When you turn on your shower, does your bathtub spout still leak water? Here is an inexpensive plumbing tip that will pay for itself in less than a week – Fix your leaking bathtub spout and save on the cost of wasted water.

A Costly Leak 
A leaky bathtub spout is more than a mere annoyance. Though it lowers the water pressure at the shower head, it also causes you and your family to use a significantly greater amount of water when taking a shower. Even a minor drip in a leaky bathtub spout can lose a gallon of water during an average 10 minute shower. Add up the cost of those gallons and you’ll soon see that fixing the spout is a no-brainer.

A Simple Fix: Plumbing Tip

There are two types of bathtub spouts but both are easy to fix or replace.

In the first case, simply place a screwdriver inside the spout and rotate in a counterclockwise direction. The spout should easily turn and come off. In the second case, there is a small, “set” screw in the bottom side of the spout. Use the appropriate hex key to loosen the screw. You will then be able to remove the spout with a little twisting and pulling.

After removing the old spout, clean the pipe with some steel wool and remove any old silicone sealant on the wall in preparation for installing the new hardware. Using a caulking gun, put a ring of silicone sealant around the hole where the pipe penetrates the shower wall. This will prevent any water from running into the space behind the shower and causing damage.

Next, a little plumbing tip is to put a small amount of plumbers grease on the threads of the pipe. This will seal the connection between the pipe and the spout. Lastly, install the spout by turning a clockwise direction or by firmly seating and tightening the hex nut.

Turn on the water to check the connection and your repair is completed. If this doesn’t fix your drippy bathtub spout or this plumbing problem is a bit to tough for you then we recommend calling a local plumber to fix it. Any good plumbing company would fix this plumbing problem for the cost of a service charge which can range from $50-$175 depending on the plumbing company.