Over 698,000 strictly plumbing related posts
Plumbing education, information, advice, help and suggestions are provided by some of the most experienced plumbers who wish to "give back" to society. Since 1996 we have been the best online (strictly) PLUMBING advice site. If you have questions about plumbing, toilets, sinks, faucets, drains, sewers, water filters, venting, water heating, showers, pumps, and other strictly PLUMBING related issues then you've come to the right place. Please refrain from asking or discussing legal questions, or pricing, or where to purchase products, or any business issues, or for contractor referrals, or any other questions or issues not specifically related to plumbing. Keep all posts positive and absolutely no advertising. Our site is completely free, without ads or pop-ups and we don't tract you. We absolutely do not sell your personal information. We are made possible by:
Author:
vulkanian (OK)
I have a pipe leak "I am assuming" under one of the tubs on the second floor. When we use the shower, we can go downstairs and there is water that runs out of one of the conduit cables coming out of the ceiling and into one of the light fixtures and then drips on the counter. Anyway my question is does anyone know the approx. hours that might be required for a plumber to cut a section out of the ceiling or second floor and fix the pipe? I know everyone is different but i'm just trying to get a rough estimate? 4hrs, 10hrs etc... thank you in adavance for any response.
Jason
|
Post Reply
|
Author:
jimmy-o (CA)
Can't tell without seeing more. Remember that your plumber will tear into your ceiling if that is what is required. He will not put it back together. You will have to hire someone else to repair that.
|
Post Reply
|
Author:
redwood (CT)
There are many possibilities ranging from tightening a packing nut on a valve to replacing a drain pipe and anywhere in between. It is impossible to say what may be found and require repair.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Since 1995 (3 years before Google started) PlumbingSupply.com has been THE best plumbing supplier on the web. Please visit our sponsor [www.PlumbingSupply.com]
|
Post Reply
|
Author:
vulkanian (OK)
Thanks for the response. I think I will try to tear up the bathroom floor upstairs next to the tub and see if I can find where the leak is coming from. I was wanting to rip up the carpet and install tile anyway. I assume I will be able to see the plubming after tearing out the floor?
|
Post Reply
|
Author:
redwood (CT)
Whoa! Whoa! Go easy there. You probably will see nothing from there and just make a big headache & mess. I always try to figure out where it is coming from without tearing anything up first!
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Since 1995 (3 years before Google started) PlumbingSupply.com has been THE best plumbing supplier on the web. Please visit our sponsor [www.PlumbingSupply.com]
|
Post Reply
|
Author:
vulkanian (OK)
To be honest I have no idea where to start. Here is what I know as of today. It only seems to be leaking when we run the water in the Tub. It doesn't leak when we run the sink or the toilet. One time about 2yrs ago the water pipe going to the toilet was leaking and the carpet behind the toilet was real wet and one of the ceiling lights in the kithen started dripping. The new leak is about 3 feet away from the original spot. The tub is right against the west wall on the second floor and the water dripping is right on the light fixture over the kitchen sink on the first floor which is against the west wall.
|
Post Reply
|
Author:
jimmy-o (CA)
Lets confirm that the water is from a drain pipe, vs a water supply pipe. Get about 5 or 10 gallons of water into the tub, from outside or somewhere.....do not turn on the tub taps. Let it drain and see if the leak recurs. If it does, then the place to open up is the downstairs ceiling. There is little or nothing that can be discovered from above.
If it turns out not to be drain related, then you can remove the escutheons (trim) from the handles and shower head, and look for leaks. You might next also remove the tub spout to look for signs of a leak from the back of that.
It's flashlight and Dick Tracy time!
|
Post Reply
|
Author:
redwood (CT)
Could be a variety of things none of which are definite until you catch the smoking gun.
Possibilities include: (not in any order of possibilty)
1) Leaking Valve
2) Leaking Tub Spout
3) Leaking Valve Bezel
4) Leaking or Missing Overflow Gasket
5) Leaking Waste & Overflow Assy.
6) Leaking Trap or, Drain Piping
7) Leaking Connection Shower Arm/Drop Ear Elbow
8) Tile in Poor Condition
9) Cracked or, Corroded Tub
10) Tub Enclosure Panels Loose/Leaking
11) Grab Rail Through Enclusure Leaking
12) Tub Pitched Wrong water runs over the side
13) Careless use of shower curtain
14) Rails/Soap Trays mounted in tile wall leaking
15) Window in wall leaking
16) Glass Doors Leaking.
17) All The Ones I Forgot To List!
Good luck! These can be tough to find! Remove whatever trim plates or escutchens you can and look in the holes to see if you can find the leak. Soetimes it just helps to know if it is leaking above or below a point. Measure carefully below and see where the leak lines up with the bathroom above. Try to discount water tracking to an opening. Sometimes if the ceiling below is damaged badly enough I just open it up and look. I do try to save a ceiling that is not badly damaged though. Sometimes the area where the valve & drain is located backs up to a closet wall. I have cut a hole in the closet wall to view under the tub to see about finding the leak. Nobody is going to see a hole in a closet wall. Walls and ceilings are almost always easier to patch than a floor and you will see next to nothing from a floor opening. Note sometimes a leak may be due to where a particular person positions the showerhead or the way the water bounces off their body.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Since 1995 (3 years before Google started) PlumbingSupply.com has been THE best plumbing supplier on the web. Please visit our sponsor [www.PlumbingSupply.com]
Edited 1 times.
|
Post Reply
|
Author:
coach606 (IL)
Just so you know, here's what you'd face when you try to open up the floor. At the very least, underneath your carpet will 3/4" plywood subflooring which you'd have to saw through with a circular saw to make an opening. This is probably glued as well as nailed down and can be quite a challenge.
In bathrooms, quite often you have layers of flooring, depending on the age of your house. Unless this is new construction and you decided to lay down the carpet, my guess is you've got tile underneath the carpet anyway. If your house is old you could even run into tiles set in cement, which is really a bear to deal with. If there is tile underneath, you'd also likely have cement board or hardibacker, or even a mud pack underneath the tile.
It would be pretty rare for a plumber to investigate the leak through the floor. Much, much easier, probably, to cut away some drywall from below.
My personal guess is a leaky overflow drain, but it's really just a shot in the dark. If you can, be there when the plumber comes. You can probably learn a bit by watching.
Most of the issues described are an easy fix for a pro once the leak source is discovered. The worst thing I can think of is for their to be some cast iron dwv pipes that need removing with a sawzall. But a pro will make short work of that as well.
Good luck. Let us know how it turns out. By the way, I'm not a pro.
Edited 1 times.
|
Post Reply
|
Author:
redwood (CT)
Ah but Coach your learning!
Vulkanian, Remember to follow the logic and don't do anything illogical.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Since 1995 (3 years before Google started) PlumbingSupply.com has been THE best plumbing supplier on the web. Please visit our sponsor [www.PlumbingSupply.com]
Edited 2 times.
|
Post Reply
|
Author:
vulkanian (OK)
Well, all I did was unscrew the drain grate and the seal looks real dirty and had a lot of crap on it so i cleaned it real well. Then I tightened the center switch or whatever you call it, "the switch that I flip up and down to hold water in the tub". Anyway, I then poured water into the tub from another sink and it never leaked, so I thought well maby there needs to be more water running out. I then stopped the drain and filled the tub up and let it run out and still didn't see any leak. This morning my wife and I both took a shower and there was still no leak? Could doing such a small thing have stopped the leak?
Jason
|
Post Reply
|
Author:
redwood (CT)
Maybe! Hopefully you got lucky on the first thing you checked. I'd watch it real careful! #4 on the list!
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Since 1995 (3 years before Google started) PlumbingSupply.com has been THE best plumbing supplier on the web. Please visit our sponsor [www.PlumbingSupply.com]
|
Post Reply
|
Author:
vulkanian (OK)
Well, it's back again.
I have recently removed our fluorescent lighting on the first floor kitchen and installed canned lighting. There is one hole by the sink in the ceiling that I haven't patched yet. We recently regrouted our shower so everyone has been using the second bathtub/shower where the leak was before.
Now it has started leaking again and it is coming out that little hole right next to the sink.
I have checked the spout in the tub and looked behind the tub from the room next to it and while the shower is running and I never see any leaks or drips so it must be coming from the drain somewhere. I really hate to cut into the ceiling but it look slike the only choice I have.
I'm wondering if because we all started using that shower--4 of us that it worsened the leak.
|
Post Reply
|
Please note:
- Inappropriate messages or blatant advertising will be deleted. We cannot be held responsible for bad or inadequate advice.
- Plbg.com has no control over external content that may be linked to from messages posted here. Please follow external links with caution.
- Plbg.com is strictly for the exchange of plumbing related advice and NOT to ask about pricing/costs, nor where to find a product (try Google), nor how to operate or promote a business, nor for ethics (law) and the like questions.
- Plbg.com is also not a place to ask radiant heating (try HeatingHelp.com), electrical or even general construction type questions. We are exclusively for plumbing questions.
Search for plumbing parts on our sponsor's site:
Special thanks to our sponsor:
|