Invisible plumbing leaks are unfortunate thing. They're wasting water, meaning they're wasting your money. They may be doing serious harm to the structure of your home and triggering mold to grow, as well. This guide will help you to find hidden plumbing leaks and get them fixed in no time.
Finding Dash Leaks in the Tub and Shower
Surrounding the shower room door is a common place for leaks to happen. If everything basically sealed up around the tub or shower door, water can leak away when you take your bath or shower. Possibly an inadequate shower window curtain can allow water to leak in the bathroom and cause damage. The water can soak into the floor, triggering harm to the flooring and however, subfloor. If the subfloor gets wet, it can commence to rot. This will have to get replaced, which means shredding out the floor and subfloor to lay new, dry plywood. What an inconvenience and a huge expense. Rather of going through all that, search for leaks now.
Watch for these symptoms of a splash drip surrounding the shower or tub:
1. Your vinyl floor commences to curl.
2. Ceramic tiles learn to come loose around the tub.
3. There are normal water stains on the limit below the bathroom.
4. The floor joists under the bathroom have drinking water stains.
5. There are obvious patches of mildew on the floor or wall near to the bathtub.
six. There is standing drinking water on to the floor after you get out of the bathtub.
All of these things are signs that you have got a leak somewhere around your tub or shower.
Locating the Leak
Now that you know you have a leak, you need to find out exactly where
it is located. First, check the shower door by splashing water on it,
especially around the edges of the door and the frame. Wait a few
minutes and watch to see where it is leaking. Check any gaskets or door
sweeps to see if they are leaking. Be sure to inspect the caulk, too.
Inspect all the way around the tub or shower where the unit meets the
floor and the wall; are there any cracks in the caulk or areas where
there are missing bits of caulk? This will show you where the water
could be leaking.
Fixing it Fast
If there are missing bits of caulk, you’ll need to remove the old
caulk and replace it with fresh caulk. Be sure to caulk thoroughly and
let it dry sufficiently before you use the shower again. If the shower
frame is leaking, you can seal it by adding a bead of caulk around it.
Check the unit for leaks again after the caulk is dried so that you know
for sure you found and fixed the problem. If you have a leaky gasket or
door sweep, you can replace that accessory. Just take that piece with
you to the hardware store to find the correct replacement piece. Of
course, make sure to always close shower curtains completely and sliding
shower doors correctly to avoid splash leaks.
Shower Drain Leaks
Sometimes water leaks around the outside edge of the drain, so it’s not actually going down the drain. If you have a shower pan or tub that is made of plastic or fiberglass, the floor will bend a little bit when you stand on it. This can cause the seal around the drain to break, and allow water to leak. A leak around the drain can cause rotting of the floor joists or ceiling below. If your home is on a slab, a leaky bathtub drain can even damage the flooring in attached rooms.
Locating the Leak
To test for a leak around the drain, plug the drain and fill the tub
or shower with a couple inches of water. Then wait an hour or so, and go
back and check the water level. If the water level is lower than it was
before, then you have a leak around the drain.
Fixing it Fast
To fix the drain in your tub, start by unscrewing the drain flange.
Clean up the flange, and add some silicone caulk. Replace the rubber
gasket under the drain hole with a new one. With the new gasket in
place, screw the drain flange in again. For a leaky shower drain, you’ll
have to replace the drain assembly.
Tile Leaks
Your bathroom can develop a tile leak when water seeps through cracks
in the caulk or otherwise gets behind the tile. This can cause serious
damage, including tiles falling off the wall and rotting of the drywall,
studs, subfloor, and joists.
These are some symptoms of tile leaks:
- 1. There are tiles that are loose.
- 2. There is mold in the bathroom that keeps returning.
- 3. The paint around the shower is peeling.
- 4. The ceiling below the shower has water stains.
Locating the Leak
To find the leak, inspect the caulk around the tub or shower. Look
for cracks or gaps; these areas will probably have mold, too. If the
tile is loose around the faucet, check inside the access panel to see if
there are stains or moisture.
Fixing it Fast
To fix a tile leak, start by removing the old caulk or grout and any
loose tiles. If the wall behind the tiles is dry, you can replace the
tiles with new grout and add new caulk. If the wall is moist, you’ll
have to replace the board there before replacing the tiles, grout, and
caulk.
Toilet Leaks
A toilet flange leak is a leak that occurs in the area where the
toilet meets the drainage pipe underneath it. If you have a toilet
flange leak, water will leak out every time you flush. This kind of leak
can cause the floor, subfloor, joists, and ceiling below to rot. Look
for these symptoms of a toilet flange leak:
- 1. There is visible water leaking from the base of the toilet.
- 2. The floor around the toilet is loose.
- 3. There are water stains on the ceiling under the toilet.
- 4. The toilet is a bit loose from the floor.
Locating the Leak
If there are stains on the ceiling near the toilet, it is most likely
a leaking toilet flange. You’ll have to remove the toilet, and check
for cracks in the flange, broken bolts, or any loose space between the
flange and the subfloor.
Fixing it Fast
If you have broken bolts, you’ll need to use a metal repair flange.
If the floor isn’t level, you’ll need to add some shims so that the
toilet sits level. Then you can install a new wax ring and put the
toilet back in place.
These steps will help you to find hidden plumbing leaks and fix them
easily.
Tag :
Plumbing Maintenance
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