Leaking shower in wall???

[Discusdan]

Hi there I have a triton tees mixer shower. Lately I have noticed a large scale build up and seen there is a very tiny amount of water that runs down the tile. Probably a few millilitres a day if that. I have had a home serve plumber out to check and he has said needs tiles off as he doesn't know how far back leak will be . Is this leak likely to need that to be fixed I would have thought it would just be the connector from pipe to mixer bar but I'm far from knowledgeable in plumbing?

 

[Deleted member 32524]

Might need it. I am sure he will check as best he can before ripping anything off. Access is not always as easy as you may think.

 

[Riley]

As above, the HomeServe guy is the one that has eyes on the issue so he is best placed to advise you accordingly sadly when pipework is concealed a little distruction is necessary if they think there is a leak. Wouldn't you rather that there wasn't a larger problem just waiting to happen further down the line

 

[Discusdan]

Better pic. Leaking from that tape

 

[Riley]

Difficulty you've got is that the water may just be running from the joint but it could also be running down the pipe and into the wall. You don't know unless you investigate, I'm sure you'd rather your wall didn't rot

 

[Discusdan]

Yeh but the plumber also said might not need to rip tiles off if I buy new shower so no idea now really

 

[Riley]

As I say it hinges on what the guy on site thinks has gone on. It could just be that the joint needs re-making to stop the leak. It could be that where it's been leaking it's actually caused some damage. It's very difficult to give you an in depth assessment on a forum

 

[Chalked]

Looks to me like it needs stripping back out of the wall plates. Re taping, and making in again. Can't understand why the guy didn't at least try!

 

[Discusdan]

I know it's clearly leaking from the tape so at least try that first. He had a quick look without taking anything apart and said yeh needs tiles off leaking in the wall . But a new shower might fix it

 

[Phil]

Why has he done it like that anyway? I'd be scarred to touch it in case i dislodged some other horror in the wall.

 

[Discusdan]

All that tape you mean? It's a new extension 3 years old I don't know if diy shower job or plumber

 

[Discusdan]

I'm guessing the bit just unscrews out that brass looking bit and I can re tape if plumber doesn't?

 

[Riley]

It might yes. I don't know the shower you've got, pipe centres may be odd and he is needing to adjust the pipework in order to accommodate a new shower. My point you keep ignoring though is whether it's caused damage elsewhere. I don't know what home serves remit is but if I were in the same position I'd definitely be drawing my customers attention to potential long term damage. My recommendation is ask Homeserve

 

[Riley]

I know it's clearly leaking from the tape so at least try that first. He had a quick look without taking anything apart and said yeh needs tiles off leaking in the wall . But a new shower might fix it

It might yes. I don't know the shower you've got, pipe centres may be odd and he is needing to adjust the pipework in order to accommodate a new shower. My point you keep ignoring though is whether it's caused damage elsewhere. I don't know what home serves remit is but if I were in the same position I'd definitely be drawing my customers attention to potential long term damage. My recommendation is ask Homeserve

 

[Riley]

All that tape you mean? It's a new extension 3 years old I don't know if diy shower job or plumber

More likely builder no plumber fits showers like that

 

[Phil]

You can tell be his work he's not a professional even if he is a plumber, he hasn't waterproofed the hole in the tile.

Is this just a bar shower?

 

[Discusdan]

Yep triton tees mixer shower

 

[Chalked]

Looks like it's piped up for a bar shower with threaded adaptors. Then a shower that needs 15mm copper stuck out, has been used. Then to adapt, from female thread to copper tail, they have used radiator valve tails!
Really is a simple fix for an average plumber.

 

[Discusdan]

Would you be concerned that water has been leaking and is damaging brickwork?

 

[Chalked]

Would you be concerned that water has been leaking and is damaging brickwork?

Without taking a tile off, you can't tell. If it is the tail/thread, most will have been dripping into the shower area. But fix the leak first. Then, if that cures it, seal the joint between the tile and the fitting with silicone to sop water getting behind.
Personally, I would not remove the tile if reselling the thread cures it.

 

[Discusdan]

Thank you I'll see what he says Friday

 

[NickH]

That's a standard bar mixer fitted using the offsets that come with the kit
The offsets are threaded into a 1/2 female fitting, either a straight or elbow.
You can redo that joint but the danger is you may loosen another joint within the wall.

 

[Discusdan]

Ok what do you reckon my best bet is ? To be honest when I tightened the shower back on that bit did move slightly and the leak seems to have reduced slightly. Is it just a spanner needed to tighten that in to the bit in the wall I can't tell because of all that tape or sealant

 

[JCplumb]

That's a standard bar mixer fitted using the offsets that come with the kit
The offsets are threaded into a 1/2 female fitting, either a straight or elbow.
You can redo that joint but the danger is you may loosen another joint within the wall.

Absolutely agree with that.
Had a mare of a job a couple of months ago because of those darned triton offsets that people insist on using. Undoing the shower can cause the hidden compression fitting to move and subsequently leak. Loctite 55 would help, but best course of action for me is to repipe with copper coming out of wall at 150s into a shower backplate. It would involve some tile 'persuasion' but it's the best way IMO.

 

[tamz]

Looking at the photo (the way the hole had been drilled in the tile) it looks like it has been fitted after the wall has been tiled. Is there access from behind ie a plasterboard wall?
It should be screwed into wall plate adaptors but there is no guarantee. If it is not wall plates there is a risk the fitting behind will slacken when you try to undo it then you will have a leak inside the wall.

 

[Discusdan]

Hi I think it's a brick wall behind it to my daughters bedroom

 

[tamz]

If it is bent adapters you will be fine if not you will probably create a bigger leak.
I'd want the tile off before i touched it.

 

[Discusdan]

Ok to be honest it's basically a drop or two a day now I checked this morning and pretty much nothing had ran down the wall. Still never know if it's leaking behind . Problem is getting the same tiles again or I wouldn't mind carefully grinding tile out so only one needed replacing

 

[Radioman]

I know it's clearly leaking from the tape so at least try that first. He had a quick look without taking anything apart and said yeh needs tiles off leaking in the wall . But a new shower might fix it

It's the old "you touched it last" scenario. If he put a tool on it and then later a leak developed behind the tile, the last man to touch it would get the blame and the bill for total repair. That's the consequence of our blame culture. I would want an agreement in writing that I would not be responsible for any future damage caused. Or tiles off and a proper repair.

 

[Dally]

help! we have same problem of a leak inside our newly tiled and fitted wall!! we see absolutely no evidence of leakage anywhere in the bathroom but in the ceiling downstairs it is really wet. we have replaced and tightened all joints and there are no joins inside the wall, the pipes just run through it. we can't understand where the leak can be coming from. any suggestions?!!

 

[Riley]

Welcome along, You'd probably be better off starting a new thread as it'll get more views

 

[SimonG]

Probably ppi.