Find & Repair Plumbing Leaks
Water leaking through a shower curtain or door is known as a splash leak. It’s the most prevalent form of bathroom leak. Although it may appear trivial, when water seeps into the subfloor where the tub or shower meets the flooring, it causes significant damage. The vinyl flooring or tiles start to loosen after a while. Worse yet, the plywood subfloor delaminates and rots, necessitating a massive, costly tear-out and replacement effort.
Trouble signs include:
- Next to the tub, curling vinyl flooring or loose tiles.
- Near the shower, peeling paint or flaking, chalky-looking wood finish.
- Water stains on the ceiling or the floor joists.
- Mold patches around the tub or shower on the wall or floor.
- After you shower, look for standing water on the floor if you use a curtain.
How to locate the source of a leaky bathtub drain:
- Splash water all around the shower door and frame to see if you have one.
- Leaks around the frame could take up to five minutes to appear.
- Check for gaps if the door has rubber gaskets or a rubber door sweep.
- Also, look for any caulk gaps where the shower or tub meets the floor.
Fixing a leaking tub drain:
- When closing sliding doors, make sure they are properly overlapped.
- Closest to the faucet should be the inner door.
- When dealing with a shower curtain instead of a door, make sure it is completely closed when you shower or install a splash guard.
- Run a little bead of tub and caulk along the inside of a leaking frame to seal it.
- Be sure to fill any gaps between the frame and the shower surround with caulk.
- Wipe away any excess caulk as soon as possible.
- Check for leaks once the caulk has dried.
- Any worn gaskets or door sweeps should be replaced.
- Go ahead and bring the old one to a home center or a plumbing supply store to find a replacement that matches (be sure to get the correct size to fit).
- Scrape out any holes in the old caulk along the floor and apply a new bead.
- Water might seep around the outside of the drain where it connects to the tub or shower, causing a drain leak. This is especially prevalent with plastic or fiberglass tubs and shower pans, which flex slightly as you stand on them, causing the seal around the drain to break.
- These leaks can corrode floor joists and discolor or destroy the ceiling below. The leak will destroy the flooring in the bathroom or nearby rooms if the tub is set on a concrete slab.
Symptoms of a leaking bathtub drain include:
- Water stains on the ceiling or the floor joists.
- Wet floors in adjacent rooms or loose flooring near the tub (if the tub is on a concrete slab).
- What to do if your tub drain is leaking:
If you can see the drain’s underbelly through an access panel or an open ceiling, fill the tub halfway and then empty it. If it’s a shower, plug the drain with a rag and fill up the bottom with water, then let it drain. From below, through the access panel, inspect the drains and traps for leaks.
How to fix a leaking bathtub drain:
- Unscrew the drain flange from above to fix a tub drain.
- Then clean the flange and seal it with silicone.
- Remove the rubber gasket from beneath the tub’s drain hole and take it to a home center to be replaced (be sure to get the correct size to fit). Replace the gasket and screw the drain flange in place.
- Tighten the ring nut that secures the drain to the shower pan if you have access to it from below.
- Replace the drain assembly if that doesn’t work.
Shower and Tub: Leaky tiles
Water seeps through deteriorated grout or caulk and into the wall behind the tile, causing tile to lift. This can result in tile falling off the wall, serious rotting of the wall frame, and damage to the subfloor, joists, or ceiling below, depending on the materials used to set the tile.
Trouble signs include:
- Tiles are loose.
- Mold is persistent.
- If the shower is located against an outside wall, you may notice peeling paint.
- Under the shower, there are stains on the ceiling.
Where to look for the source:
- Check for gaps in the grout and caulk joints.
- Mold is almost always seen here.
- Open the access panel behind the faucet and inspect for dampness or stains or if there is loose tile behind the tub spout or faucet.
What to do about it:
- Remove any loose tiles, old grout, and caulk.
- Reattach tiles, re-grout, and re-caulk using tub and tile caulk if the surface below the tile is still solid.
You’ll need to replace the backer board and tile, or a fiberglass surround if more than a few tiles are loose or the wall is squishy.
If you think you may need some professional help from a dependable plumbing company, CONTACT Plumbing Pro’s LLC today!
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