View Full Version : How do I stop my shower head from leaking
Shirley067
Sep 28, 2011, 04:25 PM
I keep buying new hand held showers heads that leak from the shower heads. After we installed a new one yesterday, it started leaking from the shower head again. So a week ago my husband took off the entire hose and shower head and we saw that from the pipe that comes out from the wall, it drips water at a fast pace.
We were told we needed to change our American Standard Cartridge 051337-0070A so we did that and it's still leaking. My question now is, how do we stop the water from leaking from the pipe? Or do you think the new? American Standard Cartridge 051337-0070A is defective?
speedball1
Sep 28, 2011, 04:41 PM
If I understand your question the shower head drips when you divert to a hand held unit. Correct? There are a few things that would cause this problem:
1. The shower raiser's too short. **OR**
2. the house PSI is too excessive
My bets on door #2. What's the pressure entering your house and do you have a PRV (pressure reducing valve) installed where the water enters your house. Back to you, Tom
Shirley067
Sep 28, 2011, 05:07 PM
First, yes the shower is on the off mode. Second I went downstairs to the main water valve in the basement and shut the valve some because I thought the same thing that my husband had put it back on to high when he shut it to install in shower head and hose. But that didn't stop the problem when I did that today, it just keep on dripping. Do you think I should shut it a little more again and see what happens?
I'm sorry I have one more question. We go hit with that big hurricane recently and a week later is when this dripping problem started. Question is many homes lost power and had to leave their home do to flooding. Once they pump out their homes and the power got put back on the town installed these big hose carrying water into their homes until the waterlines are repaired. Do you think that may have change the water pressure that is coming into my home or not? I don't have those hose coming into my home thou. It's just so weird how from one day to the next it started dripping when it hadn't before the storm. I've been the one doing all the researching to fixing this problem. Oh I think I answer you incorrectly on the site earlier, please read earlier post. Thanks for your input Tom.
speedball1
Sep 29, 2011, 09:02 AM
First off, cutting back on the house shut off will not reduce the PSI. It will reduce the volume not the pressure. You need a PRV (pressure reducing valve) to do that. Do you have one of those? Once again. What's the PSI entering your house? I have to know this.
Yes, it's possible the city increased your PSI when they flushed the mains. Have the PSI checked and get back to me with the results. Good luck, Tom
Shirley067
Sep 29, 2011, 11:40 AM
Thanks Tom! I'm going to call the water co. and have them come out to take a look at my PSI. I'll get back to you with the results after. Thanks Again!
Milo Dolezal
Sep 29, 2011, 11:53 AM
I would re-check the cartridge installation first before calling City. That's usually where the problem is. Milo