Is Your Shower Really Leaking Or Is It Just Condensation?

When you start noticing water marks on the other side of your shower's wall or other signs of wetness like mold growth and loose tiles, it's natural to assume there's a leak from the pipes supplying the water. However, condensation dripping off of the pipes is far more common than an actual leak. Even after opening the wall cavity that contains the pipes for your shower and tub, it can be tricky to tell what's causing the water damage. Learn how your plumber can determine whether you're dealing with a leak or condensation to make sure they're on the right track.

Check the Location

Whether your plumber opens up the shower wall or just inserts a scope to check out the interior, they'll examine the pattern of visual water damage to get clues about which part of the plumbing is leaking. Water damage caused by a leak could be concentrated practically anywhere in the wall cavity, but condensation will always be heaviest around and under the cold water supply pipe. This is because the cold water pipe is the one that causes moisture to condense out of the air and onto its surface due to the temperature difference. Water can spread far through drywall and lumber framing, but the worst damage will be concentrated around the cold water supply if it's condensation rather than a leak. If the shower wall is open, the plumber can touch the cold water pipe to see if there's any moisture accumulated on its surface to confirm their suspicions.

Watch for Intermittent Moisture

Leaks that seem to come and go are very frustrating because intermittent moisture is much harder to trace to a specific source. If you can connect the appearance of the moisture to hot and humid weather and its disappearance coincides with drier and colder conditions, you're likely dealing with condensation. Hot air creates a large temperature difference when it comes in contact with a pipe full of cold water, and humid air provides plenty of moisture to condense onto the surface. Condensation is primarily only a problem in the summer for most homeowners, but it can occur year round in warm and humid climates.

Look for Rusty Pipes

Rust on the surface of the cold water plumbing is another sign it's getting wet from condensation on a regular basis. Even in homes where PVC pipes are used entirely for the supply lines to the shower, metal connections are used to link these pipes to the hot and cold water handles in the shower. Those metal connections will rust and eventually leak if allowed to gather condensation on a regular basis.