Hi! I'm new here, so please forgive me if this question has been asked before. Our master shower upstairs has started occassionally leaking thru the floor/ceiling & into the light fixture in the kitchen below. I don't think it's the pipes or else it would do it all the time & when we empty the kid's tub or shower in that bathroom. It seems to be something specific to HOW we shower. It used to only happen with my husband, but now it does it with me sometimes & not him. It seems as if it's somehow leaking water near the handle & maybe getting behind the shower. I tried tightening the screws there already. Any ideas? The plumbers said they'd have to knock out the wall & floor/ceiling. I'd REALLY like to avoid that!
Thanks!
cbabynurse

What type of shower do you have? Custom tile or manufactured shower enclosure?

Tom will give you a fix and I'll bet your walls won't need to come down.

It's a manufactured shower stall with the seat in it, & sliding glass doors. There's not any gaps or breaks in the fiberglass. BTW, I calked around the splash-pan behind the nozzle. I took a shower like normal this AM & flooded the kitchen again. It's definitely NOT running in next to the nozzle. I'm thinking it must be the wall or floor now. Yuck.

Oh yeah! My hubby turned the water on this evening & let it just run for about 15mins to see if it's just that my showers are longer than his. No leaking. It seems only to leak with me now. He's started making sure the water sprays towards the back of the shower. I'm short, so I can't do that or I won't get wet. :) So, it used to leak only with him. Now it's only with me. It's not dripping behind the handle because it's caulked now. It's not just the water running. It doesn't happen with the other bathroom, the sink or anything else upstairs. Any ideas?
Thanks!

Unfortunately, when drywall gets wet it must be replaced. It's mold food.

Fixture penetrations are a possibility for leaks. I tend to use plumbers putty to fix them.

Look closely where the water is spraying. See if a lot ends up around the fixtures.

Leaks could show up behind the penetrations only when on. Something else to look out for is drain leaks.

Water is very sneaky.

Before you can make a repair you must first locate the source of the leak. Does the floor of the shower give a bit when you step on it? Try this, Tonight seal off the drain by removing the strainer and blowing up a balloon and tying it off or jamming a wet towel l in the hole. Fill the base with water and let it set over night. Next morning check the ceiling for moisture. If there is none have someone stand and move around in the shower. Any moisture now? If not, then open up, the draijn and let the water drain out. Any moisture now? Let me know if the answers yes to any of my questions. If my hunch's correct we can fix this without tearing up your ceiling or walls. Back to you. Tom

Thanks! I'll try the balloon thing tonight (Wed night). Do you think it's a leak around the drain seal?

BTW, it's not leaking through the "ceiling" per se. The water leaks out of the fluorescent light.

The light is the leaks exit point. The water can travel a pretty good distance before it comes through the ceiling. The light is the exit but you will probably need to replace quite a bit of the ceiling, is it drywall? If so there will be mold on the top side and it nust come out, don't just try to kill the mold.

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Originally Posted by cbabynurse

Thanks! I'll try the balloon thing tonight (Wed night). Do you think it's a leak around the drain seal?

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I think the putty seal under the drain lip has ruptured due to the floor flexing because it was never bedded properly. If that's the case then you can force silicon jel underthe lip, wipe off the excess and hope it makes a good solid seal. But be advised that unless the ceiling's cut int and the base is bedded in addition to unscrewing the drains retaining and doing the drain seal properly you will develop another leak in time. Good luck, Tom

Tom is correct, if you have drywall you will be creating a rather large opening under the bathroom so you will be able to see your leak. In addition to the drain lip you may have also cracked another connection when your weight flexed the shower pan. Much will become apparent once you remove the drywall. I fixed one like this not long ago. The homeowner tried to fix the bed by blowing in a can of expanding foam insulation. DISASTER! DO NOT DO THIS. The foiam expanded as it should but it also raised the floor of the shower pan making the drain a high spot.

OK, thanks. I'll mention this to the plumber when he calls back. This house is 20yrs old & to my knowledge has never leaked like this before. The shower floor feels sturdy, but we'll check around the seal. (We've lived here almost 6yrs)