A couple in Lynbrook had been putting off a bathroom renovation for two years. When the contractor finally opened the walls, he found the subfloor joists were soft, partially rotted. Water damage from a slow shower valve drip had been going on quietly for a long time.
The renovation budget went up significantly. The shower valve repair, had they called us when the drip started, would have been a few hundred dollars.
This is the thing about shower and bathtub leaks. They’re quiet. You don’t see them happening. The water works its way behind the tile, into the wall, down to the floor structure, and by the time something is obvious, the damage is already done.
AJ Services repairs shower and bathtub plumbing throughout Nassau County. The sooner you call, the simpler and less expensive the fix.
Here are the shower and tub plumbing problems we fix most often for Long Island homeowners:
Most of these repairs are completed in a single visit. We stock cartridges for the most common valve brands used in Nassau County homes: Moen, Delta, Kohler, American Standard, Price Pfister.
Long Island’s older housing stock is particularly vulnerable to shower leak damage. Many Nassau County homes built in the 1960s and 70s have original tile showers with cement backer or gypsum substrate behind the tile. When a shower valve drips, water migrates behind the tile, materials that aren’t waterproof, and works its way down to the subfloor.
In a two-story Nassau County home with a first-floor bathroom or a basement below the bathroom, the damage extends downward. We see water staining on ceilings, soft spots in first floors, and rotted framing, all from what started as a slow drip somebody planned to get around to fixing.
A shower valve cartridge replacement costs a fraction of what bathroom subfloor repair costs. There’s no good reason to wait.
If you hear your shower dripping from the next room, or if the handle requires noticeably more force to shut off than it used to, those are early warning signs. Call us before the wall gets involved.
The most common shower plumbing repair we do across Nassau County is cartridge replacement. Modern pressure-balancing valves use a cartridge that handles both temperature mixing and flow control. Over time it wears, and you start to notice:
A cartridge replacement is usually a 45 to 60 minute job. We carry cartridges for the most common brands on our trucks. Most Nassau County homeowners are surprised how fast it’s done.
One important note: Nassau County’s hard water accelerates cartridge wear. If you’re on your second or third cartridge in the same valve, it might be worth discussing a valve body upgrade. We’ll let you know where the line is.
Slow shower drains are one of the most common plumbing calls on Long Island. Hair, soap scum, and mineral scale from Nassau County’s hard water combine to form some of the most stubborn clogs we encounter. Liquid drain cleaners might clear it partially for a few weeks, but they don’t solve the underlying buildup.
AJ Services uses professional drain cleaning equipment to fully clear shower and tub clogs, not just punch a temporary hole through them. We also inspect the P-trap and drain assembly while we’re at it. In many older Long Island bathrooms, original chrome drain assemblies are 40+ years old and starting to corrode at the joints.
If your shower pressure has gone from good to weak, the cause isn’t always what you’d expect. Yes, a clogged showerhead aerator is the first thing to check, it’s easy to clean. But low shower pressure can also mean:
We diagnose the actual cause. If your low shower pressure is a symptom of a larger plumbing issue, like galvanized pipes that need replacing, we’ll tell you clearly and give you the options.
The clearest signs are a drip that continues after you shut the handle off, a handle that’s gotten noticeably stiffer, or temperature that’s become hard to control. Any one of those points to a cartridge issue.
Yes. Shower drain clogs are almost always accessible from the drain opening itself. We don’t need to open walls for a standard drain cleaning.
All major brands used in Nassau County homes: Moen, Delta, Kohler, American Standard, Price Pfister, and others. We carry the most common cartridges on our trucks.
Cracked tile near a valve area can allow water behind the tile even when the valve isn’t dripping. It’s worth getting it looked at. We can assess whether there’s water intrusion and what needs to be addressed.
AJ Services repairs shower and bathtub plumbing throughout Nassau County including Bellmore, Wantagh, Merrick, Baldwin, Freeport, Oceanside, Lynbrook, Valley Stream, Rockville Centre, Garden City, Levittown, and more. Call (516) 807-8700.
