Roof or AC
On a top-floor ceiling, rain-related drips point to the roof or a flashing. Dry-weather drips on hot days point to the attic air handler's drain.
Read more: roof leaks · AC leaks
Light & fan leaks · Diamond Bar
Light Fixture & Ceiling Fan Water Damage in Diamond Bar, CA
Water coming out of a light fixture, a recessed can, a ceiling fan or a bathroom exhaust fan needs two things done in the right order: make it electrically safe, then find out where the water is really coming from.
First, the electricity
Make it safe before anything else
- Breaker off for that circuit.Use the panel, not the wall switch. If you can't tell which breaker it is and water is spreading, turn off the main breaker.
- Don't touch the fixture or the switch.Not to remove the cover, not to drain it, not to check it.
- Catch the water away from the fixture.A bucket on the floor below, not a hand or a towel under the light.
- Stop the water if you know where it's from.Shut off the fixture upstairs, the main water valve, or the AC at the thermostat.
- Watch the ceiling.If it bulges around the fixture, keep everyone out of the room.
If you smell burning, see sparks or the breaker keeps tripping, leave the power off and call an electrician or 911 for an emergency. Don't reset a breaker on a wet circuit.
For a fuller walkthrough of the first hour, see what to do when water drips from a light fixture.
Where the water's from
The fixture is the exit, not the source
What's above the fixture tells you where to look.
Shower, tub or toilet
Downstairs lights under an upstairs bathroom are the classic case in Diamond Bar's two-story tract homes.
Read more: bathroom leaks
Supply or drain pipe
A pipe running over the room can weep onto the top of the drywall for weeks before it drips through a can light.
Read more: pipe leaks
The overlooked one
Bathroom exhaust fan dripping water? Check the duct
This is one of the most common "leaks", and it's not a leak at all. A shower fills the bathroom with warm, saturated air. The fan pushes it through a duct across the attic. In fall and winter the attic is much cooler than the bathroom, so moisture condenses inside the duct and runs back down to the fan.
- Drips only during or after long showers
- Worse on cool mornings, and from November through March
- Rust or water spots on the fan housing; a yellow ring on the grille
- A flexible duct that sags, has no insulation or ends in the attic instead of outside
The fix is in the attic: an insulated duct, run as short and as straight as possible, sloped so condensation drains outward, ending at a roof or wall cap with a working damper. Then any stained or soft drywall around the fan is repaired.
How it's fixed
The repair for a leaking light or fan
Trace the water
Moisture readings around the fixture and up toward the source.
Stop it
Plumbing, AC drain, roof or duct repair coordinated with the right trade.
Open and dry
Wet drywall and insulation out around the box; cavity dried and checked.
Electrical check
Fixture, box and wiring inspected or replaced by an electrician.
Close and finish
New drywall, texture matched, ceiling repainted, fixture reinstalled.
Common questions
Light fixture and fan leak questions
Common questions when water comes out of a fixture.
Who handles the electrical side of a wet light fixture?
A ceiling contractor handles the ceiling: finding the water source, drying the cavity and rebuilding the drywall around the fixture. Until a fixture that got wet has been checked, keep the breaker off; if it scorched, buzzed or tripped, have an electrician inspect or replace it before the power goes back on.
Why does water come out of the light and not the rest of the ceiling?
Because the fixture is a hole. Water that's been spreading across the top of the drywall finds the opening around the box or the recessed can and drains through it. The fixture is rarely the source. It's just the lowest, easiest way out.
Can I turn the light back on once it dries?
Not until the fixture, box and wiring have been checked. Water can leave corrosion and residue inside a fixture or junction box that causes problems later. A wet fixture is usually replaced rather than reused, and an electrician should confirm the circuit is safe.
My bathroom exhaust fan drips after showers. Is that a roof leak?
Usually it's condensation, not a leak. Warm, wet air from the shower travels up the fan duct into a cooler attic, condenses inside the duct, and runs back down to the fan grille. It's worst on cool mornings. The fix is an insulated duct with a short, sloped run to a proper exterior vent, plus a working backdraft damper.
Water is coming out of my ceiling fan. What causes that?
Same physics as a light: water above the ceiling finds the fan's electrical box. On a top-floor room it can be the roof or the AC. Under a bathroom it's usually plumbing. Turn the fan and its breaker off and leave the fixture alone until the source is found.
Who fixes what: electrician or you?
Get connected with a local contractor who can find and stop the water source, dry the cavity and repair the ceiling. The fixture, box and wiring are checked or replaced by an electrician, scheduled while the ceiling is open so nothing has to be cut twice.
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