My shower valve started leaking at 2 AM last Saturday in Austin

I woke up to a dripping sound and found water pooling behind the tile. Tried tightening the packing nut first but it was already stripped. Ended up cutting out a section of drywall from the closet behind the shower to access the valve from the back side. Replaced the cartridge and had it fixed by noon but what a mess. Has anyone else had to deal with a shower valve that fails in the middle of the night?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_sean1d ago

Is it really that big of a deal though? You had water pooling behind the tile but you caught it at 2 AM. That's not exactly a flood situation. Most showers have a backup pan or some waterproofing behind the tile anyway. You ended up cutting drywall and replacing a cartridge by noon. Sounds like you handled it just fine. People act like a little drip is the end of the world but it's just water. Unless you live in a highrise condo where it drips down on your neighbor's fancy ceiling you're probably fine. Let it dry out and move on.

felixhenderson1d ago

Respectfully, you're underestimating how fast mold can take hold... even a small amount of moisture sitting in the wall cavity for a few hours can start the process. Thomas is right that most standard showers don't have any waterproofing behind the wall tile, just cement board or drywall that soaks it up like a sponge. Caught at 2 AM is lucky, but cutting that drywall out was the smart move to make sure there's nothing growing back there.

thomas_price1d ago

Hate to be that guy but you're wrong about the waterproofing. Most showers don't have a backup pan behind the tile. That's not standard construction. You get a pan liner under the mortar bed in a custom shower, or a pre-sloped pan in a prefab unit. But behind wall tile? Nothing. Just cement board or drywall with a vapor barrier if you're lucky. If water got back there and sat for any length of time, you're looking at mold in the wall cavity. Caught at 2 AM is good, but the damage can start way faster than people think. That drywall cut and cartridge replacement wasn't overkill, it was the minimum.