A leaking shower not just wastes water but it also irritates you with its constant sound of water dripping. Such plumbing problems call for immediate action and are often minor enough to be handled by you only. Some excerpts that may help you with diagnosing and fixing a leaking shower yourself are mentioned below.
Before kicking off the assignment make sure that you have the required plumbing tools to aid the repair work. It includes the typical pipe wrenches or the crescent wrenches and the Teflon tapes. The washers made of plastic or rubber O-ring may be needed as well.
Once all the tools are in tact, remove the shower head from the stem to discover the junction where head meets the pipe. Though the head is removed easily by the hands but if it is a bit tight then avail the services of a pipe wrench or a crescent wrench. If the head is held on with screws then unscrew the head.
Once the shower head is detached take a look into the shower head to locate the place where the head screws into the pipe. A plastic or rubber O-ring washer would be located there. If the washer leaves a black goo on your fingers then it is time to replace it. Match the size of the washer with a new one to replace it effectively. Just push the new washer into the assembly such that it is placed flat inside the fixture.
After fixing the washer check the threads on the stem. They require a regular tightening operation since they're susceptible to constant loosening. Wrap a Teflon tape (two wraps only) around the threading to tighten the arrangement making sure that tape is wrapped in the same direction as that of the thread flow. Only the area of the pipe where the thread runs should be wrapped and not the smooth pipe area.
Hand-tighten the head on the stem after the washer and the threads are fixed. Don't over tight the head as that may lead to stripping of the stem's threads. After the shower is assembled test the shower for any leaks by turning the water supply on.
If the leaks still persist then again open the shower head to replace the tape and wrap it again this time around with an extra wrap. Also tighten the head a quarter turn further.
That should solve the problem for you but if it happens otherwise then make way for a plumber as the leak may be accredited to a faulty water-control valve of the shower.
Author Resource:
Scott Rodgers is a distinguished author who has been providing great guidance on plumbing works all over the country. His splendid knowledge has, in fact, sparked significant rise in revenue for talented plumbers across the country, from Winter Park Plumbers(Need one? click here !) to West Palm Beach Plumbers(Need one? click here !).
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