A few months back, I noticed that water was leaking into my dining room when my roommate would use the shower in my spare bathroom. The first attempt at resolving the issue was chalking around the corners since water was getting out around the corners. It still leaked in the dining room but not aroundt he corners so I opened the access panel and saw water dripping from various places. After chalking and taping the drain pipe, re-taping the shower head stem and chalking around all of the fixtures on the inside of the tub, there was no more leaking in the access panel but still water in the dining room although it was much less water. I chalked around the edges where the tub meets the tile wall and also in few cracks in the grout but it still leaked when my roommate (300 lbs.) used the shower but not when I (150 lbs.) would use it. I figured it was his extra weight pulling the tub away from the wall so I bought some wall/tub tape to go along the joint thinking this would not pull the tub away from the wall but it still leaked and even worse. It is to the point that now where I think it is either still his weight and there is some place that all of the water is running to along the tape or I need to re-seal the grout since he splashes water in different places than I do. Any comments or suggestions would be appreciated. Thank you.

The weight difference could be a key issue here. Is this an acrylic or fiberglass tub/shower? The shower floor may be flexing due to the 300 lbs person and this could cause a drain connection leak. Do you have access to under the shoer? You might eventually have access because that ceiling is probably ready to give way and will need to come down.

I am not all that familiar with acrylic versus fiberglass but it just about 30 years old and probably whichever is cheapest. The access panel in the nearby hallway is rather large and I can get to the drain. I have chalked it and used "Magic tape" on it and it does not seem to be leaking in that area. I have also had a plastic container sitter under it for some time now. The ceiling is looking bad but only in a small area. No matter where the water is coming from, it keeps coming through in the same place so the drywall replacement will be minimal. The part that is most puzzling is that before I put the seam tape on, there was only about 5 drips from the ceiling and once I put the tape on, it turned into about 1-2 cups of water.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by littlemankw

I am not all that familar with acrylic versus fiberglass but it just about 30 years old and probably whichever is cheapest. The access panel in the nearby hallway is rather large and I can get to the drain. I have chalked it and used "Magic tape" on it and it does not seem to be leaking in that area. I have also had a plastic container sitter under it for some time now. The ceiling is looking bad but only in a small area. No matter where the water is coming from, it keeps coming through in the same place so the drywall replacement will be minimal. The part that is most puzzling is that before I put the seam tape on, there was only about 5 drips from the ceiling and once I put the tape on, it turned into about 1-2 cups of water.

---

I have put up a shower drain,(see image) Tell us what you're talking about. What did you Teflon Tape? Regards, Tom

The only place I put teflon tape was around the shower head stem. On the drain, I put chalking and "Magic Tape" which the guy at Home Depot told me is used to seal cracked pipes. My access panel allows me to see the drain and drainage pipe and it appears to not be leaking.

Quote:

---

My access panel allows me to see the drain and drainage pipe and it appears to not be leaking.

---

In that case the next place I would check i9s the tile grout where the shower stream hits the tile. Over time the grout can shrink allowing water to enter above the shower pan and run down behind it on the floor. Recaulk the tiles and I bet your leak goes bye-bye. Cheers, Tom

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by littlemankw

The only place I put teflon tape was around the shower head stem.

---

Do you mean where the shower head screws onto the shower arm or where the arm screws into the elbow in the wall?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by littlemankw

The part that is most puzzling is that before I put the seam tape on, there was only about 5 drips from the ceiling and once I put the tape on, it turned into about 1-2 cupsof water.

---

Sounds like you remade the joint where the arm screws into elbow and didn't get it tight enough.

Next time your roommate is using shower look in the access hole and to see where the water is coming from. Personally I prefer pipe thread sealer over Teflon for installing shower arms. Seams to lubricate the threads better. When installing shower arms, I remove the head and insert a large screwdriver inside the pipe. While holding the arm next to the wall I rotate the screwdriver in a circular motion. The screwdriver increases the length of the bent portion of the arm and greatly increases you leverage.