Leaking Bath

[KBV1]

Hey

i have recently bought a bathroom suit from B&Q and had it fitted by a recommended plumber. After it was fitted everything was ok until we noticed water coming back through the kitchen ceiling where the bath sits.

After removing the bath panel i noticed all the floor boards were wet around where the taps and plug sits after looking around and drying bits and waiting i noticed where the taps are and comes through the bath where its connected water is dripping through and i also noticed where the waste attaches to the bath and the plug it was leaking there also.

I called the plumber back to ask him to check it out and he looked at the plug and noticed it was not in line he removed it and fitted it again and that has seemed to solve the problem of it leaking there i think at this time.

He also tightened where the taps come through as the seal round the taps did'nt seem right.

Tonight i tested it all again... i took a shower and looked under the bath and it got wet again.. grrrrrr. Its no where near as bad as i has not leaked through the kitchen ceiling.

Has anyone get any ideas where this leak is coming from... could it be that the bath is faulty or is something still not connected right. The leaked water patch only seems to be up to the plug whole.

has anyone had this kind of problem before.. or can someone shed some light and help me out pleaseeee.

Thanks

 

[spacethegas]

if its from b&q chances are its [rubbish].
get plumber back.

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Swear word removed
Mod 9

 

[KBV1]

Thanks,lol gives me great hope

Whats the best thing to do to stop the leak?

 

[Goldspoon]

The best way is to get the plumber back! One thing I have learned in my short life doing a few bathrooms and small plumbing jobs is that triple checking something does not leak, before you leave, is imperative if one is not going to get a phone call. A quick visual is not enough.

Where is the leak coming from? Work it out! Grab a torch and some cloth and use your eyes and hands.

Is it always leaking regardless of taps on or off? If yes, then the incoming supply to the taps, or the connection to the taps themselves are leaking. If this IS the case then where does the water come from? DO NOT spot a bead of water and assume this is where the leak is - water travels along tiny "rivers" and the drop might be the end result of that little flow (or it can be the leak itself of course). Keep drying everything and staring. I find an old cotton t-shirt is good for wiping with a you can wipe and see where the new bit of water hit the t-shirt by the change in material colour (if small leak). Likely places to leak are where you see nuts (i.e. compression fittings) - less likely there can be a leak from a solder on a copper pipe. If you do find the source of the leak then at least you can tell the plumber what the problem is (although this is all his job really). Is up to you if you want to tighten something up - but you can make it worse and I would not do this unless you can isolate the water supply quickly if it all goes wrong (hot and cold). Fittings can also be a pig to get to because baths get in the way.

If it is not leaking until you "pull the plug and let water out" then there is a problem with the waste. Most likely will be that the water is running around the threads of the plughole insert and leaking under the bath (sometimes evidenced by there being lots of Plumber's Putty stuff under there where the plumber tried to stop a leak). On basins you can use a great device called a "Basin Mate" here (rubber washer thingy mentioned in FAQ somewhere) ... <can you use these on a bath... as I have not had to myself???> There can also be a leak if the trap is not connected correctly.

 

[KBV1]

thats for all that info.


I think i have found where the problems lie..


The plug hole where it fits to the bath was not put in correctly is wasn't flush to the bath, the plumber has taken it out and put it back in and tightened it up again and that seems to have sorted it.

While he was there yesterday also he tightened the tap connection under the bath as we think the seal isn't good enough and water was leaking through there so he tighten it up and that seems to have done the job also.

I took a shower last night to try it out and looked under the bath and it was still leaking had a look and noticed water was coming through where the other tap sits.. so i think that needs tighening up more. After finding that i noticed water had run down the wall where the bath sits so i let it dry and later on at night and stood in the bath pored water where the silicone was and low and behold water came though. I THINK what the problem is where there is weight in the bath the silicone down now touch the bath and water is leaking.

I have called the plumber again and he is coming round to day and im going to ask him to remove all the silicone fill the bath full of water then re-seal it and leave it like that for 24 hours.

Hopefully that is the problem and it will be sorted by re-sealing it...

What you think.. anything better to try then what i have said?

many thanks for all your replies and help so far.

 

[Goldspoon]

Is the bath securely fixed to the wall?

 

[KBV1]

how do you mean securly fixed to the wall??

the plumber has been round again today and he has re-sealed the bath. When i asked him if i should fill the bath before he sealed it again he said there is no need to as its a "myth" Is that true.. do you have to fill the bath?


Im hoping that this resealing will solve the problem and have no more leaks.

 

[diy_darren]

I had a similar problem where I'd asked the plumber to mount the bath as low as possible to maximise head height for showering. He'd not left enough drop on the drainage pipe and the first 50cm actually went slightly uphill! It was solved by raising the bath up 10cm and checking the seals.

Securely fixed, as in, does the bath move at all when you're in there taking a shower? You'd hope the plumber checked the seal each time he left, so something must be breaking the seal to cause it to leak again.

 

[Mushybees]

how do you mean securly fixed to the wall??

the plumber has been round again today and he has re-sealed the bath. When i asked him if i should fill the bath before he sealed it again he said there is no need to as its a "myth" Is that true.. do you have to fill the bath?


Im hoping that this resealing will solve the problem and have no more leaks.

It's good practise to fill the bath up.
Did he do it? If not why not? It's not like it's difficult and even if he doesn't believe it's needed he'd at least be putting your mind at ease.


Sometimes leaks just happen because of defective or cheap products. Going purely on what you've posted this appears to be shoddy work.

 

[Goldspoon]

Sealant is great but its job is to seal a gap. If the bath is not securely fixed to the wall in some way then it can move. If it moves (even a teensy weensy bit) it will likely dislodge the sealant and the sealant will leak.

 

[KBV1]

The bath is securely fixed yes, it doesn't move when standing in it.

I dont think the work is shoddy.. i have seen his work and been excellent. I think we have just got bad luck LOL. He thinks the bath itself is faulty, like the mold of it is not right and the taps dont fit flush to the bath top.

 

[seco services]

i wouldn't expect much better from b&q when you can buy complete suites for under £300

 

[lagunaglen]

Has the bath been screwed to the floor with all 5 feet, and not just the front ones?
have the wall brackets been fitted to the bath and screwed to the wall, should be 2 of these?
Have the rubber washers been fitted underneath the taps to stop water leaking through?
Has the overflow been fitted correctly, this could be cause of the leaks when showering?

I usually put a piece of wood under all 4 corners of the bath and screw it to the wall to stop the ends of these thin acrylic baths from flexing when getting in and out, and i have never yet been called back to seal a bath after usng this way of doing things.
It may add an hour onto the fitting if you do it right ,but you can easily spend this hour putting things right when the customer calls you back as you have several times.