Bathtub leaks can be scary – after all, tubs hold a lot of water, and when even a small amount of it isn’t going down the drain as it should, you could be looking at some serious water damage. The location of the leak helps determine some steps to take before your plumber arrives, but step number one should always be: call your plumber. Once you’ve made the call for repair, your next step is to determine where the leak is coming from so that you can take some steps to minimize the water spillage:
Aging Faucet
Aging faucets are very common culprits when it comes to leaky tubs. The first step: turn off all the faucet knobs to stop the flow of water. If the water is leaking into your tub, you can allow it to go down the drain; if it is leaking outside of your tub, set up a bowl or large pot to catch the water so that it doesn’t settle in a pool on your floor.
Problems with Grout
When grout ages, it shrinks, and when it shrinks, water can run down behind the grouting and leak onto your floor. If you are seeing water pooling onto your floor as soon as the water begins to hit the areas where grout is, discontinue use until the tub can be re-grouted.
Bathtub Body
Leaks directly from a bathtub body are pretty rare. Cracks in tubs with enamel usually rust, so they’ll be evident by rust-colored staining. If there is a leak coming from the body of your tub, you’ll most likely see that when the tub is in use. As such, if you discover a leak in the tub body, discontinue use of that bathtub and have a plumber review the crack; in some cases you may need to replace your tub.
Overflow Pipe
The overflow pipe is a mechanism designed to stop your bathtub from overflowing. It has a metal plate, and behind the plate a washer or gasket that helps keep water out. However, with age the metal plate can loosen, which allows the gasket or washer to age and crack. If water continues to run behind the plate with a cracked, dried out washer, the water will not enter the overflow pipe and instead drip and leak.
Leaking bathtubs aren’t fun, but they also don’t call for panic.
Instead, call The Sunny Plumber and schedule an appointment to repair your bathroom plumbing in Green Valley.
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Tags: Bathroom Plumbing, Green Valley
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