help please my showers coming away from the wall

[Kings]

hi

i moved into a new build home about 2 years ago, so i assumed all the stuff inside would be ok for a good few years....well no

i noticed the other day that when i turned the shower on the whole unit moved slightly, so i wiggled it a bit more and sure enough it seemed loose on the hot side.

so i pulled back the collar that was over it to find that i could move the pipe back and forward a couple of mil it seems that there is no locking ring or anything attaching to the rear of the pipe etc to hold it in place.

is this normal?? if it isn't the whole thing is held in by what looks like common or garden silicone sealant .

heres a pic (please excuse the water marks i usually buff it up to a nice shine )

what are my options??

thanks for your time

Chris

 

[ChrisR]

is this normal?? if it isn't the whole thing is held in by what looks like common or garden silicone sealant

Absolutley too normal
Typical of stoopid plumbing fittings with no provision for fixing them properly, and installers who don't spend any effort to try to make it work.

Given what you have, without moving tiles, I'd
Turn the supplies to the shower off
remove the mixer (2 big nuts)
remove the collar(s)
pick out the silicone you can and clean the metal best poss with meths,
squirt a good quality sanitary silicone in the annular gap (eg Dow Corning).
Hold the part poking out of the wall in position while it sets (several hours/overnight)

Reassemble, and see how it goes

 

[Kings]

cheers for the reply m8

oh bugger, i thought thats what it would be to be honest its in a bath so i can take the side off the bath and probably look up to see the back but i don't think there would be any way of reaching it

things is i'm moving out soon and want to let the property out, so i was hoping of getting it done permanently incase a tenant starts swinging on it and it ends up like das boot in there

is there anything you recommend by brand name specifically m8 as i'm not too up on my sealants??

many thanks for your time

Chris

 

[Kings]

also if i take the bath panel off am i likely to find service valves to the shower feeds?? is this in the water regs now or just something some people do and some don't??

thanks again

Chris

 

[Nige F]

Service valves..........new build .......... take a guess

 

[Kings]

lol, i'll take that as a no then

might stick some in then while i'm at it.

its all speedfit though and i just dont like the speedfit service valves, the slot for turning them off n on brakes up too easy .

cheers

Chris

 

[Nige F]

Newbuild.speedfit.....no surprise there either Are we the only Nation on the planet who insist on paying more each year to live in piles of shyte ..used to be said flagellation was "the English Disease".should be House Obsession Disorder Guess what I don`t like newbuild

 

[solo]

Get onto the builder and have them come back and do the job properly. You've paid enough for the property to expect a decent standard of workmanship. That is an accident waiting to happen. Properly involves removing tiles and creating access to the supply pipes so the unit can be secured properly. Not a temp repair using loads of silicone. That is in no way a reflection on ChrisR's suggestion which I assume was intended to be a stop gap diy repair.