My shower has been leaking through the taps and I think the water has run into the wall itself as the paint is peeling on the other side of the wall where the shower is. Can anyone help? Is this urgent?
2006-11-24 15:02:24 · 4 answers · asked by Scott BJ 1 in Home & Garden ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
If this has been going on for some time the main problem may be from mold growing in the wall. Mold spores can present a real health danger. If you ignore the mold issue then it's not so bad, but that's the big consideration. I just repaired an area under a kitchen sink where the drain pipes had been leaking for a long time and had begun to rot the floor. There was a big puffy cloud of mold growing under there. In this case it was easy because the access was simple. I treated the area with a borate solution, which among other things acts to kill mold and mildew, and then let it dry out real well. In your case, if you wanted to make sure there was no mold you'd have to take out a part of the wall opposite the tub faucets. This is not a big deal if the wall is sheetrock, and you may want to do this anyway if the water damage is significant.
Forgetting about the mold, the first thing to do is to take the faucets apart and replace the washers, and while you are doing that check to make sure the seats are not damaged. Sometimes the seats will develop a nick or crack and the washers are fine, but usually the washers deteriorate or the bib screw falls apart. If the rim of the seats does not look smooth and intact all the way around, replace them; the faucet may leak even after replacing the washers.
Note: if the water is leaking from the faucet spout itself, it is either the washer or ther seat; if it is leaking from around the valve stem, it's the packing, under the nut at the stem.
I've had to do this so many times it's not even funny. Right now I can tell by the way my cold water faucet acts in the shower that the head of the bib screw has fallen off... So, one of these days I've got to replace that... again. You'd think they could make a metal screw that does not fall apart under water....hmmm. maybe I should try stainless steel... brass does not last.
2006-11-24 15:23:24 · answer #1 · answered by Kokopelli 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
The water is trailing back to the wall, hopefully it's just the packing nuts, probably behind the escutcheons. There should be a small cover over the handle screw, gently pry it off and take the handle screw out. You may need a handle puller to take off the handle, a few dollars well spent at the hardware. Most escutcheons screw out, I'm assuming you shut off the water, directly behind the escutcheon should be a small packing nut, if not, your problem is in the stem and you will have to take that out and replace it. If you do see a packing nut, turn the water back on and see if it leaks, if it does just tighten until it stops, then do the other one. So much easier if you had the name of the valve. Yes it's urgent, if the water starts leaking down, you'll be asking about ceiling repairs.
2006-11-24 15:21:00 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Service call will be at least $40. Go to a hardware store and they will sell you what you need and how to fix it. If you get the water stopped and the sheetrock dries out it should be fine. I would call it urgent.
2006-11-24 15:21:16 · answer #3 · answered by T C 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
YOU MAY ONLY NEED TO REPLACE THE WASHER IN THE TAP. BUT CALL A PLUMBER TO FIND OUT. SERVICE CALL IS NOT TOO MUCH.
2006-11-24 15:08:14 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋