Ask Me Help Desk - Leaking Shower Valve

Leaking Shower Valve

I have recently installed a shower in a newly framed bathroom. This bathroom was started from scratch so we framed it all and installed all the plumbing. The sink and toilet are installed and work perfectly fine. The issue however, is that I have a leaking showervalve. The leak is coming from the connection between the valve and the CPVC, which is located behind the sheetrock, and behind the shower wall. We tried to stop the leak using plumbers epoxy, but it didn't work.

I spoke with a local hardware store and the plumbing guy there said the reason it is leaking is because we used a plastic fitting on a brass connection. This very well could be true, but now that it is after the fact it doesn't help me.

Do we start over, buy a new valve, rip down the shower wall? Any ideas?

If you have tried plumbers epoxy you must be able to get to the leak. Cut the CPVC piping and remove the leaking fitting. Replace with new fitting and pipe. Connect new pipe to old with coupling. Exactly which fitting is leaking, hot water in, cold water in or shower riser?

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the plumbing guy there said the reason it is leaking is because we used a plastic fitting on a brass connection

This is exactly why big box guys are selling instead of doing. It goes the other way around. You do not use a threaded CPVC female fitting with a metal male threaded one. The reason being that the plastic threaded fitting will expand and contract with the heat from the water. Over time this can develop into a leak.
Go in from the backside and reinstall the male CPV adapter . Use a few wraps of Teflon tape on the threads and don't over tighten. Good luck, Tom

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Originally Posted by hkstroud

If you have tried plumbers epoxy you must be able to get to the leak. Cut the CPVC piping and remove the leaking fitting. Replace with new fitting and pipe. Connect new pipe to old with coupling. Exactly which fitting is leaking, hot water in, cold water in or shower riser?

Thank you for your input. Any ideas on how to remove the epoxy? We put it over both the plastic fitting and part of the metal threads.

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Originally Posted by speedball1

This is exactly why big box guys are selling instead of doing. It goes the other way around. You do not use a threaded CPVC female fitting with a metal male threaded one. The reason being that the plastic threaded fitting will expand and contract with the heat from the water. Over time this can develop into a leak.
Go in from the backside and reinstall the male CPV adapter . Use a few wraps of Teflon tape on the threads and don't over tighten. Good luck, Tom

Thanks for the answer Tom. I agree with you, I was not too thrilled to find out the "plumbing guy" at the hardware store had originally sold us the wrong parts. Do you have any easy way of getting the epoxy off? Now that we tried that method, the epoxy is covering part of the male brass adaptor. Thanks again - Tim

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Originally Posted by hkstroud

Exactly which fitting is leaking, hot water in, cold water in or shower riser?

Both the hot and the cold are leaking.

Kind of got me there. Might try cutting away the epoxy on one side of the fitting with a utility knife until you get down to brass, then prying the rest off. Probably not doable in confined space though.

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Do you have any easy way of getting the epoxy off? Now that we tried that method, the epoxy is covering part of the male brass adaptor.

I'd simply cut the raiser at the joint and put a pair of pliers in the fitting and see if could back it out of there. Or did you completely cover everything with epoxy? If so then I wouls take a utility knife and cut past the epoxy down to the point where the threads meet. Then you should be able to put a pair of pliers in the fitting and back it out. All you're going to need is the threads clear. As far as the rest of the epxy goes if it's not in the way. Don't worry about it. Like I said. "Go in from the backside and reinstall the male CPV adapter . Use a few wraps of Teflon tape on the threads and don't over tighten." Good luck, Tom