RV Shower Leak – Easy and Cheap to Fix!

This content has been archived. It may no longer be relevant

I finally found the time to investigate the RV shower leak I mentioned a few posts back. I was hoping it was from the drain lines, which are fairly accessible, and was initially disappointed when I found that it wasn’t. My method to isolate the fill from the drain was to have Kelly fill a bucket with the shower head, and then dump the bucket into the drain, effectively separating the two processes. We used that to determine that it was, in fact, filling the shower that caused the leak. Fearing that I’d have to cut into the wall, similar to home plumbing, I pulled a picture frame off the bedroom wall just opposite the shower, thinking that it may serve as an access panel. No dice. Then I went around to the shower and looked closer, finding that there is a plastic tray that the control handles fasten to, that looked like it could be pulled out of the shower surround. I then found that the issue only occurred when the water was turned on, and removed all the shrouding to further investigate. The problem turned out to be a hairline split in the diverter tee within the faucet (which has a lot more in common with a sink faucet than a household shower valve). We didn’t winterize the RV once we set it in storage back in January, because we live in a mild climate that rarely freezes. I’m guessing that we probably should have, and that swelling due to freezing temperatures is what caused this pipe to crack. Otherwise, it could have been a manufacturing defect that has gone undetected for a while and gradually gotten worse. I’m still not entirely convinced that the pipes froze.

Either way, I found the exact replacement on Amazon, and ordered it.

[amazonjs asin=”B004IWOXOA” locale=”US” title=”Dura Faucet (DF-SA100C-SN) RV / Motorhome Shower Faucet Valve Diverter – Brushed Satin Nickel Finish- For: Recreational Vehicle, Motor Home, Travel Trailer, Camper, Fifth (5th) Wheel, Towable”]

Then I went and found this one, which is by the same company and has the same dimensions, but for $10 more has a single handle. We prefer this type, and it would be here a day sooner (tomorrow), so I canceled the above and ordered this one instead. It should fit in the same place and just take five minutes to install.

[amazonjs asin=”B00HYIKEKW” locale=”US” title=”Dura Faucet (DF-SA150-SN) Single Lever RV Shower Faucet Valve Diverter – For: Recreational Vehicle, Motor Home, Travel Trailer, Camper, Fifth (5th) Wheel, Towable (Brushed Satin Nickel)”]

After ordering that, I pulled the catalog for Dura Faucet to see if they had anything else interesting. It looks like you can buy the diverter tee that cracked by itself. Good to know if we ever run into this issue again.

[amazonjs asin=”B009Y0C4FG” locale=”US” title=”Dura Faucet (DF-RK900-BK) RV Shower Faucet Diverter Tee Replacement – Black – For Dura Faucet Branded Faucets Only”]

The trailer is still under warranty, but we avoid warranty repairs when possible because of the time involved in taking the trailer to the dealer, waiting indefinitely for them to get the parts, and make the repairs. We learned that lesson back when we had our Crossroads – waiting months at a time for service. Generally if the fix is inexpensive, I’d prefer to do it myself.