# Forum Home Renovation Plumbing  Shower taps leaking into wall

## JBAG

Hey all,
My shower taps are leaking into the wall cavity. I can see the wall getting damp on the outside of the house and I just pulled one of the covers off and can see water leaking from it, coming from the red seal looking bit (see photos).
I didn't take the other one apart for fear of breaking it (they're pretty old and shabby), but I'd assume it's the same. The one I took the cover off does this weird thing where I can turn it on and off but when I turn it off the water stops (as well as the leak) but the tap keeps turning.
Can I replace them myself, and if so how?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Cheers, Jbag.

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## wonderplumb

Save yourself some hassle and buy some new taps, you can get wall top assemblies pretty cheap and they come with everything.

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## JBAG

Cheers mate,
 How difficult is it? Is it just a matter of pulling the old ones out and installing the new ones?
Just spoke to some plumbers and they said something about a breach thingy in the wall which can only be checked by doing a pressure test and if it's stuffed you have to pull the wall apart to fix it!!??!!

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## johnc

It's quite easy, unscrew the old tap, get new tap and wrap about twice the teflon tape you thing you will need on the thread then quadruple the amount, then refit being careful not to cross the thread. Then check for leaks. If that doesn't work then your problem wasn't the tap but it will have not cost very much to find out.

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## JBAG

Cheers, I'll give it a go.
It's gotta be cheaper than getting a plumber in. 
Why is it that you can't get even a rough estimate from a plumber (or most other tradies for that matter)? They all give you the old "well it's 70 bucks call out, then 45 bucks for every 15 minutes plus parts" speil. Surely for something simple like changing taps they could say It's generally x amount of time plus x amount for parts, unless there's other issues.
 I don't want a quote that's set in stone, but you can't even really compare prices coz none of them will tell you what they think it will cost and their rates are all different.
Thankfully websites such as this one exist!!

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## wonderplumb

Well the shower breech could be leaking also, so they're not trying to bumsteer you there. They used to be soft soldered and do leak on occasions and if that's the case then you have to chop them out of the wall and replace them.
Also, you should never need teflon tape on the threads. Just make sure the red washers are wet when you put them in.

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## chrisp

> How difficult is it? Is it just a matter of pulling the old ones out and installing the new ones?

  It looks like the leak is from the "body washer".  The spinning handle is a worn/broken handle or worn/broken bit that goes between the spindle and the handle. 
As WP has suggested, it is probably easier and better to replace the tap set.  If you can change a tap washer, you'd be able to change the tap set in a shower.

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## JBAG

I've said it before and I'll say it again, I LOVE THIS WEBSITE!!!
 $24 and half an hours work and the bit that I could see leaking is fixed. Granted, that might not be the only thing wrong, but at least I've fixed what I can, for a lot less than it could have cost.
Thanks heaps guys!!!

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## Oldsaltoz

Don't forget to reseal the area around the tap.

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## JBAG

What part do I reseal? And what with?

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## Oldsaltoz

you need to seal the area behind the red washer, or anything further back than the new bit you just installed. 
Almost any bathroom sealant will do, but I avoid the silicon based ones.

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## Johning

> Almost any bathroom sealant will do, but I avoid the silicon based ones.

  Recently I installed a shower (acrylic base, acrylic walls and a mixer tap) and I sealed the tap and shower head protrusions with "Selleys Wet Area Silicone". Have I used the wrong sealant? If so; do you recommend that I replace it?

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## Oldsaltoz

> Recently I installed a shower (acrylic base, acrylic walls and a mixer tap) and I sealed the tap and shower head protrusions with "Selleys Wet Area Silicone". Have I used the wrong sealant? If so; do you recommend that I replace it?

  Hi Johning, 
You will fine, no problems.
I only avoid silicon because nothing will stick to it, get a smear you can't enen see and try applying paint over it, what a mess and not aeasy to remove without chemicals as sanding only spreads it. 
Just be very careful not to get it on anything else. 
Good luck.  :Smilie:

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## Johning

Hi Oldsaltoz, 
Thanks.
I can now stop worrying. I did mask up the shower wall very well to avoid getting the sealant on places it should not be. 
Cheers

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