View Full Version : How to fix a leak under my bathtub
Muzzlegirl
Jun 19, 2013, 06:00 PM
We installed a new tub. It sits really close to the floor. It leaks after someone taks a shower. We have used plumber's putty, we have replaced the drain & nothing seems to work. It still leaks.
Milo Dolezal
Jun 19, 2013, 06:06 PM
First and foremost - you have to find where it is leaking from. There are several places that can cause leak.
First, make sure the overflow plate has properly placed gasket and is well compressed by plate cover screw(s). Then, there should be Access Door behind the tub. Open that door, take a flash light and have somebody to turn water ON. Observe where is the drip coming from . Make necessary repairs accordingly.
Also , the leak can be from shower head riser or Tub Spout connection. These leaks should also by visible through Access Door behind the tub.
Lastly, check all drain connections including Trap under the tub for leaks.
Back to you. Milo
ma0641
Jun 19, 2013, 07:15 PM
"It leaks after someone taks a shower",-not a bath? Check for leaks in the shower riser and shower arm.
Muzzlegirl
Jun 19, 2013, 07:27 PM
Our problem is not any of these things. The tub is sitting very close to the floor & when someone takes a shower is when it leaks. The water is coming from where the tub drain goes into the drain to the outside line or from the drain parts that fit in the tub. We have used plumbers putty & gaskets to try to stop the leak but nothing works. We need some type of sealant to put on the tub drain & the place where it hooks into main drain line that goes outside.
hkstroud
Jun 19, 2013, 07:56 PM
The tub is sitting very close to the floor
What does that mean, unless you have an old style claw foot bathtub, the tub sits on the floor. If it doesn't we put stuff under to make it sit on the floor. A hole or recess is cut in the floor for the drain.
Show us pictures.
ma0641
Jun 19, 2013, 08:18 PM
With a wood floor, there is a hole cut so the p trap can be fitted. With a concrete floor a pit is made and concrete poured around it. The tub drain is an ell that fits into a tee fitting and then into a p trap. I have only used plumbers putty or silicone under the inside tub flange. Almost sounds like someone didn't allow enough clearance to tighten the fittings
speedball1
Jun 20, 2013, 06:44 AM
"It leaks after someone taks a shower",-not a bath?
That eliminates the drainage and supplies. What's left? Spillage and splashing over the tub room. Or if the shower stream hits a tile wall the growth of loosened up allowing water to seep down the wall. Good luck, Tom
ma0641
Jun 21, 2013, 07:53 PM
Sounds like they only use the tub for showers. "The water is coming from where the tub drain goes into the drain to the outside line or from the drain parts that fit in the tub. We have used plumbers putty & gaskets to try to stop the leak but nothing works. We need some type of sealant to put on the tub drain & the place where it hooks into main drain line that goes outside".
speedball1
Jun 22, 2013, 07:15 AM
It only leaks after someone taks a shower. Brain, it doesn't leak after taking a bath wouldn't that tend to eliminate the drain as as the problem? Cheers, Tom
ma0641
Jun 22, 2013, 07:27 AM
Brain, it doesn't leak after taking a bath wouldn't that tend to eliminate the drain as as the problem? Cheers, Tom
"Or from the drain parts that fit in the tub " would indicate inside the tub. Brian