Ugh - plumbing leak

[jpcjguy]

Hi all,

So my guest/kids bathroom shower/tub has a leak. Getting a drip after an extended shower or multiple showers in a row (kids) in the ceiling below. There are no access panels anywhere, so I am cutting drywall either way. How can I tell if it is a drain related leak or maybe when the faucet is turned on it is leaking? House is 1993 build. I guess I could get buckets of water and pour them into the tub to simulate a shower with the faucets off - but that would take a ton of buckets. Any other thoughts on best way to diagnose this?

Thanks

 

[Dagny]

cut the drywall and look no easy way out

 

[LeonardY]

Before you open the ceiling. Did you check the valve?
Can you remove the trim around the drain and see if the plumbers putty there?
If you're opening the ceiling it should be fairly obvious. You should see wet areas or staining. Turn on the shower and see if you see dripping. If you do right away then that might indicate the valve is leaking.

 

[jpcjguy]

Here is a picture of the shower

 

[Jackfre]

What does that back up to? Before going after the ceiling I’d cut a good sized access in the adjoining room. You may be able to determine what is happening there.

 

[jpcjguy]

What does that back up to? Before going after the ceiling I’d cut a good sized access in the adjoining room. You may be able to determine what is happening there.

Backs up to the spare bedroom. I was thinking that also - but would hate to cut that and then realize it is drain related and then do the ceiling downstairs also - twice the drywall work!

 

[Jackfre]

It is not uncommon for the trap/drain assembly to **** out and show the leak. I’d still make a large cut in the BR and frame it for future access. Once you get into the ceiling you do have a rock job.

 

[ez-duzit]

...would hate to cut that and then realize it is drain related...

You need an access panel there anyway.

 

[FMB4]

Before you open the ceiling. Did you check the valve?
Can you remove the trim around the drain and see if the plumbers putty there?
If you're opening the ceiling it should be fairly obvious. You should see wet areas or staining. Turn on the shower and see if you see dripping. If you do right away then that might indicate the valve is leaking.

Very well said Leonard. I'd start with replacing the valve (especially if the valve is original to the '93 build).

Edit: I would first start at the shower head and SH stem. Leaks are pretty common with such.

 

[LeonardY]

Here is a picture of the shower

Now that I see the picture. I would definitely open up the valve and check it.
I would also remove the down spout and check it.
My neighbor had the spout threads crack.

 

[Showkey]

Now that I see the picture. I would definitely open up the valve and check it.
I would also remove the down spout and check it.
My neighbor had the spout threads crack.

Very very common failure point at the spout and or shower head.

 

[jpcjguy]

Appreciate everyone's replies. Guess I have my work cut out for me...sigh...

 

[Skiff Builder]

Don't cut drywall yet!

Plug the tub drain first.
Put water in tub with bucket-about 2" worth. Or use a slow running garden hose.
Open drain and see if leak occurs.
This is isolating a possible drain leak only. If drain does leak, you can re seal it from the top of tub- no need to cut any drywall yet.

If the above shows no leak, than move on to valve and supply lines ( cut drywall)

 

[larry4406]

Check the diverter escutcheon for silicone.

Also maybe operator error on use of the shower curtain? House I am in now for 8 years zero issues till 3 weeks ago, water dripping in basement. Turns out the 30 year old daughter forgot how to use a shower curtain; wet it and apply it tight to the shower diverter wall tile while spout is running before engaging the shower. Works like a charm for me.

 

[nadogail]

Not long ago, a tenant managed to crack the shower arm by using the shower to rinse his surfboard, the crack was inside the wall right where the shower arm screws in. Repair was easy, but I had to open the opposite side of the wall to find the problem. I also had to replace some ceiling drywall under the shower.

 

[jpcjguy]

Don't cut drywall yet!

Plug the tub drain first.
Put water in tub with bucket-about 2" worth. Or use a slow running garden hose.
Open drain and see if leak occurs.
This is isolating a possible drain leak only. If drain does leak, you can re seal it from the top of tub- no need to cut any drywall yet.

If the above shows no leak, than move on to valve and supply lines ( cut drywall)

Good point. I could plug the tub and fill it - even with the shower and see if I am getting any leaks. That would indicate the faucet, valve, etc. If no leaks, the I could pull the plug and see if the draining water creates the leak....

 

[Bad Eye Bill]

Backs up to the spare bedroom. I was thinking that also - but would hate to cut that and then realize it is drain related and then do the ceiling downstairs also - twice the drywall work!

Drill a small hole and take a look with an inspection camera. Boroscope is the proper name maybe?

 

[ZRX61]

Had a leak behind the vanity, this is where we're currently at... It escalates quickly...

 

[The Cobbler]

here is how I would tackle it.
1- insert & run a hose for an extended period to see if you have a leak in the drain assy, also check the overflow foe leaks
2- wet the enclosure with the hose to see if that leaks ( wall issue)
3- water around the floor & tub to see if the leak is there
4- run the tap in tub mode for a while to see if that causes the leak (valve issue)
5 run the tun in shower mode for extended period ( shower circuit issue )

process of elimination should direct you to the leak without cutting into drywall .

 

[PoorUB]

My bet would be between the top of the tub and the tile wall. My tub leaked there all the time. I would seal it up and in a couple years I would need out the old caulk and reseal.

I fixed it for good a couple years ago when I was intending to repair a couple lose tile and ended up gutting the bathroom. New tub and surround, no more leaks!

 

[Lynden]

Has anyone ever used a small inspection camera to locate plumbing leaks? How well did it work?

Amazon.com

 

[CraigStu]

I once had a leak from a fiberglass shower. There was already an access panel to get to it-kind of. Turned out that the drain stub was affixed to the shower w/ a big nut and there were rubber washers to seal the drain to the fiberglass. 3/4 turn on the nut fixed the leak.

 

[HoosierMark]

You might double check where the drywall is in the bedroom. If it is behind a dresser or the bed you may want to create a permanent access hole. Just put a thin piece of plywood over it with a couple of flush screws. Paint it to match the wall. It will allow you to see the drain area as well as the faucet. You may be able to fix it from there. But first try some of the solutions above, to try and narrow it down.

 

[545_days]

We had a similar leak. The overflow cover was loose and water was escaping through the gap. I tightened the screw, added a bit of caulk and it was fixed.

 

[acer66]

If you cut a hole into the drywall cut it to fit an access panel so you save drywall work.

Friends shower did the same thing and I was about to tear into the drywall when I decided to take a look at the drain.
Connection was loose and very little putty was present.
New putty and tightening it up solved the problem.

Good luck.

 

[jpcjguy]

So I just ran a hose in the tub for 30 minutes and no leaks or drips....

 

[Stuart in MN]

My bet would be between the top of the tub and the tile wall. My tub leaked there all the time. I would seal it up and in a couple years I would need out the old caulk and reseal.

Yes, make sure water isn't seeping through a gap between the top of the tub and the tile. Also, as mentioned by others make sure they are closing the shower curtain so water isn't getting on the floor.

 

[jpcjguy]

Yes, make sure water isn't seeping through a gap between the top of the tub and the tile. Also, as mentioned by others make sure they are closing the shower curtain so water isn't getting on the floor.

Good point. Hard to simulate that without water getting everywhere. When we had the leak in the ceiling, there was no water on the bathroom floor so I don't think the curtain and the kids was an issue. I think at this point, I can feel reasonably confident that the leak is when the shower is on - meaning a valve issue.

 

[Klokwerk]

I don't think anyone's addressed the potential water damage already done by the leak?
If it's leaked and you saw drips on the ceiling below it, you've got to get in there to see how bad it is. I wouldn't want mold/mildew growing back there.
And how long has the leak been going on? You only noticed because of the ceiling drip right?

Better to dig into it now then wait weeks for the 'smell' to start. My 2 cents.

 

[jpcjguy]

I don't think anyone's addressed the potential water damage already done by the leak?
If it's leaked and you saw drips on the ceiling below it, you've got to get in there to see how bad it is. I wouldn't want mold/mildew growing back there.
And how long has the leak been going on? You only noticed because of the ceiling drip right?

Better to dig into it now then wait weeks for the 'smell' to start. My 2 cents.

Yeah - I plan on opening the wall behind the shower controls to see what is going on. I am hoping it only leaks a little when the shower is running. The reason why we saw it on the ceiling is because there were I think 4 showers in a row. Luckily that shower gets hardly used, like 3x year.

 

[Northislander]

Plumber here And I get called to a lot of shower leaks. Unfortunately I am working in a remote resort this week with ****** wifi so can't see your picture. But here is my normal procedure when i get called to a shower leak.
If single handle valve remove trim and run shower watch for leaks around valve and possibly coming down from shower arm a small inspection camera works good for this.
If I can't see anything up top usually means its the drain so can sometimes do a temporary fix with silicone from above after cleaning everything with rubbing alcohol or acetone.
Or if drywall ceiling is already damaged go in from the drywall ceiling and replace drain or p-trap

 

[Northislander]

Picture just opened for me Before cutting in to drywall i would remove the overflow and silicone the rubber seal.
Next that's a Delta monitor valve any leak on cartridge o-ring is directed to the back by chrome stop tube so check that when you pull all the trim off

 

[CraigStu]

Before you cut into the drywall run over to HD or L and get a wall grill. The style that is held in place w/ 4 screws. Cut your hole 3-4 inches (depending on the screw holes location) smaller than the OD of your grill. Depending on your wall color leaving it white may be just fine or paint it to match.

 

[jetnow1]

Just an aside but I have had several calls from customers that were sure the leak was from the shower, I always check the toilet first, many times have found it to be the problem. I have also found the overflow to leak a couple of times, usually with older valves that allowed a little water to run out the tub spout, then it followed the spout bottom to the tub and to the overflow.

 

[redmondjp]

I would pull the handle and trim plate off of the water control valve and see if it is leaking at the stem. This is fairly common and can be rectified by installing new valve guts which are available at most hardware stores.

 

[crazylunker]

Just wondering how you made out, my first to check is the overflow and the valve trim. next would be open the wall in adjacent room.

 

[Bretny]

I would pull the handle and trim plate off of the water control valve and see if it is leaking at the stem. This is fairly common and can be rectified by installing new valve guts which are available at most hardware stores.

This is what I would try too.

 

[rayra]

Backs up to the spare bedroom. I was thinking that also - but would hate to cut that and then realize it is drain related and then do the ceiling downstairs also - twice the drywall work!

It's a trivial amount of drywall patch / repair. Do it soon and do it at a time of your own choosing, instead of waiting for rot and corrosion picking the time for you.

 

[FredWanaker]

yes, how did it turn out. We've seen leaks like this on many HI shows and every time it seems to be a different cause. One time it was a pinhole in the solder on the shower riser so it only showed up when the diverter was pulled, and the shower used. Another time water leaking at the corners of the tub, another time the drain was cracked - and on and on. As a child I had brothers who would splash water out and it would run under the tub.