Why Does My Shower Column Drip After I Shut It Off?

A shower column that drips after shutoff is releasing water that was still under pressure inside the column pipe, and that is normal: the rain head is the lowest open path for the leftover water in the riser. It stays small if you leave the column diverter pointing down to the hand shower whenever the tub is not in use. The first thing to check is whether you see a brief trickle from the rain head, which is residual water, or a spray from the joint above the diverter, which means a gasket is not seated.

Likely Causes

• Residual water draining from the riser after shutoff, which is normal
• The column diverter left in the rain head position between baths
• A riser or feed line gasket missing or not seated, which sprays at the joint above the diverter

What to Check, in Order

1. Turn the hot and cold valves off, set the faucet diverter to the spout, and point the column diverter down to the hand shower. Anything that then comes out of the rain head is residual water. If the faucet itself keeps flowing with the valves closed, see diverter valve on the wrong outlet and replacement.
2. If water sprays from the joint above the diverter on the rain setting, seat the gasket in the riser tube connection and tighten the riser hand tight plus a quarter to a half turn, with the riser exactly vertical.
3. Check the feed line the same way: a seated gasket at both ends, hand tight, then a quarter to a half turn. The base is sealed with silicone at the deck, then the rubber gasket, metal washer and locking collar from below; see installing the shower column kit.
4. If the base does not fit the pre drilled hole, note that it needs a 1 1/4 inch hole and uses the vacant hand shower receptacle on tubs with an Ella 2 piece or 5 piece fast fill faucet. Send a photo of the deck hole and your faucet so the team can confirm.
5. If the wall brace is the wrong length, the kit ships a short connector adjustable from 2 1/4 to 3 1/4 inches for a column close to the wall and a long connector adjustable from 4 to 5 inches for alcoves with an extension panel. If neither range matches your wall distance, or a connector is missing, send a photo and the measurement; connectors and braces are stock parts.

The video removes the hand shower and its receptacle, beads silicone at the column base and sets it into the pre drilled hole about 7 inches from the deck to the middle of the diverter, fits the gasket, washer and locking collar, connects the feed line hand tight plus a quarter to half turn with the riser vertical, mounts the wall brackets, and attaches the hand shower hose. Watch: Ella's Bubbles: Shower Column Installation With A 2 Piece Faucet with chapters and a full transcript.

When to Open a Ticket

If the joint still sprays after the gasket is seated, or the drip is far more than a line's worth of water, open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support with your model and serial number, a photo of the joint, and a short video showing how much water comes out and from where. Your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 send the correct section, connector or brace; the options are in shower column drips and replacement parts.

Related Guides

• Why Does the Faucet Drip for a While After I Shut It Off?
• Does a Walk-In Tub Come With a Shower Head? Riser, Column and Rain-System Options for a Standing Shower

Common Questions