Leaking Thermostatic Shower/Pipework in Partition

Joined
14 Mar 2009
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Kent
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United Kingdom
Hi there,

I suspect this won't have a nice clean cut answer, but I thought I'd ask just in case:

I finished rebuilding my bathroom about 6 months ago. Had a problem with a seeping joint on the waste on the bottom of the shower within about a week after tiling which necessitated removing a chunk of the kitchen ceiling. Fixed this and had no problems since.

Got in today and found a damp patch on the kitchen worktop. Traced the water and it seems to be running down both the hot and cold feed from the thermostatic valve (Triton bar type with the mixer fitting kit: http://www.tritonshowers.co.uk/trit...-fit-solutions/bar-mixer-fitting-bracket.aspx

I've got a full bore IV on each feed which I can access from a concealed panel behind one of the tiles but I'd rather not remove this cos i'd have to redo the silicone for the entire corner.

The pipework (Polplumb) and fitting kit is run in a stud partition, which borders on an unisulated cavity external wall, so there is a chance the temperature in the stud could be approaching external.

My first thought is to knock off the two IVs and if its still leaking to redo the connections to these. If it stops I assume the connections to the valve or the fitting kit is the culprit?

Now, before I go knocking a hole in the (*******) Hardibacker, Has anyone got any particular experience of these particular fitting kits or valves leaking and if so, from where? If not are there any clever ways of sealing seeping inaccessible pipes!? I can get to the IVs but only really enough to turn them on and off.

Is it possible that the cold weather has caused either the fitting kit, valve, or the pipes to contract? I don't understand why it has happened this week and why it seems to be seeping from both pipes at once!?

Any suggestions gratefully received.
 
It's not good practice to use plastics pipework and fittings in inaccesible areas as you say you used polyplumb.

Who knows mate it could be leaking from any joint, including one of your isolation valves, so it may be worth starting at those first. Really don't see the point in putting them behind tiles though, seems a silly idea.
 

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