shower valve leak All aspects of plumbing questions and answers, help, tips and information

[bazza]

hi guys been to help a freind out 2day with his shower wat it is is the valve on the cold feed has a slight drip on it i tried nicking it up 4 him but it still drips he said he had trouble fitting the valve after the tiler he employed didnt leave the correct space for the pipes so got tiler bk to file a few mm of the tile and he managed to squeeze the valve on the leak is coming from the back of the nut that sits against the wall (exposed shower valve ) so with trouble hes had fitting the valve on i dont really want to undo it is there any external sealant that will cure it as it is just a tiny drip.had water connected to the shower for 4 hrs 2day while helping him decorate and there was only a few drips in all that time thanx 4 any replys

[chris_on_tour2002]

you could use epoxy putty. most places sell it, its like a plasticine that hardens when you squeeze it and it is exposed to air.

but the best option really is to remove it and replace the fibre washer and ptfe the joint.

[plumbbob]

Frankly I have never seen a successful way of sealing a leak by using an sort of adhesive or filler and even if you did manage to seal the leak it would look awful.

It is possible the leak may seal itself, but I wouldn't hold my breath.

Really the only way to fix this is to remove the shower valve and refit the pipes to make a good seal.

[htg engineer]

Check the rubber or fibre washer is in place, quite common for the fibre washers to split when trying to get nut lined up with the shower valve.
The best (correct) way is to remove the shower, replace the washers and that should sort it.

Trying to stop it with putty, silicone etc will only ever be a temporary fix - if anything it wont be visible but could still be leaking from the back of the nut and possible behind the tiles ?? maybe

htg

[bazza]

thanx 4 replys guys much appreciated cheers bazza