Thursday, January 20, 2011

Leaks From the Bathtub

So,you have water leaking from the tub everytime it is used.  This is a list of the places where it maybe found.

1.The best way to find the leak is to start from the bottom of the tub.I recently repaired a drain on a tub spud that was not tight.  That is the part of the tub that screws into the bottom of the tub.  If you can see the tub drain from underneath and this is where it is at;just remove the plug and find a tool (quite often a spanner or set of electrician's pliers will do the job in most cases) ; place it in the drain and slide a screw driver through the boxed end of the wrench;unscrew the spud.  Clean it (remove any old putty), replace the putty with plumbers putty by making a snake shape to go around the spud 3/8ths of an inch thick that completely goes around the spud. (you must knead the putty first to make it soft)  Tighten in and you should be good to go.(I never recommend taking the spud out unless it is absolutely necessary).  Never remove it to clean the drain!

2.The next thing to check is the overflow that is usually located above the bath waste.  The best way to check this is to fill the tub with cold water or after you get a bath add additional cold water above the overflow.  If the leak is coming from this area becareful as the overflow has a rubber gasket behind the escochen that seals the overflow to the tub.  Usually a screwdriver will allow you to remove the overflow.  What you want to do is check is that the rubber gasket is alined with the hole.  If this is the problem and the rubber gasket is not in the centre of the whole; back the screws off a little to allow you to move the rubber to the centre of the drain and retighten.

3.The drains have been checked and turn out ok.  The number one cause of leaks is NO silicone is installed where the spout and faucets come through the wall or side of the tub.  When the faucets are installed, there should be silicone applied between the faucet and the hole it passes through.  It should also be applied where the pipe for the spout passes through the wall.  This is the most common problem fo leaks around tubs.

4.The last place is at the shower arm . If the leak only happens when you are getting a shower; it could be number 2, 3 or 4 because the water boouncing off you may go down around the any openings that are not sealed.  It is possible for the shower arm to be corroded and has to be replaced.  Undo the shower head and then remove the arm.  If it breaks off when you are replacing it, you may need a 1/2 inch pipe extractor to remove the pipe in the wingback elbow or female adaptor.  It is possible to pick the joint out of the fitting, but it takes some time to get the hang of this procedure.  The new shower haed arms are now made of plastic and brass.  Either is exceptable to use; just don't forget to put about 6 wraps of a good quality teflon on the threads before you screw it back into the wall.  Do not put the shower head on before you screw it into the wall if the tub has an enclosed top as you may not be able to turn the arm with the head attached.

Hard to beat a warm shower or bath....leave a question if you wish

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