What to do if…
a bathroom extractor fan or vent is dripping water and you suspect a leak or condensation

What to do now

1. Make the bathroom safe to stand near. Put a bucket or towels under the drip if you can do that without touching the fan or wet electrics. Dry the floor and keep people and pets out until it is not slippery.

2. Stop adding moisture. Pause showers and baths for now. If it is safe and does not put you near the drip, open a window slightly. Keep the bathroom door mostly shut until the floor is dry so moist air does not spread through the home.

3. Switch the fan off from a safe, dry place. If there is a fan isolator switch outside or above the bathroom door, use that only if the switch and surrounding wall are dry. If the fan, light, switch, or ceiling around them is wet, turn off the relevant circuit at the consumer unit if you can reach it safely without crossing wet areas.

4. If you cannot isolate it safely, step back. Do not reach through water, touch wet switches, or open the fitting. Keep the room closed off and contact a qualified electrician, landlord, or building manager.

5. If there are electrical warning signs, treat it as urgent. If you notice smoke, sparks, a burning smell, buzzing, crackling, electric shock, or repeated circuit tripping, keep away from the bathroom and get urgent electrical help. If there is fire or immediate danger, leave the property and call 999.

6. If the dripping is continuous or getting worse, reduce possible plumbing damage. If you suspect a live water pipe leak and you can reach the internal stop tap safely, turn it clockwise slowly. Do not force it. This will not stop every type of leak, but it can reduce damage from many supply pipe leaks.

7. Record what you can without dismantling anything. Take photos or a short video of the drip, damp ring, staining, swelling, soft plaster, and the fan or vent location. Note whether it started after a shower, during rain or wind, or without an obvious trigger.

8. Do a quick look-only check from the bathroom. Look for damp rings, cracks, sagging, soft plaster, or staining spreading away from the fan. Drips mainly after showers can point towards condensation or duct problems; continuous or worsening dripping can point towards an active leak.

9. Only check above the bathroom if it is safe and easy. If you can safely access a loft or roof space without touching wet wiring or unstable surfaces, look only. Look for a wet or sagging extractor duct, a disconnected duct, a duct ending in the loft, wet insulation, wet timbers, dripping pipework, or signs of roof water. If you see water near wiring or junction boxes, leave the area and keep the power isolated.

10. Report or arrange help now.

    • If you rent or have building management, report it now and say: “Water is dripping from the bathroom extractor fan or vent, there may be contact with electrics, and the circuit or fan has been isolated if safe.” Send the photos.
    • If you own, contact a plumber if it looks like a pipe or drain leak, a roofer if it happens during rain or near roof/vent pipework, and a qualified electrician if any electrical fitting may have got wet.
    • If the ceiling is bulging, soft, or sagging, keep out of the room and tell the repair person or landlord that there may be trapped water above the ceiling.

11. Once electrical risk is controlled, dry only what you can reach. Wipe up surface water, keep the area ventilated if safe, and leave investigation or repair of the fan, duct, ceiling void, wiring, pipework, or roof to the right professional.