Bathroom plumbing leaks...help!

[mikal]

We noticed water stains in downstairs bedroom ceiling directly below the upstairs shower. I removed enough damaged ceiling wallboard to notice water coming down along the vertical copper feed pipe when the shower was turned on. Strangely, it also drips along the same route at the same rate when the (separate) tub next to the stall shower is being filled. (I recently replaced the shower valve cartridge as it was getting very hard to pull/push to turn on/off.) Are the tub and shower leaks separate problems or could they be related? I'm suspicious of the valve cartridge since that's the only changes made to the system but don't understand how that would be related to leaking when the tub water is running. Any ideas?


Mikal

 

[Seaofnames]

Do you have hard water? pH? It could be clogging/eating away copper and messing with the mixing valve as well. How is the pressure coming from the shower head? Check for mineral deposits.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[mikal]

Our water is hard, but looking at the mixing valve there doesn't appear to be any outside damage. Our pressure at the shower seems normal. Could I have installed the mixing valve cartridge incorrectly when I replaced it a few months ago? I followed the directions, but since this is the first I've ever replaced......

 

[Seaofnames]

One more thing to check before you actually do any more work is the pressure in the house. If its over 80psi, you could have problems down the road, no matter how good of a job you do replacing stuff.

Of course installing/replacing a PRV has to be done right... search around to find out more about it.

 

[mikal]

Pressure not high

The water pressure in our home is not high. I've removed and cleaned the Price Pfister shower valve cartridge and the valve body and reinstalled it. Turned on the shower water for 10 minutes and no leaks whatsoever. The wife took a shower...no leaks....I took a shower....leaks again..same spot. Curiositiy led me to turn on the bathtub faucet.....once again, leaks in the same spot. I'm right back to my original posting!

 

[Terry]

Possible spots to leak.

Tub diverter spouts

Caulking around the valves and spouts

The overflow fitting on the tub drain

A bad shower arm

An open shower door or curtain, yes, this happens all too often.