Water Stains and Leaks in Phoenix: Where the Water Is Coming From
A stain on the ceiling, a soft spot by the window, a wet cabinet. Before anything gets patched, the water has to be found. Here's how we do it.
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A water stain tells you water got there. It doesn't tell you from where. Patching before you know is money spent twice. The clues are where the stain is, when it shows up, and what's above or behind it. Most sources are on this list.
Ceiling stains
- After rain, near a vent, skylight or valley: roof. We can help with the roof and fix the ceiling after.
- In summer, under the air handler or along a line in the attic: AC drain. We can help with that, and the ceiling after.
- Under an upstairs bathroom: the toilet seal, the tub drain, the shower pan, or a supply line.
- Near an exterior wall after rain: a window or parapet leak coming down inside the wall.
Wall stains and soft spots
- Under a window: the window seal or the sill. Caulk and flashing, ours.
- Behind a shower: failed grout, caulk or waterproofing. A small fix or a shower rebuild.
- At the base of a wall: a buried weep screed, a sprinkler, a downspout, or a slab leak. Slab leaks often show as warm spots and a running meter.
- Under a sink: a supply line, a drain joint, the disposal or the dishwasher hose. Ours.
Tests that help
Food coloring in the toilet tank. The water meter with everything off. A hose on one section of roof at a time while someone watches inside. A moisture meter on the wall. We bring the meter.
What this page covers
- Water dripping from the ceiling under a bathroom
- Water stain on the ceiling below the shower
- Water stain under the toilet upstairs
- Wet carpet next to the bathroom wall
- Water stain on the wall behind the washer
- Wet cabinet floor under the dishwasher
- Water stain below a window
- Water on the floor by the patio door after rain
- Water stain on the garage ceiling
- Damp baseboard next to the shower
- Bubbling paint below a window
- Water stain around a ceiling vent
- Water stain on the ceiling after rain
- Ceiling stain near the chimney
- Ceiling stain near a skylight
- Ceiling stain along an outside wall after a storm
- Water stain on the ceiling under the AC unit
- Ceiling stain around the AC vent in summer
- Water stain under the air handler closet
- Water stain that grows when no one is using water
- Wet spot on the floor away from any fixture
- Water stain on a wall with pipes in it
How it starts
Send a photo of the stain, tell us when it appeared and whether it's growing, and what's above or behind it. Quotes are free. Once we know the source, you get a fixed price.
Questions
- The stain is dry. Is the leak fixed?
- Not necessarily. A roof leak stops every time it stops raining. If you don't know why it stopped, it hasn't.
- Can you find a slab leak?
- We check the meter and the warm spots, and we can help with fixing it too.
Related pages
Drywall water damage
Stains, soft spots and sagging ceilings after a roof leak, a plumbing leak or a monsoon. Cut out, replaced and finished, once the leak is fixed.
Roof leaks
The stain on the ceiling after a storm. We find where it came from, fix the seals around the roof, and can help with the roof itself.
Handyman plumbing
Faucets, toilets, disposals, drains and small leaks. Many are fixed in one visit.
Ready to get it fixed?
Tell us what needs doing. Quotes are free. We usually reply within minutes, and always within 24 hours.