Leak Behind Shower Wall

Uh-oh, you went into your closet this morning and found the floor all wet behind the shower or found a leak behind the shower wall.  First thing to do is to see if it is spreading or is it just one area that is saturated.

If the wet spot keeps getting bigger, turn off the water to the house.  Hopefully, you know where that is.  At Wimpy’s Plumbing & Air, a family owned plumbing business in Sarasota, we make sure that our customers know where they can turn off their water in case of an emergency.  We also suggest they have a lever handle, quarter turn ball valve installed, so that it is easy to turn off.

So now you know if it is spreading or not.  If it was spreading you may have a pressure leak in the water piping system in your home.  There are a few different ways to determine where the pressure leak is coming from.  The best way is to have the leak located with an electronic, leak detection tool.  You will need to call a professional plumber to have this done.  By having the leak located electronically, you won’t have to tear open walls or floors where you don’t need to.  This tool will pinpoint the exact location of your leak, so wall or floor repair is minimal.  Then you can fix your leak, dry up the water and have a great day!

If the leak did not spread,  then a little more investigation is in store.  First, dry up all of the water. Then think back to the last time you ran the shower.  Was anything different? Number of people, spraying the handheld shower around to clean the shower or was the shower draining slower than normal and you were standing in water, ankle deep.

Check the shower arm that the shower head is screwed into. Is it real loose or just broke off in your hand?  If the shower arm is broke, this will cause a leak behind the shower wall.

Maybe the water splashing from you body is getting behind the shower plate where the handle is.  Check the shower plate for holes or cracks.  If you find holes or cracks, caulk around the plate.

If these things were not your problem, then plug the shower drain, and fill up the shower with about 2″ of water.  This procedure will test the integrity of your shower pan.  A shower pan is a safety liner under the shower floor.  After filling the shower up with about 2″ of water,  check behind the shower or where you had water.  If you start to see water, then you can know that your shower pan is need of replacement.

Replacing the shower pan will involve your plumber and a tile man.  I sure hope these tips help you find your leak behind your shower wall.  If you need help or want to discuss your particular plumbing problem, call Wimpy’s Plumbing & Air, 941-322-1911 or schedule and appointment online!

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