Fix a leaking bath

A good soak in the bath on a dark winter day – there are not many things better than that.

But there aren’t many things worse to deal with as a home owner than a leaking bath tub. Whether you use the bath for its intended purpose or whether it doubles up as a shower, a leak is a leak and it needs to be fixed if you want to keep being clean and avoid water damage to your homes flooring.

So if you have a leaking bath, what can you do to fix it?

Well the obvious solution would be to call a professional plumber. At JSL Plumbing, we are one of the top local plumbers in Glasgow. With recommendations and five star reviews from a barrage of different sources including Facebook, Google, CheckaTrade, Yell and others, it is easy to understand why we have become such a highly recommended plumber.

But if you do want to try and fix the problem yourself, we have some advise for you.

Most bath tub leaks can be categorised as one of three main types.

A drain leak

Simply put, the drain pip where the water flows out of the bath is leaking. This can be a serious problem because a) accessing the pipe can be difficult and b) every time you pull the plug on your bath, a lot of that water could be leaking out.

A tap leak

It could be the tap. It could be the shower head. It could be one of the pipes connecting them all together. But a dripping tap or a small leak on a shower is an annoyance that should be relatively easy to fix.

A leak in the grout or caulk seals

One of the most common types of leak in a bathtub. Over time, the seals around a bath and the grout between tiles can crack and form gaps. Gradually over time, water from a splashing shower can infiltrate these cracks causing mould or rot. These leaks are ones that so often are ignored by the home owner but can actually cause a serious amount of damage over a long period of time.

If you think you have a leaking bath, then try these suggestions:

• Remove bath panel.
• Check the waste drain pipes and where the bath waste leaves the bath.
• Check the overflow.
• Test the bath seal by running water over the silicone seal.
• Run water around the taps where they pass through the bath.
• Check the hot and cold supply pipes.

Drain leaks can be largely invisible but some solid investigation work can spot these issues early.

A leaking tap can be fixed with a replacement internal seal.  The leaking seals around your bath can be removed and reapplied relatively easily.  All of these can easily be done through products bought at your local hardware store.

When you should definitely call the professionals

While some plumbing problems can be dealt with by yourselves, other more urgent issues should only be handled by a professional. Pressurised water supply pipes can spray a large amount of water in a very short amount of time.  Before you even attempt to fix these kind of things yourself, do you know where the water stop tap is?