How to tell if a bathtub leak is the drain, gasket, or tub itself
Bathtub leaks can stem from multiple sources like a failing gasket, a drain assembly issue, or a crack in the tub material itself, making it difficult to pinpoint the exact failure. In remote locations where hiring a professional is prohibitively expensive, diagnosing the problem incorrectly can lead to unnecessary and costly repairs.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Pop the drain off the tub to check the fiberglass and gasket condition.Did this help you?
- 2Replacing the plumber's putty seal on the sink flangeDid this help you?
- 3Replacing the sink strainer or drain kitDid this help you?
- 4Cutting through stuck locking rings with a toolDid this help you?
- 5Replacing supply hosesDid this help you?
- 6Checking valve shut-offs under the sinkDid this help you?
- 7Trying DIY faucet replacementDid this help you?
- 8Calling a professional plumberDid this help you?
- 9Applying silicone around the gasketDid this help you?
- 10Relying solely on showering instead of filling the tubDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“Kitchen sink is leaking from the bottom of the sink basin.”source ↗
“Was wondering if the entire sink basin needs replaced, or just the connecting parts leading up to the pipes underneath?”source ↗
“Does this appear to be fiberglass or drain issue maybe both ? At a loss at my ranch in the middle of nowhere would be a fortune to get someone out here ….”source ↗
“I don’t have any plumbing experience, but the bathroom sink started leaking, so I replaced the hose thinking it was the hose, but it turned out it wasn’t.”source ↗
“now I’m not sure how to approach this. Would the entire faucet need to be replaced? Is this something that I can do on my own or would I need a plumber?”source ↗
“we had our bathroom remodeled and had an issue with the tub leaking when it got to the overflow.”source ↗
“The person first tried to tell me that the overflow was just a ventilation for the drain and not supposed to be used as a drain itself for excess water and that’s probably why it was leaking.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 21Why is a newly installed sink drain leaking above the trap?
- 9How do I find the source of a mysterious bathroom leak?
- 8Why is my steam shower outlet constantly leaking water?
- 14Small yellow fluid leak around AC Schrader valve
- 3Flexible accordion tub drain buried in concrete slab
- 2Is a small gap or water around a plumbing pipe normal?