Leaking shower...approx cost to fix?

[magicone]

Hi,

A few weeks ago our Aqualisa mixer shower on the top floor of our house began to leak onto the floor beneath

We did call a plumber in to have a look and he said that pipe behind the shower is leaking which is causing water to leak below, he tested the waste pipe by pouring water down it and there was no leak. Unfortunately he never got back to us with a quote.

Its a small enclosed shower which is all tiled and I was just wondering what sort of prices I should be looking at?

Thank you in advance.

 

[Steady]

If the pipework is not accessible from behind then the tiles and plaster will have to be hacked off to reach the leak.
Depending on where the leak is there may need to be a fair amount of re-plastering and tiling done.
And do you have enough spare tiles that match? If not you may need the whole enclosure re-tiling .
Could be two or more days work.

 

[magicone]

If the pipework is not accessible from behind then the tiles and plaster will have to be hacked off to reach the leak.
Depending on where the leak is there may need to be a fair amount of re-plastering and tiling done.
And do you have enough spare tiles that match? If not you may need the whole enclosure re-tiling .
Could be two or more days work.

Thanks for the info Steady. The tiles we have are just plain white ones which are still available at the shop we originally purchased from, so that won't be too much of a problem.

Could you give a figure as to how much this job could cost and also does anyone know of any decent websites to find a plumber in my area.

P.S Would it help if i took a picture of the shower so a more accurate quote can be given?

Thanks

 

[mark.neale]

.

P.S Would it help if i took a picture of the shower so a more accurate quote can be given?

YES!!

 

[arfurrrr]

I`ve got one of these similar to price up

Silicone has not been done properly , when they shower water runs down living room wall.

Silicone looks like it has had 2 previous attemps to seal . Tiles are thick apx 15mm and as a result the pent screen hangs over the tray . This has had plenty of silicone to seal it.
Grout has cracked and is starting to mould .

So to remove screen and clean off old silicone (takes forever + will be slimey may be a few hairs , start gipping) , remove bottom tiles , replaster (where damaged) , refit tiles or fit new , refit screen complete with over hang , plenty of silicone and pray that t seals or i`m back for nowt and generally take responsibility . ERRR think i`m gonna quote atleast £800 maybe £1200 , my problems is they have come recommended and i find it hard to say "get lost" . So maybe i`ll over price it to include me returning for nowt .

So in answer to your question £ LOTS

 

[magicone]

Hi,

This is a photo of the shower:

http://img181.imageshack.us/img181/1759/dscf0105sg9.jpg

Hopefully it will give you more of an idea of the costs.

Thanks

 

[topgazza]

Blimey...piece of cake...

I would suggest saving yourself a few bob and remove the cap and surround of the mixer and see how much of the fitting you can actually see. Ditto for where the flexi pipe goes into the wall. Worse case remove the four tiles around the mixer yourself. You should be able to see if the leak is from the connectors on the mixer or the outlet. If you feel you can't do it yourself get a plumber to repair but replace the tiles etc yourself....

Little tip....in future save images in a lot...smaller size ...say 300k...it will take less time to download....

 

[Steady]

<<I would suggest saving yourself a few bob and remove the cap and surround of the mixer and see how much of the fitting you can actually see. Ditto for where the flexi pipe goes into the wall.>>

Agree this would be the first course of action. But you may find that the connections to the mixer and pipework supplying it have been plastered over so you may need to take some of this away.
Still not really possible to say how big a job it is until the location of the leak is known.

At least your tiles - (8" bumpy white)are still available. You can get them virtually anywhere.

 

[topgazza]

Very true..Steady...

I have done a couple shower mixer replacement for people either side of me as a barter job...not for my business...

Luckily both were OK as the original installer had used his head and left the connections "exposed" and I left a similar space behind the tiles in case anyone else has to do some work. Not everyone does of course.

If its plastered over then be careful and I would certainly call an expert in if you are in doubt.....until you know whats there, as Steady says, it wouldn't be possible for someone to give you any idea....

 

[magicone]

Blimey...piece of cake...

I would suggest saving yourself a few bob and remove the cap and surround of the mixer and see how much of the fitting you can actually see. Ditto for where the flexi pipe goes into the wall. Worse case remove the four tiles around the mixer yourself. You should be able to see if the leak is from the connectors on the mixer or the outlet. If you feel you can't do it yourself get a plumber to repair but replace the tiles etc yourself....

Little tip....in future save images in a lot...smaller size ...say 300k...it will take less time to download....

Cheers for that info. I have resized the image in the link above incase anyone else wants a look.

I will get my dad to have a look at the mixer and outlet. Luckily the bathroom is only small and retiling won't be a problem at all.


Just one quick question..whats the best way of removing the mixer...what tools will i need?

Thanks again!

 

[topgazza]

mole grips... in fact any adjustable type spanner/wrench will do...as long as you have enough space to get them on the connections...

My money is on a leaky hot/cold connection..you might be able to get away with tightening ...don't over tighten though .....but until you open pandoras box........

 

[magicone]

mole grips... in fact any adjustable type spanner/wrench will do...as long as you have enough space to get them on the connections...

My money is on a leaky hot/cold connection..you might be able to get away with tightening ...don't over tighten though .....but until you open pandoras box........

Thanks so far... and my final question once I remove the mixer, whats the best way of locating the leak? I will deffo be switching water supply off before any work is done. Is it just a matter of getting a torch and hoping the leak is obvious?

 

[topgazza]

Well I would certainly turn the water off if you are going to attempt any "adjustments"...if you have a tank in the loft then draining the system down will be needed first if you are going to remove anything...turn boiler and water mains stopcock off and run taps

Hopefully the leak will be obvious if, as I am betting, its around the hot/cold pipes that go into the mixer...or the output to the shower head and the connection that the flexi hose is attached to. The latter will only leak when the shower is running....or when there is water still in the pipe to the outlet.

Might be the mixer body of course......or worse case one of the joints in the supply pipes themselves

You will need to check it first though and fingers crossed its simple. But if in doubt get one of the boys in.