Intermittent shower leak

I just moved into a new house about six months ago and all was fine until about a month ago. The shower just starts dripping water on its own at odd times. It has happened several times including in the middle of the night. I have PEX plumbing, and I am on a well with a pressure tank set at 40. I also have an on-demand Navien Hot Water heater. To stop the dripping I have to turn the water on and off and cross my fingers. I then take the handheld shower head off its holder and lay it on the floor of the shower. Any ideas about what is causing this? The shower valve is in the wall (a tiled shower). Delta is the brand of the shower. A friend suggested that I might have some kind of surge in pressure? I don't know what to check and I live out in the country. I don't want to pay a plumber to come out and he have no ideas. THANKS!

 

Welcome to the forums.

Are you seeing the leak or just hearing it? What's on the other side of the wall with the water supply in it?

 

Take the cover plate off the water control and send a picture of the inside with the cartridge and the valve body in the wall. If it is newer, you can easily get a replacement cartridge to replace the one that apparently went bad.

http://www.doityourself.com/forum/el...your-post.html

 

I have a cabinet on the other side of the valve. The plumber said I did not need shut-off valves in addition to the shower valve. I wish now that I had them!

 

Thanks. I will tackle this tomorrow.

 

When it drips, does it start and keep going? Or does it drip and stop?

I have a shower that will 'drain' some remaining water out of the showerhead a few minutes after showering. I figure it's something with water being trapped in the pipe and enough drips out to release the vacuum. I'd say 1/2 cup of water pours out, it drips for a few more minutes, then stops. So in my case, it's definitely not a leaky valve, just an odd way that the water drains from the pipe and showerhead.