Mystery Bathroom Leak

[Billy]

We just had a 24 x 13 popcorn ceiling torn down and sheetrocked. While it was down, I had my plumber install new waste and toilet lines in the Master and Main baths because the plumbing inside this ceiling had evidence of past leaking and most pipes were of corroded galvanized. Of special note is that the drain for the main bath shower was dripping....at least we think it was the drain because the water was dripping from that vicinity (read on)...

We called our plumber to look and he said he ran the main bath tub and no leaking occurred where noted. He also noted that this particular bathroom had all new waste lines made of copper, unlike all the other waste lines made of galvanized and in need of repair. However, we still insisted it leaked because I had a bucket under there and saw the drips.

He replaced all the waste lines with PVC and the new ceiling went up...spackled, painted....the whole bit. We've taken a shower for weeks after this....no problem. Suddenly, several weeks after the plumbing job and for one week straight now, we are getting small amounts of water (about a half or so full of a dixie cup) coming through the recessed light where that shower is located above.

The mystery:

1. I test run the shower with the tub closed and no leak
2. I test run the shower with the tub open and no leak
3. I test run the tub faucet with the tub closed and no leak
4. I test run the tub faucet with the tub open and no leak
5. I switch the diverter and hot/cold levers back and forth and no leak
6. I run the sink faucet and no leak
7. I flush the toilet and no leak
8. My wife takes a shower and no leak
9. I take a shower (usually after her) and it leaks!

I thought it might be my weight, but my wife is pregnant and now weighs the same as me!

This pattern is consistent and neither I or the plumber have a clue or a solution. He said he'll take the ceiling out and have a look, but I'm really trying to avoid this. Do you have any suggestions of how to troubleshoot this further before I have to rip apart the ceiling?

[mark Ransley]

what is the temperature inside your house, could it be condensation forming

[Rick]

A Ha!

In one situation just like yours, the culprit was the shower head. One of my buddies had a situation exactly like this. He was taller than his wife so they adjusted the showerhead each time they used the shower. Thing was, when his wife was in, the showerhead was at an angle that allowed a small, very fine "mist leak" - almost unnoticeable - which happened to spray above the showerhead pipe where it wasn't caulked very well, and ran right down the pipe in the wall to the ceiling below. Check for something like that. With the shower pipe in many situations that decorative "plate" is there but where the wall has been cut through must be sealed very well.

-Rick

[Who Me?]

If you got a wife you should be old enough to learn how to shower without getting water all over the floor...... Ask your mother to teach you how to shower, unless you want a divorce, then ask your wife how!!!

Seriously, are you a little too aggressive in the shower? Maybe you are flinging the water in a way were it is finding a bad caulking spot on the walls, getting in around the faucets, or anywhere else. Check all the caulking ANYWHERE there is an opening or seam in the walls. And of course be sure you are not getting water on the floor.

[Marilyn and Bob]

There is at least one troubleshooting option you did not try. You take your shower before your wife and see if the leak occurs on the first or not until the second shower. If it occurs on the first, it definitely has something to do with you.

[Randy]

My son thought of this idea, what if it takes a while for the leak to appear in the ceiling below? By the time you take your shower the leak which began while your wife doesn't appear until you complete yours.

I agree that your leak isn't in the plumbing, its probably around the fixtures where they pass through the wall or where the tub meets the tile/shower wall.

Randy

[Billy]

Today, I did one thing not done yet, and that was to *not* twist the diverter valve back from the shower side to the tub side. I though of it because the water that flows out of the faucet when I return the diverter from shower to tub is just about a cup full or more, and any backwash that is not coming out would explain the small amount we see exiting the ceiling. Moreso that it looks like "fresh" water leaking - not soap scum sewage.

What do you know...no leak today. Therefore, I left the diverter in the shower position and will continue to see if the leak does not reoccur.

What is the possibility of this segment of the faucet leaking, and is this a DIY job?

[Marilyn and Bob]

Yes, but if it appears at the same time as when the wife takes the shower first, then the problem is shower related, not person related. Switching the order is the way to tell the difference.

[Colbyt]

The diverter lever would have some form of "packing nut" or "stem bushing". I haven't taken one apart for quite a few years. I should say I think it would drain to the tub before leaking to the wall on at least an 80/20 ratio.

If you are reasonably handy it might be a DIY project. Might be as simple as tightening the packing nut ( the nut that holds the stem in place). No more complicated than removing the diverter valve and replacing everything you find behind it. Most likely you will need to visit a plumbing supply house to secure the parts not likely found at Lowes or HD.