Intermittent Leak From Bathtub

[Bob Simon]

After replacing the hot, cold and diverter valves, seats, and washers without fixing the problem, I opened the wall behind my tub. I think water may be coming from the overflow cover. I removed the two screws that hold the cover, pryed out the old gasket and went behind the tub to remove the vertical overflow pipe so I could clean rubber from the angled fitting that the cover screws into. What is this fitting called?

I'm having trouble removing this fitting. There were two other screws about 1/2" lower than the two that held on the cover. I removed them but that didn't help. In fact, they don't seem to do anything. Can someone tell me what are these screws for?

I also can't remove the overflow pipe from the rest of the drain assembly. I'd appreciate hearing some tips.

[hallerb]

=EF=BF=BDCan

that assembly bolts on from below too...........

[Jack Hammer]

The whole assembly is called a waste and overflow. The two lower screws are just there to help the plumber to install the drain. I suggest using a flash light and a mirror to explore where the leak is coming from. There will be tell tale signs of old water, soap, skin and other "water marks" to tell you where it's leaking. Do not try to fix a leak that you cannot find. I would take that rubber gasket to the store and get a new one and use a little silicone and reinstall it. Make sure the brass "no-name" fitting is in the right place. You will be able to tell. It's very hard to get an old waste and overflow apart so if its not leaking don't try to remove it. If you know it's the top gasket thats leaking reinstall it and test it by poring water on it. Al, Colorado Master Plumber.

[DerbyDad03]

re: I think water may be coming from the overflow cover.

Others have mentioned how to remove the waste and overflow, but I have a question - Why do you think the "water may be coming from the overflow cover"? Do you see signs of leakage in this area?

I have a suggestion: Why not seal off the area with duct tape from inside the tub. Dry the area completely and tape up around the overflow cover and overlap some more tape up the wall, kind of like flashing. See if this stops the leak before you start tearing apart any more plumbing.

Keep this in mind: Very soon after I moved into my house, I was in the backyard and saw water dripping just inside a basement window. Actually it was more like running water, than dripping water. I ran inside a found out that my wife was taking a shower. I told her to turn it off and opened the access panel behind the plumbing. Everything was dry around all the fixtures. Further investigation showed that the grout on the walls was so porous that it was letting water right through around the tiles. Once the wallboard behind the tile got saturated, the water just ran down inside the wall until it reached the basement. Once we opened the wall, we determined that this had been going on for a while, but if enough time passed between showers, the wallboard didn't reach it's saturation point, so we didn't see the leak until we both took long showers one Saturday morning.

[Bob Simon]

No, I have not been able to determine the source of the leak. I think it may be from the overflow plate and gasket for two reasons:

1) I have observed water leaking downstairs when my wife turns off the diverter at the end of her shower. This would direct a stream of water onto the overflow plate. 2) the old wedge-shaped gasket was not solid all the way around.

Today I replaced the old gasket and tightened the cover back on. I placed a plastic tray with a paper towel in it which will catch any water from the shower. I will monitor it for any sign of water. If it is dry after 10 - 14 days, I will assume that I have solved this problem and will close the sheet rock in the wall and ceiling.

Thank you for the advice. I really hope that I have found the source of the leak but, of course, I will not be confident until a period of time proves this repair to be effective or not.

[DerbyDad03]

re: If it is dry after 10 - 14 days, I will close the sheet rock in the wall.

If you removed that section of sheet rock to gain access to the plumbing, why not spend the time you're waiting to put some trim around the opening and cut a piece if luan to fit the hole? Having an access panel to the plumbing is never a bad idea and if trimmed out neatly will look just fine.

[Bob Simon]

Thank's for the suggestion. I think this is a great idea. I believe I've seen small access doors for this purpose at Home Depot.