Shower drip

[Kkmcewen]

I have a single lever American Standard Shower faucet. I noticed that it was dripping more and more. Today I changed the shower head and all of the "guts" of the shower valve. All that was left was the metal housing that all of the pipes and the handle connect to. Everything seemed to work better. However, I still have a drip. It does not happen all the time. Just at times it will drip good then just stop. I took all the guts back out and reseated them. Not sure what else can be done......any advice?

 

[Jadnashua]

Water can easily drip from a showerhead for quite awhile after shutting the valve.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[hj]

Take the shower head off and see if it still drips.

 

[Hackney plumbing]

Do you have a handshower? If you do and it doesn't have a vaccum breaker it can siphon the water out of the shower riser and or shower head.

 

[Jimbo]

The larger the shower head, the more water it holds, and that can cause sporadic dripping for a while.

 

[Kkmcewen]

It's just a small normal shower head. Last night I heard it "dump" water into the shower. It does it at odd times. I expect it right after a shower, but in the middle of the night. Not sure what else I can do?

 

[Jadnashua]

Depending on the layout, think of a showerhead and the pipe as a soda straw with your finger over one end...it can take awhile before it releases.

 

[Kkmcewen]

I know this might seem extreme. I just wanted to know if I was crazy. A 24 hour period and it dripped a 1/2 cup of water. Not a lot....except when you can hear the drip. Had a friend that is a plumber look at my work. Said everything "looks" fine. So, do I pay him to do more extensive search....or just deal with it? Not sure what else could be done.

 

[Cacher_Chick]

My first question would be whether you used an OEM cartridge or an aftermarket replica? One could be of notably better quality than the other.

Next, did you apply plumber's grease before you put it in? If you put in in dry, there is a greater risk of nicking or tearing an o-ring, which will cause a leak. If it didn't go in relatively easily, you may have damaged it regardless.

Calcium deposits or a scratch inside the valve body are also potential reasons for a leak.

 

[Kkmcewen]

It was a OEM cartridge. I did not use grease....was not aware. I also replaced the valve body. I guess I screwed something up?