plumbing under tub

[timmy]

How do you repair the plumbing under the tub.
I have a tub drain that is leaking and i can just see it leaking from the bottom of the elbow i was wondering is there a way to get at it without having to lift your tub out?????other then cutting through the floor

[HayZee518]

take a look at my diagram. perhaps you could indicate on the drawing where you see it leaking. [hayzee518]

[LazyPup]

How do you repair the plumbing under the tub.
I have a tub drain that is leaking and i can just see it leaking from the bottom of the elbow i was wondering is there a way to get at it without having to lift your tub out?????other then cutting through the floor

Before we can address how to correct the problem we would first need to know which type of Waste & Overflow kit that was used to install your tub.

The most common type of waste & overflow kit is the conventional slip joint type however the plumbing codes require that if we use a slip joint type waste & overflow we must make provision for a 12” x 12” service access panel either up through the floor from a room or basement below or through an adjacent wall.

If the finished tub location will be completely concealed without a service access panel the plumbing codes require that we use a permanent type waste & overflow kit as well as a glue-on or soldered P-trap. (This may be a PVC glue-in or a brass solder-in type).

See the attached illustrations.

You stated that you see water dripping from the elbow. I assume you mean you can see water dripping from the “Tub Shoe” elbow directly under the tub drain If that is the case your solution should prove to be quite simple. If you look at the illustrations you will note that the “Tub Basket” is inserted from above the tub, passing through the tub opening and tightening into a threaded receiver in the tub shoe. The underside of the tub basket flange is typically sealed to the tub by means of Plumbers Putty and as the tub basket is tightened into the tub shoe the flange holds the basket on top of the tub while pulling the tub shoe upwards compressing the rubber gasket against the underside of the tub to form a tight seal. In the course of time the plumbers putty can dry and crack permitting a small amount of water to leak. That water would then run down the surface of the pipe by surface tension and form droplets on the lowest point of the elbow leaving the impression that the elbow is leaking.

If you look in the bottom of the tub basket you will see a thin metal cross that prevents foreign objects from going down the drain. (You may need to remove a perforated cover or tub stopper to see the cross).

At any local hardware store you can find a couple varieties of “Tub Basket Wrenches”. The basket wrench has a recessed cross that is made to fit over that cross in the drain so you can unscrew the tub basket. There is a very inexpensive cast iron basket wrench that is about $7 or you can get a professional grade one for about $20. Either one will work fine for the occasional use by a homeowner. (Some people will use the points of a pair of needle nose pliers but that is a bad habit because it centralizes the stress points on the cross and will often result in breaking the cross before you get the basket out).

Once you have the basket out carefully clean the threads on both the basket and the tub shoe. (I like to use a small copper pipe fitting brush to clean the threads.)

Next take a small amount of plumbers putty and roll it into a rope about the diameter of an ordinary lead pencil and press it in place on the underside of the tub basket flange. Insert the basket back through the tub opening into the tub shoe and tighten it snuggly in place. The excess plumbers putty should press out as you tighten the basket in place. Once the basket is tight you wipe the excess plumbers putty out and you leak should be fixed. With plumbers putty you may use the tub immediately. As an option you may use clear silicone sealer under the tub basket flange instead of the plumbers putty however if you use silicone you must allow 24hrs for the silicone to set before running any water in the tub.

[leodlion]

I had a leaking tub on the second floor. Water was staining the ceiling on the first floor. The tub plumbing is behind a wall but the drain is not accessible. I cut a small hole in the ceiling to find out where the leak is coming from. I saw that it was coming down from above the piping but could not tell exactly where.

Fortunately there is a bedroom room opposite the tub. The plumbing is behind the wall. Unfortunately the builder did not make an access door. So, I cut a rectangular hole on the wall in the bedroom and exposed the tub plumbing. It was leaking from the cold water pipe which was rusted and corroded. With the access hole, I was able to replace the pipe. I also replace all of the gaskets of the faucet which you can do from the front of the tub.

The next job is to close the hole that I made. I decided to create an access door instead of sealing it since I may have to fix a leak again in the future. I made a small door with hinges. It was not too bad since I can copy an access door from another room.