Leaking shower in wall??

[Discusdan]

Hi there I have a triton tees mixer shower. Lately I have noticed a large scale build up and seen there is a very tiny amount of water that runs down the tile. Probably a few millilitres a day if that. I have had a home serve plumber out to check and he has said needs tiles off as he doesn't know how far back leak will be . Is this leak likely to need that to be fixed I would have thought it would just be the connector from pipe to mixer bar but I'm far from knowledgeable in plumbing?

 

[Madrab]

I'd certainly be taking the bar off the pipes and checking that portion of the setup before shouting about the tiles to be removed.

 

[Discusdan]

Yep I've got him coming round again as I removed the cover which is something he never bothered doing and can see its leaking from the threads out the PTFE tape bit.

 

[St0rmer66]

Easy fix then, lucky you!

 

[Madrab]

That's a bit of a joke though, not even looking as far as possible before declaring, off with his tiles!! That a shining example of their plumber's skill-set then is it??

 

[Discusdan]

Yeh 2 min look and says tiles off without even removing front of shower. I'm hoping easy fix with just re doing the tape on that thread and sealing tile around . If it's leaking from the tape I'm guessing that's the cause and not another leaky pipe behind? Obviously never know unless removed tiles

 

[Madrab]

I'd look at re-sealing that connector and see if that cures it. Could it be leaking further down, of course never say never, but only deal with what can be seen, fix that and see how it goes.

 

[Discusdan]

Thanks for your help. I have a feeling that as it's part of the shower pipe and not an internal pipe that the home serve guy will say not part of my policy because showers aren't covered only the pipe attached to it and he will not fix it. If that's the case does the dog leg connector just need unscrewing and more PTFE tape around it and then try again see if leaking? Or is there a risk with me tightening the dog leg connector that some thing will become lose behind wall and leak?

 

[Madrab]

The offset connector, the bit that screws into the wall fitting and then into the shower should just unscrew, get some gas PTFE tape (thicker) and then redo the connection. If the female bent iron in the wall is connected to the supply pipe properly and supported then redoing the connection shouldn't disturb it. Just don't overtighten when refitting, or get a professional in to do it if you are at all concerned.

 

[St0rmer66]

Don't use gas ptfe, it's garbage for this sort of thing. Normal ptfe... 15 turns and do it until it's tight without going overboard.

 

[Madrab]

Well horses for courses. I find normal PTFE tape garbage at any time, too thin and it's a farf. I prefer gas tape if I need tape for anything. That being said for this one, you could probably get a 1/2" fibre/ruber washer in there that'll do the job.

 

[St0rmer66]

Problem with single wrap is that sometimes a single wrap isn't actually enough. Then when you do 2 or more turns it can start to slip within the thread instead of digging in like multi wrap does.

 

[Madrab]

Yeah, I understand what you mean, I tend to stretch the first wrap a little as it overlaps to allow it to grip the thread and itself then another half turn sorts it for me.

 

[dilalio]

Put some jointing compound on the threads, ptfe it and then a smear of compound over the top of the ptfe. It will help the coupling slip together better, without chewing the ptfe and will fill any microscopic holes.

I like the Laco thread compound as it has bits of ptfe in it.

Edit: to prove there are no leaks from the rest of the pipework, you could remove the bar mixer and cap the pipe ends. Then turn water back on and check for any leaks as the feeds will be live to the cap points!