We completed a condo renovation using a contractor. A not very good contractor as we've come to find out. Lots of problems keep surfacing.

Last night my wife took her first bath in the newly installed Bootz Mauicast tub on the second floor. I was in the 1st floor living room. All of a sudden I hear the sound of rapidly dripping water... a lot of it... and when I look in the kitchen I see a literal torrent of water pouring out of the cupboard above the stove which just happens to be right below the 2nd floor tub that my wife just got in.

The tub drain is not leaking. I've confirmed that because I've taken several showers and no leaks. However what I believe happened is that she filled the tub right up to the bottom of the overflow and when she got in, the water level raised up and exited where it was supposed to exit, into the overflow pipe. Obviously, the overflow pipe is leaking somehow and that's what I can't answer. The amount of water that was pouring out of the cabinet indicates this was no slow drip of a leak. The water had an easy trip out of the overflow pipe. I don't get it.

Unfortunately there is no access panel to the tub plumbing, although I suppose one could be made, But for now, there isn't access to see what's going on.

Any ideas what I can do?

make the access

==============================================

"Measure Twice & Cut Once" - Retired U.A. Local 1 & 638

an access is always nice to have given that the workmanship was less than desirable..
the overflow looks like this.
you can check it from inside the tub by removing the chrome plate.
if the gasket looks properly placed then make the access..

Before I make the access hole, if it is likely that the gasket is missing, is it possible to replace it from the tub side as opposed to only from the backside?

You should be able to do EVERYTHING, including the diagnosis,from the tub side without making an access opening.

this guy does his in under a minute..
don't expect to fix yours that fast but it really is a simple job.
yes, fixable from the tub side of the wall..
[www.youtube.com]

Be very careful when you open the overflow cover and look around.

A few years back I opened that cover to reseat the gasket (it was off centered), and the overflow pipe fell off. I had no choice but to make an access then. Turned out whoever installed the overflow had cut the pipe such that it is only 1/4" or less insertion into the tee.

packy, that video was terrible but the one after it was better.

So I took of the chrome cover and lo and behold, there was no gasket at all. Complete @#$%& who installed this. Unbelievable.

So my next question is it looks like the overflow pipe isn't centered very well at all. Will this be a problem? I'm going to get the gasket tomorrow but not sure if it will fit in there since the pipe is so off center and it doesn't really have much movement when I try to pull it over a bit,

you are going to need to push the fitting away from you slightly to get the gasket fitted around the raised portion in the center.
most overflows do have plenty of movement. some have too much..anyway, you discovered the problem and the worst you will have to do is open an access from the other side to see what is keeping the top from moving.

It is "not moving" because it is glued into the tee. But more interesting is that the overflow opening is usually NOT larger than the overflow fitting.

hj, the flange portion of the overflow fitting is larger. what is showing clearly is the male part of the fitting.
pictured on the left..

I appreciate the help.

I can with a little force move the pipe left and right to get it centered. But as you can see in the photo it is not centered top to bottom. Do you think the gasket will seat with that larger space at the bottom or will the pipe need to be cut a bit shorter?



And have any of you guys heard of the BLUEVUE One Hole Overflow Gasket Kit? I saw it on Youtube and think maybe that will work for me.



Edited 5 times.

yours is center hole. it won't work..
but if you get a gasket that is soft foam it will spread as it compresses and should cover the gap at the bottom nicely.
get this type..

not this type (harder rubber)


also, these gaskets come tapered because the tub wall is slanted.
put the tapered side down and tighten well.

My tub has essentially no taper and I've seen several comments elsewhere about these foam gaskets. It has been suggested that the thick side be put at either the 3 or 6 o'clock position in situations where the tub is not tapered. I'll probably get the foam type anyway as an immediate fix and see if it works. If not, I may give the other one a try. The company told me that making a slit at the top will accommodate the center hole.

with your poor 'fit up' you WANT the thick side down

==============================================

"Measure Twice & Cut Once" - Retired U.A. Local 1 & 638

I'll give it a go tomorrow.

You want the "thick side" WHEREVER the gap is the greatest.

I've been reading that a thin coat of petroleum jelly is suggested on both sides of the gasket. Good idea or not?

since petroleum jelly "damages" rubber goods, I would say "not a good idea". And would not have any benefit anyway.

common 'household' butter wiped on THINLY with ONE finger tip, slippery as all-get-go

==============================================

"Measure Twice & Cut Once" - Retired U.A. Local 1 & 638

Thanks to all who chimed in and gave their advice. I distilled everything and did the repair.

By the way, I'm also going to be installing the BLUEVUE One Hole Overflow Gasket Kit in about a week just so I can see if it might be a better solution. The issue I had with my overflow pipe is that it was hitting at the top and I'm not certain that screwing the coverplate pulled it out enough to form a good seal with the gasket. The Bluevue would likely be a better solution if it fits correctly... the center hole screw might be an issue. In any case, thanks for all your input.



Edited 2 times.

Bluevue is not a good solution if there is no good seal on the other side. There needs to be a seal between the overflow and the tub.



Edited 2 times.

I can see your point. If there were to be some sort of obstruction in the trap, water would just spill out the top of the overflow pipe between the pipe and the bluevue. That could be a major problem.

since the tub would ALSO be full of water to that level, I would hope you had turned the water off long before it reached that point.

If there were an obstruction and you were filling the tub and got distracted thus allowing the water to continually drain into the overflow, the backed up water would spill out of the pipe between the space where the bluevue fits inside the overflow.

When working on Plumbing it is best to not get distracted. Never happened to me...I don't think so.

I'm not talking about working on plumbing. I'm talking about someone starting to fill the tub, getting a phone call or whatever distraction it might be and the tub overfills.