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Today I want to discuss the seven most likely places that you will get a leak
in a tub or
shower enclosure.
First point and the most often occurring is a leak from the hot or the cold side.
Sometimes it will show up outside the handle here but not always.
Sometimes you have to remove the trim here. Just by spinning it out.
And what you can do is put a piece of paper behind there. To see if you are getting any dripping out at the paper here. Just to prove that that is not the source of your leak. And of course you have your hot and the cold side to do the same thing.
So the next most often source of a leak is from
the diverter valve
it is usually your center valve
on this particular setup. You know each particular faucet is just a little bit different
but this is the second most likely source
of a leak and the same thing pulling the paper out
you can put your paper behind there
again most often you'll see it at the handle you will see a bunch of water
deposits and corrosion inside
the handle
but what you want to do is turn your water on and turn it back and forth between the tub setting
the shower setting
and having your piece of paper in there to divert any possible water
into the tub to prove that.
The third most often source of a leak
is up here
at the shower neck
behind here
most often if this does leak
it will leak into
the enclosure area
as you can see this has an escuteon and a nut
collar nut that holds it in place
and the insert is here
most often if it is a leak it is pretty easily repaired by
unthreading the shower neck and
adding teflon tape to the threads
going with the direction of the threads and reinserting.
That is the third
most often source of a leak
Fourth source of a leak
sometimes it is from
the tub spout itself
some of these are pushed on some of them are threaded on mine are usually threaded on it is a half inch thread
that goes in here
there's also some types that are pushed on and than there is also a little alan key underneath
that holds the
spout on also some have a flat head screw
that holds the tub spout on
this is you usually checked
by reaching down inside here it is not always that easy but by putting some pressure here
and either putting a piece of paper or something underneath there while
running the tub
to prove if that's leaking.
The fifth cause of a leak can be the drain itself.
What you want to do is fill up the water.
Plug your toe stop and than you are going to check it from below depending on where you are getting your leak.
Where you are having water show up.
If you are having it show up on the floor outside than
this is a good way to check it.
You can also
pour just a tiny bit
of water by hand
around the side here
to make sure.
I think this one is holding the little bit of water that is here.
So there is no leak here.
Anyway filling it up and checking that would be
your fifth source of a leak.
Sixth could be any kind of a crack
or a break
in the
floor in the tub floor again less, getting into the less often occurring
leaks, but, any little break
in the material in the fiberglass this is a fiberglass tub, depending on what type of material you have
And the seventh source of a leak here is from the tub
overflow gasket there is a donut gasket that goes behind here
again less likely occuring but it does happen
the way you would check this would be to go ahead and fill up your tub with water
let the water go here and seeing if the water is showing up
where you were having the leak.
Anyway that is the seven most likely points that can leak.
Little bit about how to repair them.
Usually with this tub overflow gasket
you just pull out the center screw here
and then
remove the donut gasket there is a donut gasket that squeezes in
remove that and than replace it with a new one.
Tighten down your screw real good. You are good to go.
Anyway that is the seven
most likely
sources of leaks.