Replacing Leaking Shower Piping In Rental

Hi all,

So 3 times over the past 6 months I've had a leaking shower tap in one of my rentals.

I had the same company out all three times to fix the problem. The second time they didn't charge me as I said it's covered by warranty. The problem is the third time they went out they told me the shower breech needs replacing as the tap seat can not be resurfaced as it is to thin.

This means ripping off the tiles, drilling into the concrete and replacing the breech piping.

The annoying thing which I'll be complaining to them about is they knew the second time it is only a temporary fix but didn't tell me until yesterday when I had to get them out to temporary fix the problem again, which they charged me.

Has anyone had to do this while tenants are in the property and do you know a rough cost and time frame?

I'm going to get another plumber out to confirm this is the problem.
 
Another option If the seat is "kinda" ok) is to install ceramic disc taps. You can get the spindles for about $12 each at bunnings if they are common types, or fixmytap.com.au has a wider range. You need to be able to get it to seal on the seat ONCE, but after that the internal mechanism does all of the turning on & off.
 
Thanks, that looks like a good idea, they will be good as I think the kids that live there tighten the taps to tight which doesn't help.

If they start again I'm just going to do it myself, I use to do this stuff myself and never had a problem.
 
Well if anyone is interested I got a plumber to replace the shower breech behind the wall. They showed me the chip in the hot water tap where the washer normally seals in the wall.

Ended up being two trips
$130 to come out and diagnose
$360 to replace breech including parts and labour. Took just under 2 hours.

I'm waterproofing and tiling myself as they had to remove 4 tiling to get access to the breech.

Much easier and cheaper then I could of imagined.
 
Also if you need someone to tile it you need multiple trips.

24 hours for the "mud/concrete" to dry around the piping
4 hours for waterproofing. 1/2 coats
4+ hours for tile adhesive
24 hours for grout.
?? for sealer to dry.

All times vary depending on the products you purchase
 
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