I also have a bath that's leaking downstairs into my living room ceiling. I have a drop ceiling and it stains and soaks every drop tile that I have put up. I am currently on a tight budget, and can not afford to seek professional help (as far as plumbers). It seems that its only the hot water that leaks, because I have a closet in my hallway that I can access the plumbing to the bathtub. Usually I have to turn on the hot water valve, and when I'm done showering I turn off the hot water valve through this closet, and usually this solves the problem. I really know nothing about plumbing, but is there any advice you can give for a beginner?

Hi eddie

First thing you could do would be to remove the trim plate from around the valve and then see if you can see anything happening behind the wall.

If that doesn't show the issue here then the next step would be to cut an access panel behind the tub and expose all the pipes/valve.

Once you find where the leak is you can decide if this is something you can fix or if you'll need a plumber, OK?

Back to you...

Mark