# New Bath Tub Spigot is leaking



## baboon612 (Jun 7, 2010)

I just purchased a new set of bathtub hardware.  I had used the tub for taking baths and it seemed to be working just fine.  I had a freind stay at my house who used this batchroom and took the first shower since i installed the new hardware.  I woke up the next morning to find a water stain on my ceiling downstairs.  After inspecting the tub carefully i noticed then when i turn the shower on (i.e. pull the thing up to switch from tub to shower) there is a very slow leak coming from between the tub and the spigot, which i presume is how the water got into the wall.  When i installed the spigot originally i useed a lot of caulk around the pipe.  i have since pulled the spigot back off and the caulk seemed to be around the entire pipe making for a very good seal.  Any suggestions on how to prevent this leak?  is the pipe itself not long enough?  (i read the pipe may need to be different langths with different spigots) if so how would i go about making it longer?  would the use of plumbers puddy help at all?


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## Redwood (Jun 8, 2010)

baboon612 said:


> I just purchased a new set of bathtub hardware.  I had used the tub for taking baths and it seemed to be working just fine.  I had a freind stay at my house who used this batchroom and took the first shower since i installed the new hardware.  I woke up the next morning to find a water stain on my ceiling downstairs.  After inspecting the tub carefully i noticed then when i turn the shower on (i.e. pull the thing up to switch from tub to shower) there is a very slow leak coming from between the tub and the spigot, which i presume is how the water got into the wall.  When i installed the spigot originally i useed a lot of caulk around the pipe.  i have since pulled the spigot back off and the caulk seemed to be around the entire pipe making for a very good seal.  Any suggestions on how to prevent this leak?  is the pipe itself not long enough?  (i read the pipe may need to be different langths with different spigots) if so how would i go about making it longer?  would the use of plumbers puddy help at all?



The spout connection should be redone so it doesn't leak...

Us plumber never caulk all the way around a tub spout.
We leave the bottom open so water can drain if it leaks without getting back in the wall...


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## baboon612 (Jun 8, 2010)

Redwood said:


> The spout connection should be redone so it doesn't leak...
> 
> Us plumber never caulk all the way around a tub spout.
> We leave the bottom open so water can drain if it leaks without getting back in the wall...



any tips on how to redo the spout connection to make it not leak?  like i said above i used caulk around the pipewhich seemed to make a very good connection but there is still a slow leak.  Would you recommend just using more caulk?  Is there a specific type of caulk i should use?  

I did not have caulk around the spout where it connects to the wall, once i stop the leaking should i put caulk around the spout itself. (and leave the bottom uncaulked?)


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## kok328 (Jun 8, 2010)

Do not use caulk, silicone or putty.  These materials will not stop a leak resulting from improper installation.
If this is a compression fit spigot, you'll need to make sure the pipe is not dented or damaged to get it to seal.  This may mean sweating out the old stub and sweating in a new stub.
If this is a threaded spigot, then use teflon tape around the threads.  Just don't tighten it too much or you'll twist the pipe.


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## Redwood (Jun 9, 2010)

Have a good read here...


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