Leaky upstairs shower

[vedni]

My shower in my upstairs master bathroom started leaking last week. It is a one-piece fiberglass shower surround. I replaced the rubber gasket in the drain and it is still leaking. Any suggestions for working with this without cutting a hole in my ceiling (no access panels).

[mumbles]

I replaced the seal around the overflow and still saw water droplets. I have an access panel. Check the flanges behind your faucet handles and the faucet itsself. Where this metal meets the wall you can have leaks. Mine had never been caulked or had any plumbers putty put on them. The result was a slight amount of water for years and years, not enough to cause a visible leak to the outside but enough to cause a ton of rot.

[LazyPup]

If you are certain the leak is originating from the drain you may try applying a light coating of clear silicone sealer on both mating surfaces of the rubber gasket, however the leak may not be coming from the drain at all.

The shower arm extension is normally a chrome plated 1/2" diameter brass pipe that has a male NPT( national pipe taper) thread on each end. The inner end of that shower arm should be screwed into a (Drop Ear) 90deg transition elbow.

A drop ear elbow has an input that fits whatever type of pipe is used to construct the distribution piping in your house, CPVC, copper etc. The are two ear like projections on the side of the elbow that have holes in them. Those are to permit screwing the fitting to the framing or wood blocking in the wall to hold the fitting rigid. The output side of the fitting has a Female NPT thread to permit screwing the shower arm into it. A hole is then drilled through the wallboard or enclosure to permit inserting the inner end of the shower arm into the wall where it is screwed into the female threads of the drop ear 90. Understanding that the shower arm and drop ear connection is an NPT thread fitting it then stands that we must apply pipe dope or three wraps of yellow triple density teflon tape to the male threads before screwing it into the drop ear 90. You can easily unscrew the shower arm and replace the pipe dope or teflon then retighten the connection.

The leak may also be originating from a loose stem packing in the shower mixer body.

Nearly all stems or valve assemblies can be serviced by first turning the water off at a zone valve or the water main, then remove the faucett handle and trim escutcheon. With the escutcheon removed you can usually use a flashlight and peek in the opening to examine the mixing body.

Check for leaks both at the end of the stem where the handle shaft enters the stem and where the stem is screwed into the mixer body. In most instances you can resolve the leak by tightening the stem packing nut or tightening the stem into the mixer body. ( You may need a plumbers socket to tighten the stem into the body, if so, you can buy a full set of plumbers sockets at any hardware store for about $10)

Some of the newer thermostatic anti-scald valves have a flat plate that is sealed with a gasket and held in place by screws. You may be able to tighten the screws to stop a leak.

Once you have tightened the stems, packing nuts or mixer cover turn the water on again and visually check for leaks. If no leaks are present you may replace the trim escutcheon and mixer handles.

While it is not mandatory, I prefer to apply a light bead of clear silicone to the backside of the trim escutcheons before replacing them. The will prevent any water running down the inside of the shower enclosure from seeping in behind the trim escutcheon and into the wall.