View Full Version : Bruno... we have a new shower and it is leaking through to the basement.
johnye
Feb 9, 2012, 06:48 AM
We had a new shower installed, with 4 shower jets, hand held shower and regular shower. The shower was to large for a shower pan so one was made. Now we have a leak and the plumber or tile man can not find the leak. Where do we go from here. They want to calk around the base of the shower. I am upset that with a new shower we now have to caulk as if it were 10-15 years old. Am I wrong that by caulking you are covering up a problem that should be corrected in the beginning?
speedball1
Feb 9, 2012, 07:12 AM
They want to calk around the base of the shower.You are so correct!
I disagree! That's not locating and repairing the leak. That's simply containing the water. So they contain the water and it builds up. Where does the water go from there?
The shower was to large for a shower pan so one was made Back when I was out in t.e field we formed all of our shower pans.
If they don't know how to localize a leak let me start you off.
I'm assuming this isn't a pressure leak.
Remove the strainer from the drain and pack the drain with wet rags. Now fill the shower floor with a few inches of water and start looking for moisture. You're checking the drain seal. No moisture seen? Then pull the wet rags and drain the water. If you don't see any leaks the shower pan checks out. Lastly, after you replace the strainer, turn the shower on so the shower heads direct the spray to the wall tiles to see if there's a leak in the tile grout. All this should have been done long before I wrote this post. Was it? Back to you, Tom
johnye
Feb 10, 2012, 11:16 AM
You are right Tom it is not a pressure leak. The water comes out in a corner of the pan that the water spray does not touch. He did stop up the drain as you said & the water did not go out. They then turned on the shower and sprayed the tiles but still could not find the problem. They then caulked all around the lower portion (not around the bottom of the shower). They are waiting to replace the jets to allow time for the caulk to dry (2 days so far). Should the tile floor be removed to fin the problem?
speedball1
Feb 10, 2012, 02:12 PM
Should the tile floor be removed to fin the problem? Not unless you think the weep holes are blocked with tile grout. Can you open up the ceiling or any way to inspect the drain and trap? Let me know. Tom
Byr the way,
Whose Bruno?