How A Plumber Might Repair Your Leaky Bathtub
A bathtub with leaky plumbing can be a serious problem because the water damage is hidden under the tub or behind a wall. You may not know there's a leak until a lot of damage has been done or until you detect mold in the bathroom. Bathtub plumbing is difficult to work with, so you will probably need the help of a plumber. Here's how a plumber may handle a problem with your bathtub.
Determine The Problem
A leak around the tub could be coming from a drain or a water supply pipe. A continuous leak from a supply pipe is fairly easy to identify since you may hear water running or see the water meter spinning, which indicates a leaky pipe somewhere.
A leak in a drain might be diagnosed by filling the tub and seeing when and where the water leaks. Once the problem is identified, the plumber can recommend repairs that might even include putting in a new tub.
Make Drain Repairs
Repairing a drain involves working under the tub. Since a tub rests on the floor, reaching the drain isn't an easy task. If the tub is above a basement or on a second floor, it might be possible to open the ceiling and expose the pipes. If the tub is on a slab, there should be an access panel in front of the tub where the pipes can be seen and reached. The opening may be small, making the work tedious.
Once the pipes are visible, the plumber may let some water go down the drain to locate where it's leaking out. The problem might be with a pipe or with an old trap. The plumber can cut out the damaged parts of the pipe and replace them. They may put in a newer P-trap made of plastic if the old trap is bad.
Make Supply Line Repairs
Reaching a water supply pipe may not be easy, either, since these are usually behind tile. The plumber may need to bust up some tiles to reach the pipes or open up the back wall if possible. Once the pipes can be seen, the water leak should be visible and easy to reach and repair. The type of repairs depends on the type of pipes in your bathroom.
The plumber may need to replace corroded steel pipes with new plastic pipes or patch in new copper pipes. If the plumbing is old, you may want this opportunity to upgrade the faucet to a newer model that mixes cold and hot water or that is more attractive.
Repairing plumbing in a bathroom can be somewhat destructive, especially if the bathroom is small and space has to be made to reach the pipes. You might need tile or carpentry work done when the plumbing repairs are finished.
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