Toilets, Sinks, Showers, Tubs and Disposals - Mystery shower leak- contractor can't find source! Please HELP!
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cbarry
04-26-05, 03:30 PM
Info: Porcelain tile shower on 2nd floor, built Nov/Dec 2003. Porcelain tiles surrounding floor, ceiling, walls, with glass on 1 wall. Steam unit and 2 shower heads w/indiv on/off switches, and 1 combined temp control.
My shower is leaking. It drips onto the ceiling of the floor below, then down onto the sofa. This started about 3-4 weeks ago, and only occurs when the water is running AND when someone is actually in the shower!
The contractor thought it was an opening in the grout around the built-in soap box, but to us, there seemed to be A LOT more water downstairs than could come from this type of leak. To test this theory, we covered the soap boxes with plastic and took showers. With someone in the shower, the shower leaked within about 10 minutes. (and the soap boxes were DRY).
Very strange, and hard to reproduce the leak when the contractor who built the shower comes to inspect. We let the shower run for 45 minutes yesterday with both shower heads on, and NOBODY IN THE SHOWER, with NO leaking. He already opened the wall behind the shower valves, and there is no apparent leaking there.
The ceiling had a small hole from all of the leaking, so the contractor opened up the ceiling a bit. The leaking looks like it is coming from between 2 pieces of plywood. I think he sealed the pan with plastic, so I don't know where the leak could be coming from.
Any thoughts? Any help would be MUCH appreciated.
cbarry
My shower is leaking. It drips onto the ceiling of the floor below, then down onto the sofa. This started about 3-4 weeks ago, and only occurs when the water is running AND when someone is actually in the shower!
The contractor thought it was an opening in the grout around the built-in soap box, but to us, there seemed to be A LOT more water downstairs than could come from this type of leak. To test this theory, we covered the soap boxes with plastic and took showers. With someone in the shower, the shower leaked within about 10 minutes. (and the soap boxes were DRY).
Very strange, and hard to reproduce the leak when the contractor who built the shower comes to inspect. We let the shower run for 45 minutes yesterday with both shower heads on, and NOBODY IN THE SHOWER, with NO leaking. He already opened the wall behind the shower valves, and there is no apparent leaking there.
The ceiling had a small hole from all of the leaking, so the contractor opened up the ceiling a bit. The leaking looks like it is coming from between 2 pieces of plywood. I think he sealed the pan with plastic, so I don't know where the leak could be coming from.
Any thoughts? Any help would be MUCH appreciated.
cbarry
duneslider
04-26-05, 06:55 PM
9 out of 10 times if there is a leak like you describe it is a reslult of a shower pan that has been compromised. That plastic liner in the bottom of the shower has either been punctured or installed incorrectly. It is sad to say but that shower floor and some of the walls will have to be torn out and replaced. I had this happen to me once because I let the plumber install the pan for me. All it took was one sub dropping a nail and steping on it and I was tearing out a good shower floor to fix a pin hole.
Sorry
Bryan
Sorry
Bryan
cbarry
04-27-05, 07:16 AM
Doesn't it seem weird that it doesn't leak when nobody is standing in the shower, though? If it were the pan, I would have thought it would leak when the shower was empty, but it didn't...
Weird. Another person on the forum where I cross-posted thought maybe it was the drain flange.
Any other thoughts?
-cbarry
Weird. Another person on the forum where I cross-posted thought maybe it was the drain flange.
Any other thoughts?
-cbarry
duneslider
04-27-05, 11:42 AM
It could be the flange but the only way to check that is to pull up the shower floor. Either way, you should pull up the floor and replace the pan and make sure the flange is okay and the pan installed correctly. Very few shower floors are installed correctly and most are a leak waiting to happen. The big problem behind this is for years and years it has been done wrong and so all the books are wrong in describing how to do it. The way it is done works most of the time but some of the time it doesn't work. It took learning the hard way for me. Do a search (or ask) in the tile forum and you'll learn everything you need to know to make sure it is done the right way when you fix it. A leaky shower is no fun and can be tough to fix.
Good luck
Bryan
Good luck
Bryan