Ask Me Help Desk - Tile Shower stall leaking

I installed a shower stall a year ago. It has begun to leak.

It is on the second floor, and I was able to open the ceiling just below it to see. The water is leaking from around the drain itself.

The shower stall pan was installed with a poly sheet.. according to the directions... so that it was sealed where I had to seam, and then joined to the drain with the drain cap. The I put the tile down over the top and grouted.

I have let water stand in the shower stall.. I am certain that the leak is at the drain.

I tried to reseal the grout... but that didn't work.

I hate the idea of having to tear up all that tile and lay it all over with a new poly sheet... what can I do to fix this?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Katie D

I installed a shower stall a year ago. It has begun to leak.

It is on the second floor, and I was able to open the ceiling just below it to see. The water is leaking from around the drain itself.

The shower stall pan was installed with a poly sheet.. according to the directions.... so that it was sealed where I had to seam, and then joined to the drain with the drain cap. The I put the tile down over the top and grouted.

I have let water stand in the shower stall.. I am certain that the leak is at the drain.

I tried to reseal the grout... but that didn't work.

I hate the idea of having to tear up all that tile and lay it all over with a new poly sheet... what can I do to fix this?

Hey Katie,

Please describe the drain assembly you installed. Did it come with the shower pan? Did it have two flanges that bolted together? What's a "drain cap"? This "poly sheet", was it install under the pan as insurance against leaks? Describe the "seam" and how you sealed it. Perhaps this is something that came out since In retired but when we built a shower pan we made corner folds so there was no seams. Your question has me a little confused you state you installed a shower pan and then state that you tiled it. Shower pans have a drain and floor already installed, no tile is necessary with a manufactured shower pan. So I'm kind of at a loss to visualize your installation. Cheers, Tom

I know that this is hard to check now, but the shower drain itself had some hole around the rim where the poly sealed to the drain called "weep" holes, if you did not open those, the water may not all be getting to the drain. Unfortunately, if it's leaking around the drain, you may have to tear up the tile and substrate and check for holes in the pan. It only takes a small hole to leak. Hope this helps

Quote:

Originally Posted by Katie D

I installed a shower stall a year ago. It has begun to leak.

It is on the second floor, and I was able to open the ceiling just below it to see. The water is leaking from around the drain itself.

The shower stall pan was installed with a poly sheet.. according to the directions.... so that it was sealed where I had to seam, and then joined to the drain with the drain cap. The I put the tile down over the top and grouted.

I have let water stand in the shower stall.. I am certain that the leak is at the drain.

I tried to reseal the grout... but that didn't work.

I hate the idea of having to tear up all that tile and lay it all over with a new poly sheet... what can I do to fix this?

The polysheet was not a good method to start with. Usually a molded fiber/plastic pan with a compression fit waste drain would stop the problem. I realize a custom shower stall looks upscale with a tiled floor but unless it is done professionally it is the most difficult way to go. The polysheet has probably failed around the waste drain transition or it was punctured slightly in the process and the water backwicks to the drain area. I have given a description in a similar post reply that may help on making it work. Nm

You say the shower pan has a poly pan. Good. You say it has a shower drain with weep holes. Good.
Actually, you may think it is leaking at the drain because that is the only hole in the floor. It may be that you left a rock or a nail or anything sharp that penetrated the pan over a period. You may even have a leak at the shower valve and it is running under the pan and leaking out the hole in the floor. However, if you want to open up about 6 inches around the drain and repair, you can. There is an epoxy glue made specially for connecting shower pan material to shower pan material. My concern would be if I cracked the rest of the shower floor.
Eliminate all possibilities before you break up the shower floor.

I just had a tile shower stall put in and the guy that put it in did not fix the floor right for the water to drain out what can I do about it or what will happen to my shower stall with the standing water?