Common Shower Leaks and How to Repair Them

Leaking showers waste valuable water and depending on the location of the leak, the water could damage other parts of your home. Luckily, it's possible to troubleshoot and repair a lot of leaks on your own. Check out these solutions to common issues:

1. Crack in Shower Head

If there is a crack in your shower head, you may notice water dripping where it's not supposed to when you have the shower on. As some water is coming out a crack in the shower head, you may also notice lower water pressure whilst showering. This is one of the easiest leaks to fix—you just buy a new showerhead to replace your existing one.

2. Constant Drip From the Showerhead

A constant drip coming from the shower head usually indicates that there is something wrong with the tap. When working correctly, the tap stops water from going up the pipe toward the shower head when it is off, and it allows water to move that direction when it is on. If not working correctly, it may allow a trickle of water through which leads to dripping.

To fix this issue, you need to remove the tap. Most taps have the same basic setup with some variations on the theme. Typically, you start by removing the decorative cap—just pry it out of the middle of the knob with a screwdriver. Then, there is a bolt that needs to be removed.

Underneath that, you will find a series of parts. Remove them one at a time, keeping them in order so you know how to replace them. If you see o-rings, you need to replace those, but if you see a cartridge, you need to replace that. You can buy a tap repair kit at a local hardware store—make sure it matches the make and model of tap you have.

3. Shower Head Drips When Bath Is On

In some cases, your shower head may only leak when your bath is on. In that case, the issue is likely with the valve that diverts water from the bath to the shower. Luckily, repairing this element is roughly the same as fixing the tap.

4. Suspected Leak Behind the Shower

In other cases, you may not even see the leak. Instead, you may head the sound of water running behind the wall or you may have noticed a wet spot on the wall or floor. You need to access the pipes behind the shower. There is usually an access panel in the wall or closet behind the shower. If not, you need to cut into the wall. Then, if the pipe is leaking, you can shut off the water to the house, cut out the leaking part of the pipe and put in a new bit of pipe.

Contact a company that specialises in leaking shower repairs for more information and assistance.