Please excuse me if I don't have the terminology right.

I have a Grohe shower set. The diverter is located on the end of the tub spout.

The shower diverter doesn't seem to be working right. I have three problems:


The diverter doesn't return to the tub spout when the water is turned off.
There is water leaking down the wall behind the shower.
The shower diverter sends some water to the showerhead, even when it should be directed to the tub spout.


I am not sure that these problems are related. I don't want to open the wall up. (The shower wall is a solid piece of acrylic with a built in closet on the other side.)

Any suggestions?

The diverter is not functioning. You will have hard time getting parts for it. The best way is to go and buy new spout with diverter. It doesn't have to be Grohe spout, You can get any spout with diverter. However, if you want it to match the other trim, you will have to go to Grohe.

Water leak inside the wall is unrelated. There may be several things that may have gone bad. I would suggest that you first: Uninstall shower are, apply new teflon tape on threads and reinstall. Also, spout may be leaking. See if there is a gap between spout and wall and whether you can see water running in that gap when spout is active. If all appears to be OK, than remove faucet trim, take flash light and look inside the wall. Turn water ON. See if you can see dripping water. If negative, then go the closet and cut port hole in the wall so you get better view.

Let us know what you've found out...

The diverter is not functioning. You will have hard time getting parts for it. the best way is to go and buy new spout with diverter. It doesn't have to be Grohe spout, You can get any spout with diverter. However, if you want it to match the other trim, you will have to go to Grohe.

Thanks. Matching the trim is not an issue. I will purchase a new spout and diverter. Is this easy to install without opening the wall?



Water leak inside the wall is unrelated. There may be several things that may have gone bad. I would suggest that you first: Uninstall shower are, apply new teflon tape on threads and reinstall. Also, spout may be leaking. See if there is a gap between spout and wall and whether you can see water running in that gap when spout is active. If all appears to be OK, than remove faucet trim, take flash light and look inside the wall. Turn water ON. See if you can see dripping water. If negative, then go the the closet and cut port hole in the wall so you get better view.

Let us know what you've found out...

I am sorry. I don't understand your instructions. What do you mean by "uninstall shower are"?

There is no gap between spout and wall - I have put silicone grout around the spout. The leak is behind the wall -the drywall outside the shower is wet.

(Sorry - you are dealing with a newbie who can't afford a plumber right now.) :(

Thanks. Matching the trim is not an issue. I will purchase a new spout and diverter. Is this easy to install without opening the wall?




I am sorry. I don't understand your instructions. What do you mean by "uninstall shower are"?

There is no gap between spout and wall - I have put silicone grout around the spout. The leak is behind the wall -the drywall outside the shower is wet.

(Sorry - you are dealing with a newbie who can't afford a plumber right now.) :(

Sorry, should read: "....uninstall shower ARM..." - that's the pipe that holds shower head

Where exactly is that drywall wet ? On which side of the tub ? How high ?

Where exactly is that drywall wet ? On which side of the tub ? How high ?

This shower doesn't have a tub -just a floor pan. The drywall is wet just outside the shower area where the floor pan meets the drywall. I think there is a small lip on the floor pan - behind the drywall that is channeling the water to the outside drywall. I hope I am being clear...

Sorry, should read: "....uninstall shower ARM..." - that's the pipe that holds shower head

This sounds like it may be the answer. Unfortunately, it is not a fixed shower arm. It is a flex unit that comes out of the wall about 4 feet up, and the shower head sits in a bracket above the faucet. Is the solution the same?

Milo nailed the tub spout replacement. The water near the pan(on sheetrock) is most likely due channeling of water which you already suggested. Does the spot seem to get wet only when you shower, or is it wet all the time.

Milo nailed the tub spout replacement. The water near the pan(on sheetrock) is most likely due channeling of water which you already suggested. Does the spot seem to get wet only when you shower, or is it wet all the time.

It is only when we shower. We didn't use this shower for a week (we have another one). The drywall was completely dry during this time.

I really appreciate everyone's suggestions. Unfortunately, I am not a plumbing expert and I can't afford to hire someone. Can someone provide instructions? (i.e. how to install a new tub spout with diverter/ how to access the shower spout.)

Look on the bottom side of spout, near wall, and tell me if there is an allen screw up in there. May need a mirror and flashlight to see it. If there is an allen screw, loosen it, and spout will just pull straigh out. If no screw, then you will have to turn spout in a counterclockwise direction to unthread spout. Please let me know what you see.

look on the bottom side of spout, near wall, and tell me if there is an allen screw up in there. May need a mirror and flashlight to see it. If there is an allen screw, loosen it, and spout will just pull straigh out. If no screw, then you will have to turn spout in a counterclockwise direction to unthread spout. Please let me know what you see.

There is no allen screw. Where the diverter comes out of the tub spout, there seems to be a place to put a wrench.

Water leaks out through shower door or curtain. Have somebody to step inside the shower and to pour water towards that corner. Observe the leak. I bet you you will see small stream of water seeping out of the shower area...

Look at the Image below and tell Mygirladad which type diverter you god, Thanks.

John

Thanks for the pics afaroo. Hope we can help get them fixed up.

You are welcome lee, I am sure you will help him if he tell us which one he got, Thanks.

John

Water leaks out through shower door or curtain. Have somebody to step inside the shower and to pour water towards that corner. Observe the leak. I bet you you will see small stream of water seeping out of the shower area ...

Sorry. I have tried everything, including silicone caulking where the shower door enclosure meets the wall. The water is coming from behind the wall.

Sorry. I have tried everything, including silicone caulking where the shower door enclosure meets the wall. The water is coming from behind the wall.


Sure, just want to make sure we don't miss the obvious... :D

You are welcome lee, I am sure you will help him if he tell us which one he got, Thanks.

John

I will take it apart tomorrow and let you know. It is too late tonight to start this...

thanks for the pics afaroo. Hope we can help get them fixed up.

Based on the pictures, it looks like I have a diverter with a nose connection (middle picture on the left).

There appears to be a place for a wrench where the diverter "button" enters the nose of the spout. Is my first step to loosen this?

Hi Wally,

Twist the old spout counterclockwise. You may want to insert a screwdriver into the spout and use it as a lever or use a wrench to remove a spout that is too tight, once it is removed take it with to home supply store to get the correct one, clean the threads on the nipple and cover the exposed threads of the nipple with pipe compound or Teflon tape, and install the spout. Screw on the new spout by hand. If necessary, you can tighten it by inserting a screwdriver into the spout to use as a lever or with a pipe wrench (cover the end of the wrench with duct tape to avoid damaging), oprn the link below to give you idea,Thanks.

John

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlrEDWUacLg

Thanks afaroo. That video was very helpful. I'll give it a try tomorrow when the stores are open.

It looks like all the diverter does is stop water from coming out the spout, which then sends it out the shower head instead. I didn't realize it was that simple. I assumed that there was a mechanism that tripped a valve somewhere in the wall.

Unless there is some new Grohe spout I don't know about - I don't think Grohe makes this type of spouts. They are 1/2" or 3/4" IP spouts...

Unless there is some new Grohe spout I don't know about - I don't think Grohe makes this type of spouts. They are 1/2" or 3/4" IP spouts...

I am sure you are right. I was looking at the brand on the temperature control valve. Probably just a spout from another manufacturer that is a close match in appearance.

Can you post a photo of your set up ?

I'll try. Give me a few minutes...

Here are three images. The first was taken seven years ago during construction before the wall was closed in. The second shows the temperature valve and shower head. The last is the diverter.


http://lh4.ggpht.com/_xzunYc2uFv4/SarofC6NjrI/AAAAAAAAGB0/YcHLgLKL390/s576/DCP_0998.JPG

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_xzunYc2uFv4/Saroomt-joI/AAAAAAAAGB8/F6il8V16rrs/s576/IMG_2096.JPG

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_xzunYc2uFv4/SaropaExNwI/AAAAAAAAGCE/Lbe3C5TEinc/s800/IMG_2098.JPG

Yes, indeed, it is an older model (at least the trim) of Grohe faucet. Sorry I cannot recall the name of this design - but we installed many of those. The hand-held set up and spout appear to be different manufacturer - but I could be wrong here...

I am looking at the 4-port rough tub/shower body valve. It puzzles me how it is installed. Have you ever had any problems with it ? Like water coming out of hand-held while spout was running ? This body, when installed with a diverter spout, requires Twin Ell . You don't have any Twin Ell installed. During installation your plumber should have plug the upper outlet and use only bottom outlet. There, he would continue to the Twin Ell, then to spout and then - through diverter - upward to the hand-held. This is what Twin Ell looks like :

Wally, do this:

Lower hand-held shower to the bottom of the tub. Leave it there. Turn water ON and let it run through spout. See if there is any water coming out of the hand-held shower head, too...

Come back and let me know what happened

It wouldn't surprise me if this was installed improperly. I don't believe the contractor was using properly qualified sub-trades. I have already had to redo the electrical because it wasn't installed according to code.

The problem we are having is that some water comes out of the shower head, even when it should only be coming out of the spout. The reverse is not the case, however. It is also a recent problem, it didn't happen for the first 4-5 years after installation.

Could this also relate to our other problem - a small amount of water running behind the wall when we shower?

Wally, do this:

Lower hand-held shower to the bottom of the tub. Leave it there. Turn water ON and let it run through spout. See if there is any water coming out of the hand-held shower head, too....

Come back and let me know what happened

The answer is - yes. In fact, even more water comes out of the shower head when it is in the bottom of the tub than when it is held high.

It wouldn't surprise me if this was installed improperly. I don't believe the contractor was using properly qualified sub-trades. I have already had to redo the electrical because it wasn't installed according to code.

The problem we are having is that some water comes out of the shower head, even when it should only be coming out of the spout. The reverse is not the case, however. It is also a recent problem, it didn't happen for the first 4-5 years after installation.

Could this also relate to our other problem - a small amount of water running behind the wall when we shower?

Bingo ! Here you have it. Incorrect installation. This Grohe valve doesn't have by-pass built in. The by-pass is done with the Twin Ell. As long as you keep shower head high - and water pressure stays low - you don't notice it. The problem is that when you run water through the spout water column inside pipe builds up and raises to the shower head. If you had valve with by-pass built-in than it would prevent water from raising up the shower supply pipe. In this case : It has NOTHING to do with diverter...

These rough-in valve bodies are designed to utilize ONE outlet only: either top or bottom. It is kind of universal valve. Lot of beginners may get confused by looking at 2 outlets out of that body. If you use it for Shower only, you cap off the bottom outlet. If you use it for 2 outlets - like in your case - you plug top outlet and double up on the bottom outlet via Twill Ell.

Since your walls are enclosed, it is too late to deal with it. I am sure you got used to it over the years. But if you ever open up the wall, correct this problem...

I still have the water leak behind the wall to deal with. Could it be coming from the spout - i.e. if the threaded connection has not been properly sealed with silicone tape, could some water be getting through and going back through the spout to the wall?

Also, if I open the wall up from behind, can the problem be fixed from that side, or does it have to be done from inside the shower? I will need to hire a plumber in either case.

If you plan to fix this, the best bet would be cutting open wall in closet to access piping. It can be fixed from here. Sounds like you will end up opening closet wall to find leak any way. Good time to correct spout piping. I would suggest covering hole in closet wall with an access of some sort , so that you can access piping in the future if neccessarry.

PS. Great, great catch here Milo. Very well done.

Wally: Provided your copper holds well , the leak could be from either spout or from the Wall Union ( wall union is the piece where hose for hand-held attaches to the wall ). If you open up the wall behind the valve, you will know right away where the leak is coming from. It is kind of hard to determine from the front.

You can cut 14"x 14" square hole - from stud to stud and at valve height. When finished with repair, insert 14"x 14" plastic cover. It just snaps in. No plastering, painting is necessary. Home Depot sells them for $16.00.

My e-quess: it is leaking from the spout.

MGD77: What exposed Wally's problem were the photos. No guessing here. It is good example of how important it is to take project progress photos during construction. I wish we would have more of such a visuals here...

In any case, Thanks You for your comment...

Thanks, everyone. You have answered all of my questions and given me something to think about. I am glad I found this website.

Stop by later and let us know what was leaking. We all are gaining valuable knowledge from experiences like yours !