Toilets, Sinks, Showers, Tubs and Disposals - How long before it causes major damage?

When my friend uses her shower upstairs and water gets into the corner between the tub and the floor it leaks into the downstairs livingroom. There is obvious water damage running along the ceiling and wall. I told her she should probably get that fixed. She said They'll put tons of caulking there and that they're saving to gut the bathroom anyway so in a few years they'll be fixing it anyway.:wall:

I really think they could end up with bigger issues if they wait -rotted floor, walls, possible mould, etc.

What is the realistic situtation. Is she good to "plug the hole" for a couple of years? If she does what is the possible extra damage?

what should I be telling her.

Unless this leak can be stopped 100% and kept stopped 100% she will have major issues if left with continued water exposure for years.Yes the floor and any other wood such as joists,studs etc exposed to water that long will rot and yes mold is a serious issue.In a several year time frame the mold will become so serious it may require major portions of the walls and ceiling removed and replaced.It will also expose them to mold that can make them sick.

The whole situation is how bad is it now.It sounds borderline right now to be left unaddressed even if they can stop the leak longer term.They need to find out if mold has begun and if the ceiling and wall have become weakened by the water exposure.

Wait...you said "the corner between the tub and the floor"? As in outside the shower? Gotta keep the water inside the tub, no matter what. Whether by using the plastic water deflectors or putting in a cheaper shower door instead of a curtain...something.

Yes, that's right, outside the tub. She said that it leaks at the corner of the tub where the water hits the floor. BUT, when you go downstairs the damage on the ceiling runs along the seem between the wall and ceiling and is spreading into the ceiling all the way to teh corner of the wall, which is why I think there's something more serious.

The leak as only been there 6-8 weeks, most likely, as it wasn't there the last time I was at the house, and she hadn't mentioned it.

Mould isn't a huge issue here because we're in such a cold/dry climate, but I'm worried about a weakened floor and her bathroom renos (which she always underbudgets to begin with) will end up being preposterous simply because she didn't address it to start with.

At very least you think she'd be smart enough to put a towel there and then hang it to dry after the shower. ???

She thinks I'm worried for no reason. I was just hoping someone would be able to tell me some kind of info on how long it'll take for permanent rot or water damage to the wood that will cause issues when they do choose to gut the bathroom. They plan on extending it into one of the bedrooms.

:thinker:
Thanks for any insight.

Water can run for some distance along joists and such before it reaches a point where it drops off and appears.And I agree with you that there may be a larger situation than just water out of the shower running down the side of the tub.You'd have to have some pretty significant amounts of water to show up like described so it certainly is worth exploring beyond just runoff.

I wouldn't assume mold isn't a problem since the area seems to be dampened regularly and enough for water to run through the wall and ceiling.Continuously wet drywall will also become brittle and weak.

I suspect when it comes time to redo this bathroom there will be some surprises waiting that aren't very pleasant especially if nothing is done now.

Its surprising how little water it takes to run through a joint like that and discolor/damage drywall. I had the same issue when the builder used a spa tub not designed for a shower, but installed a shower anyway. Since the edges sloped to the outside any splash ran over and down, naturally there was a seam in the ceiling below where the water penetrated and stained.

As was said, there may be another issue, and any water not going down the drain is a bad thing. The adhesive splash guards and clips to hold the curtain tight to the wall are less than $10 and may alleviate the problem for now. 2 or 3 years of water leaking into an enclosed space is just asking for big trouble down the road.

I'm with others here. It's not likely that the only issue is water outside the shower. It's quite possible their are other issues at work here. At the very least, your friend needs to locate the source of the leak and fix it before it becomes a bigger problem.