North Vancouver · April and September 2026

A dishwasher leak through the ceiling of the suite below.

Twice in one year, water came through a North Vancouver living-room ceiling from the kitchen above. Both times it traced back to the same dishwasher. We stopped the leak, and the second time removed the dishwasher and capped the lines.

PropertyStrata apartment, North Vancouver
ProblemWater through the ceiling below
SourceDishwasher in the suite above
Thermal camera showing a cold wet patch on a ceiling
The first call, in April

Drain water and a fresh-water leak.

Water was pooling above the living-room light and had run along the framing into a closet. Upstairs, we found a puddle under the dishwasher that smelled of kitchen grease, so it was drain water, plus fresh water leaking from the dishwasher’s inlet valve. We shut the water off to the dishwasher.

The dishwasher couldn’t be safely removed: two breakers in the suite were tripped and wouldn’t reset, the dishwasher was still powered, and the panel had no main switch. We told the owner the dishwasher and its hoses needed replacing, but an electrician had to fix the wiring first.

The second call, in September

Same leak, same dishwasher.

Water was dripping through the same ceiling at about one drop per second. Upstairs, the dishwasher had already been unscrewed from the counter and disconnected electrically, but the water to it had been turned back on. It was leaking at the water connection underneath.

We turned off and capped the dishwasher’s water supply, capped its drain connection, pulled the dishwasher out and vacuumed up the water on the floor. Then we ran water through the kitchen sink to make sure the drain was fine.

How it went

Find the source, then stop it for good.

Water through a ceiling can come from a long way off. Here it came from directly above.

Check the damage

Look at the ceiling below and use a thermal camera to see how far the water spread.

Go upstairs

Find the source in the suite above.

Stop the water

Shut off and cap the dishwasher’s water supply and drain.

Test

Run the sink and confirm the drains are dry.
Result

The leak is stopped and the lines are capped.

The dishwasher is out, and its water supply and drain are capped until a new one is installed. The strata has a record of both visits and the electrical problem we found.

1

Leak traced to the dishwasher in the suite above

2

Electrical problem flagged for an electrician

3

Dishwasher removed and lines capped

4

Kitchen drain tested with no leaks

Need the same kind of help?

Start with the problem. We will help plan the next step.

Explore emergency plumbing →Call 604-496-1661 →

Need help with this?

Call for anything active. Send the details for planned work.
604-496-1661Request planned service