Upstairs bathtub faucet won't stop leaking, at wit's end

[compddd]

House was built in 1972, have 3 bathrooms, 1 downstairs, 2 upstairs. Recently renovated the house which included having 90% of the house re-plumbed.

The problem: Upstairs guest bathroom, the bathtub faucet will not stop leaking periodically, and it's a good amount of water that it leaks too, enough to fill up a couple gallon bucket over the course of a week.

We've had the cartridge replaced 3 times, as well as having a hole cut in the wall and the whole valve replaced. It still leaks. Mainly after using the other upstairs shower in the master bathroom.

Additional Note: We had a utility sink installed in the garage 3 months before renovations started, that is when we noticed that the leaking started.

At this point the plumber has pretty much given up and says he doesn't know why it's leaking. We are at our wit's end. Any ideas would be much appreciated.

 

[frodo]

is the hole in the wall still open ?

do you take mostly showers ?

does it leak all the time or only when used ?

i would start by checking the shower head piping .

it will leak only when the faucet is turned on, that or the tub spout.

after they are eliminated the next is the caulking around the valve to wall, spout to wall, shower head to wall

next, is the wall to tub joint , check it for leaking

answer some of these questions. then we can proceed


describe the plumbing pipe arrangement of the utility sink.

 

[compddd]

The hole in the wall is still open. We only take showers, except my wife will take a bath once a week.

The leak is random. For instance this morning I took a shower in the master bathroom, and 30 minutes later the faucet in the guest bathroom started leaking.

I don't believe the valve to wall has any caulking around it. I will check the others when I get home from work.

Not sure if this is related to the leak, but whenever we turn on a faucet (usually in the morning or evening) the water will come blasting out at a much higher pressure for 1-2 seconds and then level out to normal pressure.

Could a bad expansion tank be causing that? I called my wife just now and had her tap on the expansion tank with a screwdriver and she said it sounded like it was full of water.

 

[frodo]

ok,,,i was confused. you are talking about a leaky faucet, not a valve leaking

i was headed the wrong way.

this sentence is throwing me
'''We've had the cartridge replaced 3 times, as well as having a hole cut in the wall and the whole valve replaced. It still leaks. Mainly after using the other upstairs shower in the master bathroom.''

if the whole valve was replaced, WHAT is leaking ? is the faucet dripping water out of the spout ?

or is it leaking in the wall ?

are these bathrooms back to back ?

 

[compddd]

I apologize for the confusion. Yes the faucet is dripping water out of the spout. The bathrooms are not back to back, the master bathroom is on the far side of the house, the guest bathroom is located in the middle of the house above the garage/water heater.

 

[frodo]

still confused


the guest bath tub is dripping when the master bath shower is used, they are like 20 feet apart ?

the valve has been physically removed and replaced with another valve , and it is still leaking?

 

[frodo]

I am thinking the shower head pipe is leaking.


do this. remove the shower head, buy 2 simple 1/2'' threaded caps

unscrew the tub spout, remove it cap both .

turn the valve on, hot and cold, turn shower on,,,if it is 3 handle

look up in the wall with a flash light

 

[compddd]

I will stop by the hardware store on my way home from work and get the caps and try that.

Any ideas about the high initial water pressure from the faucets?

 

[frodo]

if you have a prv pressure reducing valve, it may be on its way out

 

[compddd]

We do, but it was installed one year ago. Do they go bad that fast? What about a bad expansion tank? When I tap on it, it sounds like it is full of water.

 

[LockePlumbing]

Are you experiencing high pressure all the time or periodically?

 

[KULTULZ]

From what you are describing, it sounds like a bad expansion tank to me.

 

[frodo]

I will stop by the hardware store on my way home from work and get the caps and try that.

Any ideas about the high initial water pressure from the faucets?

lets keep it simple, lets find the leak first
then deal with the pressure issue 2ndly

.

 

[KULTULZ]

lets keep it simple, lets find the leak first
then deal with the pressure issue 2ndly.

If the expansion tank has failed, any thermal expansion is increasing system pressure beyond the fixture's rating, would that not produce leakage?

He needs to gauge the system water pressure, right...

 

[frodo]

instead of the expansion tank, i would be looking at the prv


if the bladder in the expansion tank fails/rips/gets a hole

it will release air into your system . correct ?

the symptom of a leaking expansion tank is the release of air when you turn on the faucet.

the op, has stated, that when he turns on the faucet he gets a burst high pressure for a couple of seconds not air.

THIS Clue, to me, means the prv MIGHT be leaking thru,

the tub valve,

I would say it could be the prv causing the valve to leak IF, they had not changed the valve out.

my reasoning, the only valve in the house to leak is the tub valve, so they changed out the tub valve

the NEW valve leaks.
IF, the new valve leaks due to high pressure, I would think another valve in the house would also leak.

does not make since to me, that, no valves in the house leak except this valve, even after it was replaced

so, usually, when a tub valve is switched out, the pipe to the shower head is left in place,

that pipe, is the only common denominator

remove the shower head,and spout, screw on a cap, turn on the shower and look at it

then move onto the pressure issue

 

[KULTULZ]

OK... Makes perfect sense...

 

[Caduceus]

Failure of a thermal expansion tank does not mean air will come from the faucets in the described scenario. Either the schrader valve leaked the air out or the bladder failed and the air would quickly leave the system or be absorbed into it, depending on the installation of the tank. A quick burst of water when a faucet is turned on is a typical sign of thermal expansion.
If the PRV has failed you will have double trouble since the pressure will already start off high and increase with the water heating, which is what you described when taking a shower then later the valve starts dripping. That's the water heater firing and heating up creating the expansion.
First is to check your pressure with a gauge on a hose connection without using any water in the house; write down the number.
Next is to leave the gauge on with the hose bib open showing your pressure then run hot water from a faucet until you hear the water heater fire up. Shut off the faucet you were running hot water from and watch the gauge showing your house pressure. Watch it until the water heater stops firing and write down the number.
It's important that nobody uses any water during this testing except for you doing the test.
Let us know the readings.

 

[SHR]

I would bet on a lot of debris in the water lines due to the re-plumb and install of the sink. I regularly get calls like this and find clogged fittings everywhere. I see no mention of the lines being flushed - just old-fashioned, drive the price up parts changing.

 

[Caduceus]

You will also need to know what the normal house pressure is so that you can pressurize the new thermal expansion tank to match it. Sometimes just by pressing the schrader valve and getting water instead of air out of it would be proof enough, but sometimes the schrader valve doesn't close back up and will keep spraying water until you get it shut off.

 

[ExtraMilePlumbing]

I bet who ever installed the new valve left the cartridge inside while soldering and burned the washers. I would replace the cartridge/stems again.