're not sure which one it is.
Put a bucket or large bowl underneath.
Call an electrician so the power can be isolated properly.

Don't flick the light switch to see whether it still works. Don't stand in the puddle to reach the fitting.

The roof is the cause, but it isn't the emergency. A roofer cannot make a wet circuit safe, and an hour spent waiting for an electrician costs you nothing compared with what it prevents.

2. If the ceiling is bulging, let the water out

Plasterboard holds a surprising amount of water, and then it doesn't.

Put a bucket underneath, take a pencil or a screwdriver, and pierce a small hole at the lowest point of the swelling. Let it drain.

This feels like vandalism. It isn't. A pencil hole is a dab of filler and a touch of paint. A collapsed ceiling is a new ceiling, plus everything that was underneath it, and it gives no warning before it goes.

3. Catch it and protect what's underneath

Move furniture and anything electrical out of the way. Lift rugs. A second bucket in reserve is worth having, because the first one fills faster than you'd expect during heavy rain.

4. Photograph it before you tidy up

Two or three photographs now will save a visit later:

the ceiling, showing where the water is appearing
the room, so we can see where that is in the building
the roof from outside — stand back far enough to get as much of it in frame as you can, plus a close-up of anything obviously wrong

Send them by WhatsApp or text with a line about what happened and when. We can often tell from photographs whether something needs looking at properly, which saves us both a trip if it doesn't.

5. Then call us, in normal hours

We're planned-work roofers — re-roofs, flat-roof renewal, commercial systems — rather than a 24-hour callout service. We'd rather say that plainly than promise a van within the hour and not turn up.

So make it safe tonight, and we'll get you booked in properly. The one thing we do move quickly on is our own work: if we fitted it and guaranteed it, tell us and we aim to be out to look within two working days.

What not to do

Don't go on the roof. Wet roofs are how roofers get hurt, and they do this for a living.
Don't put a bucket in the loft and forget about it. It fills.
Don't assume the leak is directly above the stain. Water runs along timbers, felt and cabling before it drops, sometimes several metres from where it got in. This is the main reason a proper look beats guessing.
Don't let anyone quote you for a repair over the phone. Nobody can see where the water is getting in from a phone call.

Once it's dry

A single stain after exceptional rain is worth watching. A stain that comes back every time it rains is a roof telling you something specific — and the what your ceiling is telling you guide walks through the usual causes.

Send us a photo or ask for a visit when you're ready.

While we’re on the subject

Water is coming through a light fitting. What do I do?

Turn the power off to that light at the fuse box and put a bucket or large bowl underneath. Then call an electrician straight away so the power can be isolated safely.

Electricity and water together is the urgent part. Once that's dealt with, call us and we'll arrange to come and look at the roof.

My ceiling is bulging with water. Should I burst it?

Yes — carefully, and with something underneath. Pierce a small hole in the lowest point of the swelling with a pencil or a screwdriver and let the water drain into a bucket.

It feels wrong, but it's the right call. Repairing a pencil hole in the ceiling paint costs very little. Replacing a section of ceiling that has come down under the weight of trapped water costs a great deal more, and it comes down without warning.

Should I go up into the loft to look?

Only if you can do it safely and the electricity is off. A loft with water coming in has wet joists, possibly wet cabling, and poor light. Don't step between joists onto insulation, and don't go up at all if you're not confident.

If you can get up safely, what's useful is a photograph of where the water is actually entering — that's often some distance from where it appears on the ceiling below.

Is this an emergency? Will you come out tonight?

We're planned-work roofers rather than a 24-hour callout service, so we won't promise a van within the hour — and anyone who does should be asked how they know before they've seen it.

What we will do is get you booked in properly. Make it safe tonight using the steps above, send us photographs, and we'll arrange a visit. If it's work we've done and guaranteed, get in touch and we aim to be out to look within two working days.

Will it get worse if I wait until the weather clears?

Water finding a route in tends to widen it, and a small amount of water in a ceiling void can travel a long way before it shows. So it's worth looking at sooner rather than later — mostly because it's cheaper that way, not because the house is in danger.