Hello,

This is our first house and plumbing is not my specialty. Please be kind...
:)

We have a corner/stall shower. Fiberglass with glass door. The bathroom was newly remodeled and the shower is about 2-3 years old. Ever since we moved in we have had a problem with the shower floor leaking.

After about 15 minutes of running the shower a small 0.5" wet spot appears on the grout on the outside of the shower on the floor. The longer the water runs, the farther the water will go. We initially found the leak because the carpet in the closet was wet. The water slowly progressed toward the closet.

In the garage looking up at the shower drain and floor shows a little water damage on the floor boards, but nothing terrible.

No drips or water are apparent by looking at the drain. Where is the water leaking from and where is it going?

I applied silicon calk around and inside the drain. No luck. I also calked around the edges of the shower and the glass doors. No luck.

What should I do next? Remove the drain?

I have no idea how showers are installed. Is there a pan underneath that could be leaking?

Thanks!

Manufactured shower bases have no pans underneith. Are there any cracks in the floor?
Let's see if we can localize and pinpoint the leak. Does the floor give a bit when you step on it?
Remove the strainer, put the screws in the soap dish where they won't fall down the drain.
Now seal off the drain with a stopper, rags or blow up a balloon and tie it off. Fill the shower base with a inch or so of water. Now monitor the leak.
If leaks out the putty or silicon jel seal has ruptured onder the lip of the drain. If not the leak will be found in the trap or drain line. Let me know. Regards, Tom

Hi don't mean to hijack this thread, but my problem is exactly as described by Zman. I followed your directions and found that mine is leaking around the lip of the drain. The shower floor does give a little when stepped into. The drain is plastic. Do I calke around and under the lip of the drain or is there more to it than that? Great site, by the way!! Thanks in advance for your guidance...

Hey Mike,

The reason you have a leak on the lip of the drainc is because the installer failed to bed the shower floor. If the shower floor hasn't been bedded properly the floor will give a bit as weight is put upon it. Eventually this will rupture the putty seal under the lip. Can you get under the shower floor to bed it and reseal the drain if I instruct you on how to do it? If you can't then take silicon jel and force it under the lip and let it set up before using the shower. Good luck, Tom

Thanks for the quick reply. I don't believe I can get under the shower. On ground floor, limited crawl space. House is 15 years old, we have been here for 5. I will try silicone jel. I believe I can get it under the lip. Give me a couple of days, I will post my results. Again, thanks for your help!!