Troubleshooting a leaky shower

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costgeek

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We have a slow leak that appears on the 2nd floor ceiling in the general area of the 3rd floor shower. The leak only occurs when the shower is running and it takes a good 10 minutes before you start to see the water, so I think it's pooling somewhere in the walls before it builds its way to where it soaks through.

I removed the shower arm flange and checked for leaks (water running) from the drop ear elbow down to the shower head and saw no leaks.

Since there are no leaks when the valve is off, I assume the hot/cold supply lines and their connections to the valve assembly are okay.

Any thoughts on what I should do next? I did read an article that said that leaks are more likely due to bad washers and O-rings in the valve assembly (not a bad cartridge). Is that a good next step? Is there a universal kit I can buy?

I realize that the leak may be coming from the pan area or drain, but I'm pretty sure the dripping is occurring higher up. In any case, I'm going to take a closer look with an inspection camera today to verify the water is coming from the valve area.

Any help would be appreciated.

Chris
 

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