How To Repair Shower Leaks

A photo of a leaking shower head

Untreated shower leaks are not but annoying but also expensive to repair. Sometimes, you lot tin hands repair the leak without professional assist. However, yous should know how to identify a trouble that is beyond your plumbing skills. Implementing a temporary solution before the professional person repair can save you from the serious consequences of a leaky shower.

So, if you lot:

Think in that location's a leak in your shower;
Don't know how to place where it's coming from;
Want to avert serious impairment to your property.

And so this post is right for you lot! Proceed on reading to find out why your shower is leaking.

Signs of a Leaking Shower

Ignore h2o leaks for too long, and they tin get a reason for serious holding damage, so identifying the source of the leakage is the first step towards resolving it. That is why we recommend that you know how to bank check for leaks in your bathroom.

There are sure visible clues that can help y'all identify if your shower is leaking. Look around the firm for the following signs:

Detached tiles. Because the grout and adhesives that hold the tiles are constantly exposed to water, they might loosen up over time. This can crusade the tiles to fall off.
Mould and mildew. When the environment is wet and warm, there is a high adventure of mould actualization in your bathroom. That commonly happens because the water aerosol from a leaking shower don't dry out and stay in the corners of your bathroom, creating perfect conditions for mould growth. The about common places for mucus growth are between tiles, grout, and caulked joints.
Visible stains on the walls and floor. Depending on the location of your shower, yous might spot blemishes on the walls and flooring. When your leakage isn't that severe, water remainder and rust are the most common types of stains that you lot may meet. Yet, if the problem is much more than serious, you might see the stains forming on the level of your home below the bathroom.
Mouldy odour. Unfortunately, the mould is often hard to spot, simply you can recognise it past the earthy smell. That is not a adept sign, though, and it means that your leak is hidden and might crave a lot of restoration.

Can a Leaking Shower Pose a Threat?

The level of danger depends on how much damage the leak is causing to the structure of your dwelling, but this does non hateful that y'all should leave the problem untreated until the last moment. Actually, a leaking shower should be fixed immediately to foreclose emergencies and plush repairs. Calorie-free dripping leads to increased water bills and eventually results in more significant problems. The moisture accumulates in the walls – and this is where the trouble starts.

Penetrating the walls, water leaks will eventually attain the substructure that, most of the time, is not waterproof. Once the h2o reaches wooden structures, the building becomes susceptible to pest intrusion and rot. Water-damaged buildings, if untreated, can reach the point where they collapse.

Moreover, damp conditions in the substructure trigger mould growth that might pose a serious danger to your health. Some types of mould are toxic for people: throat soreness, irritation in the eyes, and allergic reactions are only some potential health issues.

As you can see, water damage from a leaking shower can be serious, so past treating it on time, you will avert boosted costs and protect your family unit from potential hazards.

Is it safe to use a leaking electric shower ?

Long story short – no, it is not safe. It is a well-known fact that electricity and water are not uniform. If you notice whatsoever leaks in your electrical shower, immediately plow off the power fuse and call professional plumbers, as DIY repairs can be quite unsafe, if you don't know how the inner components of your electric shower role. Experts know how to handle shower leaks of whatsoever complexity, so you're in safe easily.

Why is Your Shower Leaking and How to Fix it

Hither we have described the about common causes of shower leaks and what you tin do to fix them. Retrieve, some solutions require a sure degree of plumbing noesis. Please, exercise not effort whatever repairs, unless y'all are confident of your plumbing skills.

#i. Chock-full or faulty showerhead

Prevention pace: Opt for water softening plumbing if y'all want your pipes and bathroom fixtures to be clog-gratis.

The reason: If your shower caput is leaking, there are 2 potential reasons causing it to drip: a limescale buildup or a faulty rubber washer – a circular rubber detail that insulates your showerhead.

The solution:

Here'southward how to ready a leaking shower caput:

Step i. Disassemble the showerhead from the hose or the shower wall, depending on your shower blazon;

Stride 2. Spray a limescale solution on the showerhead and let it sit to dissolve the h2o residue;

Step 3. After 10 minutes, scrub it thoroughly with a cleaning castor;

Step iv. Rinse the showerhead well with water and let it fully dry out;

Step 5. While the showerhead dries, check the conditions of the rubber washer;

Step 6. If you spot any damages like cracks or tears, replace information technology with a new one. You lot tin can easily observe them in whatsoever hardware store;

Stride 7. Identify some agglutinative tape on the threads of the connexion for an additional seal;

Stride 8. Assemble all the parts back together.

#two. Worn shower hose

The reason: Shower hoses are exposed to regular wear and tear. That is why y'all might need to change them from fourth dimension to fourth dimension.

The solution:

How to fix a leaking shower hose:

Step 1. Disconnect the one-time hose from the tap and remove the rubber washer. Keep the washer, as you lot will need to place information technology on the new hose, and if it'due south damaged, get a new ane;

Step 2. Detach the showerhead, and again remove the washer. Y'all need 2 washers for two joints;

Step 3. Adhere the new hose, with the washers placed on both sides, and hand-tighten them.

#3. Faulty shower mixer tap

The reason: Well-nigh of the time, the shower mixer tap leaks because of the worn rubber seal. You can find it between the neck and the spout of the mixer, and in gild to prepare this leak, yous should supplant the damaged seal ring.

The solution:

The 6 steps on how to prepare a leaking shower bar mixer:

Step 1. Turn off both the hot and cold water supply, and drain the water that sits in the line;

Step 2. Remove the mixer spout;

Pace iii. Locate the circular safety seal inside the cervix of the mixer;

Step 4. Have the seal out and supersede it with a new ane;

Step 5. Install the spout dorsum to the mixer;

Step six. Turn on the water supply and exam the water menstruation.

#four. Worn shower valve

The reason: If y'all have tried changing the rubber seal, only it didn't help, then the trouble could be the shower valve. This is a function of the shower that sits behind the shower faucet and directs the hot and cold h2o to the showerhead. Over fourth dimension, it gets damaged and clogs up by water remainder.

The solution:

How to fix a leaking shower valve in six elementary steps:

Stride 1. Plough off the h2o supply;

Step 2. Have off the shower handle past removing a spiral in the eye of it. Set information technology bated. With some handles, the screws are subconscious under a plastic cap;

Stride iii. Unscrew the trim plate that'south attached to the wall with two screws. As you remove it, you lot will see a hollow space and a valve itself;

Step iv. Remove a valve clip – a ii-pronged metal part on elevation of the valve;

Step 5. Have the valve out. Don't pull it too difficult, as yous risk breaking the water pipes. If the valve is hard to pull, spray some lubricant on;

Step six . Alter the valve and assemble everything dorsum in the correct guild.

#5. Cracked shower tiled surfaces

The reason: Sometimes, fifty-fifty the waterproof surfaces turn out to exist the culprit behind a leak. Equally your tile grout cracks, the h2o gets between the tiles and eventually soaks into the surface behind or under them.

The solution:

Here's how to fix a shower leaking trough tiles:

Step ane. Remove the old grout, and to make your chore easier, use a grout saw;

Stride 2. Once the grout is fully removed, wait for the area to dry out. Make sure that the bathroom is well-ventilated;

Step iii. Apply new grout but better use one with low absorption rates. Sanded tile grout is the all-time selection in this case, as it not merely has depression absorption rates only is as well resistant to breakage;

Step 4. When you take grouted your tiles, let the expanse fully dry once again;

Step 5 (optional). Apply a layer of sealer to preclude the shower from leakages.

#6. Faulty shower drain connections

The reason: When you lot are dealing with a leaking shower drain, you might non fifty-fifty find until the leakage reaches the ceiling underneath the bathroom. The reasons might be many, merely the most common i is weak drain connections.

The solution: The drains of showers or bathtubs are connected to a P-trap that prevents your sewer gases from going back into your drain and, at the aforementioned time, allows the wastewater to get downwardly the sewer. If the P-trap hasn't been installed correctly or has experienced some damages, it might cause a leak. In this case, if you lot can reach the P-trap, examine it for any damages and if you come across any – seal them.

#7. Shower supply pipes issues

The reason: The force per unit area in the water supply pipes allows us to accept a smooth water flow whenever nosotros plough on a faucet. Even so, if the pipes are damaged or haven't been installed correctly, the pressure creates a leak.

The solution: Most homes take pipelines in-between the edifice structures, therefore, access can be limited. If you are not completely certain that the h2o leak is coming from the main water supply pipes, run a simple examination. Here is how to fix a leaking shower pipage:

Plow off all the water supply in the business firm;
Check your water meter dials that show litres;
Compare the results in 2 hours. If the dials take moved over this time, then you have a leak in the water supply pipes.

Unfortunately, the repair of the water supply pipes can be quite dangerous for an inexperienced person. That is why nosotros highly recommend entrusting the repairs to professional plumbers.

#eight. Deteriorated seal of the shower tray and the shower tray waste material pipe

The reason: Shower trays are usually water-resistant, nonetheless, when exposed to any movements, they might get-go letting the water pass to the surfaces below. The unfixed floorboards might cause the movements underneath the tray. Likewise, some other reason could be a badly installed tray that moves when whatsoever pressure is practical.

Another cause is a faulty sealant, every bit you lot have a silicone sealant roofing the spaces between your shower tray and tiles, it might starting time peeling off with time, allowing the water to enter the places it shouldn't.

The solution:

So, if y'all're wondering how to fix a leaking shower tray, here are some tips:

When the problem is in the sealant, you can easily fix the leak yourself. Just peel off the defective sealant with a sharp knife, but be conscientious. Let the joints dry out fully and apply an actress layer of sealant. Modern sealants accept anti-bacterial and mould-resistant properties, so make sure you lot choose the best one, to prevent the leaks from reappearing.

Nonetheless, if you presume that the source of a leak is in your shower tray waste matter pipe, then nearly likely you volition have to remove information technology. To practice and so:

Step 1. Take off the kickoff two rows of tiles. Shower trays are usually installed before the tiling, so it creates a tight connection that will not permit the water in;

Pace 2. Thoroughly examine the waste material pipe for the sources of the leaks;

Pace three. Tighten up and seal the leaking joints of the tray waste piping;

Step iv. Get together the shower tray dorsum. Don't forget to level the tray with a spirit level.

Shower Keeps Leaking? Here'due south What to Do!

Sometimes, our desires are limited by our skills, no affair how hard nosotros want to handle a given situation, and that's okay. There is nothing incorrect with it, you lot can always ask for a helping hand considering professional plumbers will be more than than happy to assist yous. Spare yourself the trouble, phone call an expert to fix your leaking shower.

Leaking Shower – Signs, Possible Causes, and How to Fix Them

Need assistance? Hire the London Belongings Service experts today by giving us a call on 020 3078 5920.