Help--How do I repair my leaky shower?
November 19, 2008 8:57 AM Subscribe
My shower arm rusted inside the nut and snapped off--teflon tape and epoxy putty have not helped repair damaged threads in the nut and even with a new arm my shower is leaking everywhere. Should I try "goop" or just call a plumber?
I recently purchased my first home and one of the projects I thought I could easily do myself was changing the shower head. As I was using the wrench to remove the old shower head, the shower arm snapped off of the wall. I realized that the arm had rusted inside of the nut in the wall, where the arm screws into the pipe. There were still pieces of the arm inside the nut, which would have to be removed before installing a new arm. At this point, I called my grandfather, who is extremely handy around the house. He was able to use various tools to get the rusted metal pieces out of the nut, but couldn't help damaging the threads in the process.
We tried installing the new arm with teflon tape wrapped around the threads, tightening it as much as possible--the result was a huge stream of water coming from the nut whenever I run my shower. We then tried plumber's epoxy putty, wrapping it around the point where the nut and new shower arm meet, and still no luck. This is not just a drip--this is making paint bubble and the wall around the head really soggy. I don't dare run my shower until this is fixed for fear of damaging my wall.
At this point, are there any other tips anyone has before calling a plumber? We may try to use the epoxy putty on the inside of the nut in an attempt to repair the damaged threads, but I'm doubtful that will do much. Does anyone know if pipe taps or pipe "goop" will help? It should also be noted that my shower shares a wall with a bedroom, so we'd have to cut a hole in the drywall if we want to completely remove the nut and pipe and start over, which sounds like a big job and I'd like to avoid that. I'd also like to avoid paying a plumber unless it's a last resort.
I recently purchased my first home and one of the projects I thought I could easily do myself was changing the shower head. As I was using the wrench to remove the old shower head, the shower arm snapped off of the wall. I realized that the arm had rusted inside of the nut in the wall, where the arm screws into the pipe. There were still pieces of the arm inside the nut, which would have to be removed before installing a new arm. At this point, I called my grandfather, who is extremely handy around the house. He was able to use various tools to get the rusted metal pieces out of the nut, but couldn't help damaging the threads in the process.
We tried installing the new arm with teflon tape wrapped around the threads, tightening it as much as possible--the result was a huge stream of water coming from the nut whenever I run my shower. We then tried plumber's epoxy putty, wrapping it around the point where the nut and new shower arm meet, and still no luck. This is not just a drip--this is making paint bubble and the wall around the head really soggy. I don't dare run my shower until this is fixed for fear of damaging my wall.
At this point, are there any other tips anyone has before calling a plumber? We may try to use the epoxy putty on the inside of the nut in an attempt to repair the damaged threads, but I'm doubtful that will do much. Does anyone know if pipe taps or pipe "goop" will help? It should also be noted that my shower shares a wall with a bedroom, so we'd have to cut a hole in the drywall if we want to completely remove the nut and pipe and start over, which sounds like a big job and I'd like to avoid that. I'd also like to avoid paying a plumber unless it's a last resort.
I encountered a similar situation when we bought our home 10 years ago -- the previous owners were über-cheap and before moving out installed a shower head/arm without using Teflon tape or sealant of any sort, which resulted in a slow leak down a wall and out a light fixture in the floor below. Because the water was dripping out a light fixture, we ended up going with an emergency plumbing service, which found the leak but took a very invasive means of doing so. 10 years later, my walls still bear the scars from Mr. Hurry the Emergency Plumber.
In the interim, I've had other interactions with (regular) plumbers, and for the most part I've found them to be professional and well worth the money. However, it's worth remembering that plumbers are specialists in fixing leaks, not repairing drywall or painting.
Anyway, there are a several of ways you can do approach this problem, but my recommendations are to:
1. Find a plumber to repair the leak. The plumber will only fix the leak, but s/he will do it correctly.
2. Find a local handyman (preferably one with a contractor's license) to repair the resulting damage to your walls and repaint them.
This is not the cheapest way to fix the problem, but if you choose the right people it will give you excellent results.
Alternatively, you can just go with #1 and get your grandfather to help you with #2, but in the long run you'll be a lot happier with the results if you use professionals for both parts of the problem. Also, when the plumber is fixing the original problem, he may discover other old and rusted pipes that need replacing, so it's worth considering that this small job may become a bigger job once someone with a trained eye starts investigating it. Welcome to home ownership ;-)
posted by mosk at 9:27 AM on November 19, 2008
In the interim, I've had other interactions with (regular) plumbers, and for the most part I've found them to be professional and well worth the money. However, it's worth remembering that plumbers are specialists in fixing leaks, not repairing drywall or painting.
Anyway, there are a several of ways you can do approach this problem, but my recommendations are to:
1. Find a plumber to repair the leak. The plumber will only fix the leak, but s/he will do it correctly.
2. Find a local handyman (preferably one with a contractor's license) to repair the resulting damage to your walls and repaint them.
This is not the cheapest way to fix the problem, but if you choose the right people it will give you excellent results.
Alternatively, you can just go with #1 and get your grandfather to help you with #2, but in the long run you'll be a lot happier with the results if you use professionals for both parts of the problem. Also, when the plumber is fixing the original problem, he may discover other old and rusted pipes that need replacing, so it's worth considering that this small job may become a bigger job once someone with a trained eye starts investigating it. Welcome to home ownership ;-)
posted by mosk at 9:27 AM on November 19, 2008
I agree with odinsdream, in so far as the plumber is going to have to open the wall to fix it, so you might as well do that yourself and see what you have. If the pipe rusted enough to tear out, odds are decent that you have galvanized pipe which may be more difficult for you to work with yourself. Pictures would be useful. Simple plumbing repairs aren't difficult, but they can rapidly snowball into much more work if you don't know what you're getting into.
posted by Pantengliopoli at 10:06 AM on November 19, 2008
posted by Pantengliopoli at 10:06 AM on November 19, 2008
I would suggest that your first ever soldering attempt NOT BE a pipe inside a wall. It could get very dangerous very fast.
Call a plumber and watch over his shoulder while he's doing the work. If you're keen and upbeat, most tradespeople are happy to give you a lesson. You've got a right to watch anyway, so you might as well learn something.
posted by bonobothegreat at 12:48 PM on November 19, 2008
Call a plumber and watch over his shoulder while he's doing the work. If you're keen and upbeat, most tradespeople are happy to give you a lesson. You've got a right to watch anyway, so you might as well learn something.
posted by bonobothegreat at 12:48 PM on November 19, 2008
I just need to pile on the don't-solder-inside-a-wall-your-first-time bandwagon. Even experienced plumbers burn a house down from time to time; better it be done by the guy with insurance than by the homeowner doing (unlicensed, homeowner's insurance-canceling) plumbing work. On the other hand, if it's been leaking for a while, the wall may be too sodden to burn, though it would be tough to categorize that as "better."
Even without the risk of fire, having a leak develop inside a wall post-repair is a pain in the ass. I'm pretty handy sweating pipes, but when it's inside a wall I call the pros.
In any event, there's no harm in giving the Car Talk standard advice a shot -- head to the plumbing aisle and buy anything with the word "miracle" on the bottle. You may have to try a few sealants (and may have to ultra-retentively clean the fittings out beforehand) but you may well find an epoxy-based sealant that saves you. Just be careful not to accidentally use something that offers to "bond metal to metal" as you do want to be able to unscrew this someday.
posted by range at 5:53 PM on November 19, 2008
Even without the risk of fire, having a leak develop inside a wall post-repair is a pain in the ass. I'm pretty handy sweating pipes, but when it's inside a wall I call the pros.
In any event, there's no harm in giving the Car Talk standard advice a shot -- head to the plumbing aisle and buy anything with the word "miracle" on the bottle. You may have to try a few sealants (and may have to ultra-retentively clean the fittings out beforehand) but you may well find an epoxy-based sealant that saves you. Just be careful not to accidentally use something that offers to "bond metal to metal" as you do want to be able to unscrew this someday.
posted by range at 5:53 PM on November 19, 2008
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posted by jon1270 at 9:09 AM on November 19, 2008 [1 favorite]