plumber East Auckland Archives - Grace Plumbing: Plumbing Services NZ

If you don’t get it sorted quickly a leaking shower can cause all sorts of damage to your home. Identifying exactly where and why your shower is leaking can be tricky – especially if the leak is behind the wall.

The worst thing you can do with a leak is ignore it because chances are it will only get worse and the first thing to do is stop using the shower until the problem is fixed. There are several ways a plumber can identify the source of a leak but that doesn’t mean you can’t do a bit of DIY investigating yourself first which could cost you extra labour time so here are a few things to consider:

7 reasons why your shower could be leaking

1. Faulty shower head or tapware – over time and through continuous use, tapware can become prone to leaking. While it could be a cartridge replacement you need, if that doesn’t do the trick you may be looking at a replacement or sometimes it is as simple as needing to re-silicone in behind the faceplate again to give a fresh new seal.

2. Damage to the acrylic shower tray – if the shower was installed without sufficient support underneath it, cracks can appear. Small cracks will eventually become larger cracks as you apply pressure (i.e., by standing in the shower). Even a small amount of water leaking through over time can cause mould, an unpleasant earthy smell and can cause major damage to your subfloor.

3. The shower waste has broken – this can be a tricky one to identify, however, if your shower is on an upper floor of the house and you can see water damage on the ceiling below it could mean a leak in the shower waste and this is a job best left to a qualified plumber.

4. Silicon sealant issues – tatty looking silicone or slight peeling can be a sign that water could be starting to penetrate. Removing and refreshing the silicone is a great start and one of the cheaper options. This is a job you could do yourself but be sure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions carefully so you’re not repeating the process in six months’ time. There is a real art to getting this right with no air bubbles and a good seal. Always allow a minimum of 24hrs dry time.

5. Grouting issues – even though grout is common around wet areas, it is not waterproof and over time will absorb some water, can start to crack or crumble away, allowing water to seep through. On average you should regrout and reseal your shower tiles every eight years.

6. The sealant on your tiles has warn away – your tiled shower should have a sealant applied when installed and there should be a warranty on the waterproofing membrane. The sealant ensures your tiles remain waterproof, but it will have a lifespan. If you have an older bathroom it could be time to reseal.

7. Pipe damage – if you notice peeling paint, or unusually damp areas of the wall surrounding your shower you could have a leak behind the wall. You never want to think of rats crawling in the cavities of your walls and nibbling through pipes and wires… but it does happen. Sometimes we find that a nail or something sharp like a wall anchor has pierced the pipe and over time this rusts and eventually falls out which then allows the water to spray through said hole causing damage over time.

If you think your leaky shower is beyond a DIY job, give us a call and one of our friendly plumbers can help get you and your shower sorted. We follow a process of elimination when it comes to this type of work and are often guided by the user as to which option we start with.

A heads up ‑ there are delays in the plumbing industry nationwide at the moment due to the global impact of COVID‑19 and a huge increase in demand. We’ve started to see a delay on products with short stock and long wait times. This is true across trades as a whole including construction etc. If you’ve got any projects planned in the near future, this may impact your timing.

So what can you do??

Order Early

Ordering everything in early is your best strategy. Our biggest delay is waiting on shopping and logistics on the products themselves. If you get your products ordered ahead of time through your suppliers, we’ll be more likely to be able to get your job done in a timely manner. The majority of products in NZ are imported or rely on parts that can’t be produced here, so this is even true for NZ manufactured goods.

Book your tradies in

The whole trades industry is seeing a staff shortage. This was true even before the demand boom we’re seeing now! Booking all of your tradies in early will mean everyone can work together to schedule each piece of the puzzle and get your job done as quickly as possible. After lockdown, there will also be a backlog of projects so you’re best to get in touch much earlier than usual. A lot of tradies are booked well into 2022 so this will avoid delays.

Give your friendly tradies lots of notice!

Give us (and your other tradespeople!) plenty of notice of any jobs in the pipeline to make sure we can fit you in. Happy planning and we’ll see you out there!

Contact our friendly team of plumbers if you’ve got a job planned here in East Auckland.

Let’s imagine for a second. You’ve got a plumbing emergency or a water leak going on at your home. Do you know how to turn off your water mains? This is a super useful thing to know as a property owner, as the water pipes are on you.

Sure, you can call a local plumber (we recommend it, of course!), but you’re gonna want to turn the water off til you can give us a bell. If you’ve got a burst pipe or a leak pops out of nowhere, you’ll want to minimise the mess ASAP. It can also be useful to shut off your water supply if you’re heading away to reduce the risk of returning to a water emergency (or hearing about it from the neighbours when you’re elsewhere!).

Find your water toby

Who’s Toby? A toby is the main water valve that supplies your home. Most of the time, leaks are close to the connection to the toby box or where the main line enters the house. We always ask people to look closely around those two areas before we enlist our leak detection team, so it’s a good time saver to know where it is. Find it ahead of time so you aren’t rushing around in a panic if the plumbing needs some urgent attention! Check for a lid around the front of your home or near the property boundary – your water shut-off valve should be in there. To test if that’s the right one, you can turn it off then run a tap inside. If the water stops after a few seconds, you’ve got it! Go turn it back on and go about your merry way knowing you’re well prepared in case of a plumbing emergency.

Isolation valve

If something happens inside, you may also have an isolation valve that lets you turn off the water at one point of the house, while it continues to flow freely in other spots. These will usually be behind the toilet or under the sink. Check if it requires a screwdriver or it’s a hand-operated valve – it’s good to know and have the tools you need handy just in case.

Check out some handy guides for finding your water meter/valves and checking for leaks at Watercare and Master Plumbers.

Give us a call for all your plumbing needs. Our plumbing team are based in East Auckland, servicing the Auckland region.

You know that annoying, not to mention nasty, feeling finding a puddle of toilet water on the floor every time you’re off to the loo. If you’ve got a toilet leak, don’t ignore it! Water damage is your main cause for concern here and over time it will cause issues. You’re best to fix it at the source before it becomes a bigger problem for your bathroom – and it’s usually simple if you get onto it quickly.

Find the source of the leak

First up, you’ll be looking to find the source of the leak. Mop around the base of the toilet, and keep an eye on it over a 24-hour period if it’s minor.

The bowl

If you notice water leaking from under the toilet bowl, it could be the pan connector has perished or been installed incorrectly. To fix this, your water supply will need to be turned off and toilet disconnected so that the pan connector can be replaced if it’s not sealing properly. Now this is a job for your plumber.

The toilet valve

If the water is coming out of the valve in the wall, it may need tightening or replacing.

Misaligned pipes/valves could mean the supply line needs repairing. This may sound daunting, and this one definitely needs the attention of a certified plumber! They’ll have a good idea of the problem and how long it will take.

A cracked toilet

If your toilet tank is cracked, it could be dribbling water. In this instance we adopt a replacement policy only as trying to fix it can often be more costly that a full replacement. Your plumber will need to access the damage and let you know your options.

If you’re having trouble finding the source of the leak, you can pop just a few drops of food colouring into the tank. Just don’t leave the food colouring in the toilet bowl too long after you’ve found your leak, as it may stain the bowl.

When you flush

When you flush your toilet and the water keeps running into the pan, you could need a new washer or a new flush valve depending on the age of your toilet.

There are loads of different reasons for a leaky toilet, but these tend to be the most common.

If you need a hand fixing your leaking toilet, call our friendly team at Grace Plumbing. Our local plumbers are fully certified to get the job done right. We offer free quotes and great rates, servicing Auckland for over 20 years.

We’ve been servicing East Auckland with our team of plumbers for over 20 years.

What to do if your shower is leaking

Tag: plumber East Auckland