Plumber San Ramon - Tub Overflow Drain Leak - Guaranteed Plumbing Co Danville

A tub overflow drain can be the cause of a leak even though it is a place not usually suspected. A water stain in the ceiling below a bathroom is often the first sign of a problem with a tub overflow drain. Most people start with the bold solution of opening up a huge hole in the ceiling to see what is leaking. There is another approach that involves looking for a hidden leak in the shower or tub and fixing that first to see if opening up the ceiling can be avoided.

The following steps can help confirm that the tub overflow drain is the source of a leak and show you how to repair the problem.

Confirm the source of the leak

Start by running water in the tub to see if you notice any water leaking directly below the bathtub, If water does not leak when only the tub is in use move on to running the shower. If running water in the shower causes a leak move on to narrowing down the source.

Look for signs of water splashing back onto the valve plate, tub spout, shower head, or overflow plate. Even a small amount of water can trickle between the walls and through the floor if it gets behind the shower surround.

In my case the tub spout was leaking slowly onto the overflow plate and this was an obvious sign that the leak was coming from there. I ended up changing the tub spout and overflow gasket for this repair.

A tub overflow drain has a gasket behind it that will get brittle and compressed over time. Water reaching the overflow drain will go into the overflow where the gasket meets the tub and it will leak if the gasket is old and cracked.

To check the overflow gasket remove the overflow plate by removing the screw or screws holding the plate in place. You may need to cut away caulking from around the overflow plate before it will come off.

With the plate removed you can see what kind of shape the gasket is in. If the overflow gasket looks worn it is an easy fix to replace it. If you suspect a leak is coming from this area and the gasket is worn out replace the overflow gasket and check to see if the leak is gone.

If the overflow gasket is in good condition or if replacing the gasket do not seem to stop the leak there are some other things you can try.

·         Make sure the gasket is installed correctly and that it sits in the center of the tub overflow drain.

·         Inspect the edge of the overflow plate for nicks or corrosion that can allow water to seep in behind it.

·         Check that the overflow plate is screwed tightly into place and that the notch in the plate is facing down.

·         Check the seal around other shower parts and re-apply caulking as needed to ensure water can’t get behind the shower surround.

source: By Aaron Stickley, About.com Guide
http://plumbing.about.com/od/shower_and_tub/ss/Tub-Overflow-Drain-Leak_4.htm