Now it Leaks, Now it Doesn't... HELP!

This is a strange one but maybe someone can help figure it out:

3 days ago my daughter turned on the shower and it immediately started raining in the kitchen below. I ran upstairs and turned off the shower but the water kept coming through the kitchen ceiling at a pretty good rate. I went to the basement and turned off the hot and cold water supplies to that bathroom. The water from the kitchen ceiling finally stopped. I was able to see water behind the shower surround and I am 99.9% sure that it wasn't a shower-curtain-water-on-the-floor problem.

Now after 3 days I'm trying to determine what happened so I can fix it. I turn on the hot and cold valves to try to find where it is leaking and now there is NO LEAK! Shower on, shower off, bath running, flush toilet... No matter what I do, I can not make it leak!

The valve in the shower is a Symmons Temptrol. Any one have any ideas? I am totally confused.

Thanks for your help!

-- MM --

http://www.symmons.com/Customer-Service.aspx

Just ran into a similar problem in my house.... Turns out the drain line from the tub is cracked slightly at one of the fittings.... sometimes it leaks, sometimes it doesn't...

Start opening walls or ceilings.

Why open the walls if I can't even make it leak again?

BTW, when it was leaking, ithe water was pouring out of the light fixtures in the kitched ceiling. Not just some dripping.

Thx.

leak

Until you can duplicate the situation and make it leak, DO NOT DO ANYTHING. And until it happens and you can give us more information we cannot even advise you.



Moisture meter from General Tools

I had a similar experience when my children were young. Long story short. When the children were in the shower, they pointed the shower head in a direction that shot the water against the wall where there was a tiny little gap in the grout between two tiles. (It took me some time to figure this out.) With that much water pressure, it was amazing how much water was forced through. However, my shower was over an unfinished basement, so the water just followed the floor joists and dripped over a larger area.

Redwood slids a massive pile of chips onto leaking diverter/volume spool...
Thinks to himself this is a lock baby!
Conceals his glee from the others and gets ready to rake in the cash...

A very common leak with these valves occurs where the T-30 diverter/volume lever enters the valve. It doesn't occur all the time but when the lever is in just the right position a lot of water can come out. If you are using this valve on a tub/shower replacing the TA-25A, will cure the leak. If it is a shower only you need a TA-25B. Remove the handle and escutchion then turn it on and insert the T-30 lever into place and move it to different positions watch for water to come out of the screw hole in the T-21C.

Let me know when I can collect my bet...



I wouldn't open anything up untill this is checked!

This advice only applies to the Symmons Temptrol valve cited by the original poster.

Pain and consternation on the face of yours truly as Mr. Redwood manages once again to beat me to the draw.

Real common S96-2 problem.