Finding leak in shower
Discussion
We've had a leaking shower for a number of weeks now.
Originally we thought it was the sealant around the tray. However, we have renewed this and am confident that there is no issue there, but the leak still persisted.
We then cut a hole in the plasterboard ceiling below. We can see the water dripping down the outside of the wall panels, but can't work out where it is coming from.
Next, we thought it was getting down the sides of the shower controls,, but these have now been completely sealed and the problem has not gone away.
The plumber wanted to cut an additional hole in the back of the stud wall that contained the shower itself, but the wife wouldn't let him
She wants to rip the whole thing out and replace with new at a total cost of about £3.5k!
Any other ideas as a last resport to try and find the source?
Originally we thought it was the sealant around the tray. However, we have renewed this and am confident that there is no issue there, but the leak still persisted.
We then cut a hole in the plasterboard ceiling below. We can see the water dripping down the outside of the wall panels, but can't work out where it is coming from.
Next, we thought it was getting down the sides of the shower controls,, but these have now been completely sealed and the problem has not gone away.
The plumber wanted to cut an additional hole in the back of the stud wall that contained the shower itself, but the wife wouldn't let him
She wants to rip the whole thing out and replace with new at a total cost of about £3.5k!
Any other ideas as a last resport to try and find the source?
cholo said:
The plumber wanted to cut an additional hole in the back of the stud wall that contained the shower itself, but the wife wouldn't let him
She wants to rip the whole thing out and replace with new at a total cost of about £3.5k!
sounds like your wife is spraying water on the ceiling downstairs so she can get a new bathroom She wants to rip the whole thing out and replace with new at a total cost of about £3.5k!
Get an inspection camera. Something like this... https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pancellent-Inspection-Wat...
Then you only need to drill a 10-15mm hole to have a look in the cavity. Making good a hole that size is easy, unless you have some patterned wall paper.
I've used a 20mm hole saw bit without the centre drill attached to effectively cut 20mm plugs from plasterboard walls before, you can then glue that back in with some no more nails and when set use a fine surface filler.
If you have a loft then sometimes you can attack the problem from above and with a camera get a view of the pipework into and out of the valve.
The water could be from anywhere! It might be as simple as a fitting which needs snugging up, a pin hole leak, from the waste etc etc. Where it shows and where it originates can be markedly different. Plumbing, gotta love it.
A new shower is no guarantee that it won't leak.
Then you only need to drill a 10-15mm hole to have a look in the cavity. Making good a hole that size is easy, unless you have some patterned wall paper.
I've used a 20mm hole saw bit without the centre drill attached to effectively cut 20mm plugs from plasterboard walls before, you can then glue that back in with some no more nails and when set use a fine surface filler.
If you have a loft then sometimes you can attack the problem from above and with a camera get a view of the pipework into and out of the valve.
The water could be from anywhere! It might be as simple as a fitting which needs snugging up, a pin hole leak, from the waste etc etc. Where it shows and where it originates can be markedly different. Plumbing, gotta love it.
A new shower is no guarantee that it won't leak.
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