Your shower has started dripping, leaking or running cold, and you want to know whether it is a one hour job or the start of a bathroom renovation. If you are in Ryde, North Ryde or Macquarie Park, that is a fair question to ask before you book anyone. Here is how to tell the difference.

Key Takeaways

• Most shower problems are fixture problems: the mixer cartridge, the shower head, the waste or the hot water supply.
• A leak that only shows up while the shower is running is usually a plumbing repair.
• A leak that shows up after the shower is off, or a damp wall in the next room, usually points to failed waterproofing.
• Plumbing work in NSW has to be done by a licensed plumber. Blue Rhino Plumbing holds NSW contractor licences 289152C and 356773C.

What Actually Breaks in a Shower?

A shower is really four separate things: the mixer, the head, the waste, and the hot water feeding it. Work out which of the four is misbehaving and you have already done half the diagnosis.

The Mixer or Tap Cartridge

If the shower drips after you turn it off, or the handle has gone stiff, gritty or loose, the cartridge inside the mixer is worn. Cartridges are a wearing part and they do not last the life of the bathroom. A cartridge swap is a straightforward repair and the tiles stay where they are.

The Shower Head

Weak, spitting or uneven flow is usually mineral build up in the head, not a pressure problem with the house. A blocked head can often be cleaned or replaced in the same visit. If every tap in the house is weak, the problem sits further back in the plumbing, not in the shower. Our team handles that the same way we handle a dripping tap or a tap replacement.

The Waste and Floor Drain

Water pooling around your feet is a waste problem. Hair and soap build up in the trap and the shower drains slower every month until it stops draining at all. That is a clearing job, and it is the same work we do on any blocked drain.

The Hot Water Supply

A shower that runs cold, or swings hot and cold while someone uses a tap elsewhere, is rarely the shower’s fault. It is the hot water system or the tempering valve that needs looking at. Nothing in the bathroom has to be touched to fix it.

When Is a Shower Leak a Plumbing Repair?

If the leak only appears while the shower is running and stops when the water is off, it is almost always a plumbing repair. That means a fitting, a seal, a cartridge, a connection or a waste. All of it is reachable without pulling the room apart.

Signs that point to a plumbing repair:

• A drip from the head or the spout that continues after you shut the tap off
• Water at the base of the mixer body or around the wall plate
• Slow draining or water pooling in the shower base
• No hot water, or hot water that will not hold a steady temperature

On these jobs the tiles stay on the wall, the waterproofing is never disturbed, and the work stays inside a repair rather than a renovation.

When Does a Leaking Shower Need a Bathroom Rebuild?

A shower that leaks when it is not running is a different problem. Water is getting past the tiles and sitting inside the wall or floor structure. That is the waterproof membrane under the tiles failing, and no amount of silicone on the surface fixes it properly.

The warning signs are quiet ones. Look for a damp patch on the wall in the next room or the hallway. Look for swollen skirting, lifting floor coverings outside the bathroom, a musty smell, drummy or loose tiles, or grout that keeps cracking in the same corner. A ceiling stain below an upstairs bathroom is the same story from underneath.

Fixing a failed membrane means lifting the tiles, re-doing the shower base and waterproofing it again before it is re-tiled. At that point you are in bathroom renovation territory, which is why we look at it as a licensed bathroom builder rather than patching it and hoping.

How Do You Tell the Difference Before You Book?

Run one simple test. Dry the shower and the surrounding area completely, then leave the shower unused for a day and check for damp again.

Step 1 Dry the shower base, the wall behind it and any adjoining wall or hallway.

Step 2 Do not use the shower for 24 hours. Use another bathroom if you have one.

Step 3 Check the same spots again. Still dry means the water is only escaping while the shower runs, which is the plumbing repair side.

Step 4 If it is damp again with the shower unused, water is coming from somewhere else, or sitting in the structure. Book an assessment rather than guessing.

If the damp is on a wall shared with a bedroom or hallway and you cannot see where it starts, that is a job for leak detection before anyone starts removing tiles.

Do You Need a Licensed Plumber for Shower Repairs?

Yes. Plumbing work in NSW has to be done by a licensed plumber, and that includes the water connections behind your shower mixer. This is not optional. Work done by an unlicensed person leaves you paying twice when it has to be redone properly.

Blue Rhino Plumbing holds NSW contractor licences 289152C and 356773C. We are licensed plumbers, gas fitters and bathroom builders, which is the reason we can tell you honestly whether your shower needs a cartridge or a rebuild instead of only offering you the one we sell.

Shower Repairs Around Ryde

We are Ryde locals and we cover Ryde, North Ryde, West Ryde, Macquarie Park, Epping and Gladesville. If you want a second opinion on a shower before you commit to anything, call us on 0468 014 771 and tell us what you are seeing. We really do not mind talking you through it on the phone.

If water is running where it should not be right now, we are on call 24/7 for emergency plumbing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does my shower drip after I turn it off?

A drip after shut off means the cartridge or the seals inside the mixer are worn and no longer closing fully. It is a repair, not a replacement of the whole shower. The mixer body and the tiles usually stay exactly where they are.

Can a leaking shower be fixed without removing the tiles?

Often, yes. If the leak only happens while the shower is running, the fault is in a fitting, a seal or the waste, and all of that is reachable. Tiles come off when the waterproof membrane underneath has failed, not before.

Why does my shower go cold when someone uses a tap?

That is a hot water supply or tempering valve issue rather than a shower fault. The shower is only showing you the symptom. A plumber checks the hot water system and the valve first, and nothing in the bathroom needs to be touched.

Is a damp wall next to the shower an emergency?

It is not a burst pipe, but do not sit on it. Water inside a wall keeps working on the framing and the plaster, and the repair gets bigger every month you leave it. Book an assessment as soon as you notice it.

Who do I call for shower repairs in Ryde?

Call a licensed plumber. Blue Rhino Plumbing is a Ryde based plumbing business covering Ryde, North Ryde, West Ryde, Macquarie Park, Epping and Gladesville, on 0468 014 771. We hold NSW contractor licences 289152C and 356773C and we are on call 24/7.

The Short Version

Shower problems that stop when the water stops are fixture problems, and fixture problems get fixed without touching the tiles. The ones that need a rebuild announce themselves away from the shower, on the wall in the next room or the ceiling below.

If you are not sure which one you have got, do the 24 hour dry test and then call us on 0468 014 771. We would rather give you a straight answer than sell you a bathroom you do not need. For general work around the area, see our Ryde plumber and North Ryde plumber pages.