Mystery Aqualisa shower leak

[Tim Lamb]

Installed 1995 and OK until someone else used it!

The thermostatic shower body outlet is plumbed in 22mm copper and now leaking at the seal. Bearing in mind this is the low pressure side, I expected but failed to find some obvious fault and wonder if the original installer got something wrong.

The seal assembly consists of a steel gripper ring followed by an L shaped plastic washer and then an O ring. A plastic *nut* tightens on to the O ring and is threaded externally.

No amount of tightening would make the O ring seal and I am now at the stage of adding ptfe tape, So far without success.

I have not found an assembly diagram on line and the manufacturers spares list doesn't recognise my model number (600.21)

I wonder if this is an adaptation of the Speedfit etc. connector of which I have no experience.

Any advice other than take a bath?

[newshound]

I have fixed things like this in the past by filling up the space with silicone rubber before reassembling. Clean and dry it out as much as possible first, of course. Nothing much to lose!

[Tim Lamb]

Progress. I have confirmed the assembly is correct. David has kindly sent me a breakdown of a similar model.

I am currently thinking the *grip ring* is not doing a proper job. So far I have not tried to find a source of spares.

[Roger Hayter]

Have you cleaned out the shower head and checked the hose for broken rubber flaps internally which could increase the (normally negligible) back pressure? Or even the variable settings of the shower rose?

[Tim Lamb]

Er. no:-) The leak is occurring when the shower is out of use. We have a water softener so scale is not much of a problem.

The other possibility is a leak from the cartridge seals finding a way out next to the outlet piping. Back up cartridge going in tomorrow after I have renewed the gate valve:-(

[Tim Lamb]

In message , Tim Lamb writes

I am now a fervent advocate of front fixing bar shower units! Fingers crossed the source of the leak was where a supply pipe connects to the shower body. Aqualisa's fitting instructions emphasise not overtightening and I think the installer took this literally. The couplings are not readily accessible as this type of shower is fitted from the front and then hidden behind the tiling/wall board etc.

Fortunately the other side of the wall is a cupboard which now has a large access hole in the plaster board.

[Roger Hayter]

That makes sense. I couldn't quite work out how it was leaking from the outlet side when the shower was off.