Bead leak
A split or missing joint that lines up with the wet patch. Resealing is the next step.
Bathroom leak check before resealing
A bathroom leak check shows whether failed silicone is the leak, or whether the water is a waste, a cracked tray, an overflow, or a pipe. Book it before a reseal when the ceiling below is stained or a new bead has already failed. Send a photo on the quote form, or WhatsApp the same details.
Who it is for
Who books a leak check
Anyone about to pay for silicone when they are not sure the bead is the fault. Upstairs bathrooms with a mark on the ceiling below. Homes where a DIY bead made no difference. The result is a clear next step: reseal, or do not reseal because the job is something else.
Variants
The fittings this page covers
Waste and trap
Water under a tray or basin when the visible bead is intact.
Overflow and panel
Wet only after a deep bath, inside the panel void.
Not silicone
Cracked tray, pipe in the wall, failed tanking, or a roof. We do not reseal those and call them fixed.
Scope
Included, and the jobs we will not call a reseal
Included in the visit
- A look at the joints, the waste, the overflow, and the ceiling stain if you can show it
- A plain statement of whether a reseal is the right spend
- A quote for the reseal if the bead is the fault
- A stop, with the reason, if it is not
Outside this visit
- Opening walls, lifting floors, or a full damp survey
- Repairing pipes, wastes, or sanitaryware
- Thermal imaging as a product
- Guaranteeing the cause when the bathroom cannot be tested because it is still wet from this morning
How it is done
On the day
- 1
Hear the pattern
When it wets: during a shower, after a bath, or all the time.
- 2
Look at the joints and the fittings
Bead, waste, overflow, tray body, panel void.
- 3
Say what will and will not work
Reseal, panel visit, or a different trade.
- 4
Quote only the job that fits
No silicone is cut out until that is agreed.
Symptoms
What you can see before you book
New bead, same leak
The last silicone did not touch the fault. Another bead will not either.
Stain that grows when the shower is on
Tray, screen, or waste. The pattern tells them apart.
Stain that grows when the bath is deep
Overflow and rim, more than the shower.
Constant drip
A supply or waste that weeps on its own. Not a bead.
Quote
What changes the price
The job is quoted. These are the factors, not a menu of fixed prices.
The check
The quote states the visit. If a reseal goes ahead the same day, that is priced as the reseal, not as a surprise extra.
What you can show
A photo of the stain and of the bead makes the quote more accurate before anyone travels.
Access
A ceiling below that cannot be seen, or a panel that will not come off, limits what can be said.
After the visit
Prep, cure, and how long it lasts
Leave the bathroom as it is until the check, including a failed DIY bead. Wiping everything dry five minutes before the visit hides the path. If a reseal is agreed, the 24 hour cure applies after that work, not after the look.
The check does not have a lifespan. The point is to avoid a reseal that fails again next month because it was the wrong job. The reseal that follows is covered on its own page.
DIY
When a tube is the wrong tool
If you have already recaulked once and the leak remains, stop adding silicone. Note when the water appears and send that with the photo. That note is more useful than a third bead.
Questions
Questions about bathroom leak check
When is a leak not a resealing job?
When the tray or basin is cracked, the waste or trap weeps, the bath overflow is split, a pipe is wet, or a wet-room membrane has failed. Those are outside a silicone bead. The check exists so they are not quoted as one.
Do you still reseal if the bead is the fault?
Yes. If the joint is the leak, the reseal can be quoted and booked. The old silicone is cut out in that visit, not during a speculative look.
Can you check a leak in a flat?
Yes. Bring the ceiling photo from the room below if you have it, and say whether the bathroom is the only one. Cure time still means 24 hours without water if a reseal follows.
Will you open the wall?
No. This is a bathroom-side check of joints and visible fittings. Chasing pipes is a different trade.
Related work
Other joints
Areas we cover
Where this visit runs
Quote this bathroom leak check
Send the photo and the postcode on the form, or WhatsApp the same details. Water stays off the new bead for 24 hours.
Tell us which edge has failed
Name the room and the joint. If a ceiling below is stained, say when the water appears.