On Fri, 29 Jul 2011 11:01:00 -0400, Dave Smith
> wrote:

>All hell broke loose in my kitchen yesterday morning. I had had my
>morning shower, ate my breakfast and was on the computer when my wife
>came down after her shower and was alarmed to see water leaking from the
> kitchen ceiling. It was raining at the time. I just had a new rook
>installed last month and this was the first heavy rain to test it, but
>it wasn't raining hard enough for a leak like that.
>
>My Mr.Fixit neighbour was out so I called a plumber. Mt water pressure
>system was not kicking in, and the rate of flow was slowing, so it was
>more likely a drain than a feed line.
>
>The plumber arrived within an hour, had a look around and suggested the
>main stack to the upstairs bathroom was shot and had to be replaced.
>That is a big job and a lot of expense,... and he could not do it until
>next Tuesday. I could not wait that long. He recommended a couple guys
>who might be able to handle it right. Neither could do it. After a half
>dozen calls I found someone who could look at it after 3 pm and do the
>work this morning.
>
>The plumber showed up a couple hours early. After looking around he
>thought perhaps not the stack but he would have to cut a couple holes
>in the ceiling to look.... and he doesn't do drywall repairs. Luckily,
>he struck cold on the first hole. The drain from the sink and tub was an
>old copper pipe that had corroded and burst. That meant a much smaller
>job that he could do right away. He had to removed about a foot of pipe
>and replaced it with plastic. We checked and everything looked good. So
>the leak was fixed and the bill was only $175.
>
>
>This morning I ran some errands by bicycle. When I got home my wife was
>frantic about a leak in the dining room ceiling. She wanted to call the
>plumber back. I was confident that the leak was repaired, but there was
>likely some water that had leaked across to the other side of the wall.
>I drilled a small hole where the ceiling was wet and have a trickle of
>water and a pail under it. I am hoping that it stops dripping soon.

Are you on your own private well or city water? If on your own well
check your pressure setting, it may have changed. If on city water
call them and have them check that your pressure hasn't recently been
increased (they may have done some work to improve flow in your area).
Older homes are very prone to leaks and burst pipes when pressure is
increased just a wee bit. It sounds like your house needs a lot more
upgrading than a simple patch job.