[DrPN5]

Recently noticed damp carpet in a bedroom with water most likely coming from the shower in the bathroom of that room. Had a plumber come out and he told me it was most likely a leaky shower pan and quoted me $3000 on a fix. Still haven't picked my jaw up off the floor yet. :eek: The shower is tile and he said that grout absorbs the water and as it seeps through it hits that pan and thus the eventual leak at or around the corner of the shower facing the doorway.

OK, sounds logical to me, but my question is whether there are any other ways to fix this problem from within the shower itself, on top of the tile? Is there any way to seal the inside of the shower floor so water doesn't get through to the pan below?? Is there any kind of exterior lining we can put down on the tile floor of the shower itself? The plumbers advice was to take quicker showers. :rolleyes:

Other areas of note, 1 story house, concrete foundation, have only noticed rotten drywall in the bottom corner of shower exterior going about 4 inches up the wall where shower appears to be leaking.

I'd really hate to have to demolish the shower to fix a pan, or even worse pay someone else to do it. It just seems too logical that there should be a way to just seal the shower floor itself like a fiberglass stall or such. Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance!!

[hkstroud]

First, can you show us some pictures?

Second, get one of those flat rubber sink drain, the kind that is about 1/8" thick and 4" in diameter. Cover drain and fill shower pan about 2' deep with water. Do not use shower head to fill, get water from another source and fill with bucket. Let water stand for about 30 minutes to 1 hour and check for leak. Then drain and then check for leaks again.

[Milo Dolezal]

First, tile base in your shower is there more-less for decoration only. If water penetrates grout, it will hit shower pan and pours into drain using weep holes.

Second: I would look in different direction, like bad seal at Shower Door before I demo my shower

Third: Get somebody inside the shower. Have them to pretend they are taking shower. You stand outside with flash light and carefully observe shower for the outside for leaks. If you have carpet, peel it off around the shower entrance so you can see it better. This is the best way to find out where is the water coming from.

Let us know what you've found out... Back to you... Milo

[DrPN5]

There isn't any carpet directly outside the shower, and the plumber and I did test the door or gaps at the frame for leaks, couldn't find any that would have caused this particular problem. Plus I resealed both inside and outside with silicone. Sorry I forgot to add that in.

Here's some pics.

Carpet where dampness appears. Mainly around where the light cord is to about halfway into the doorway and 8 inches out into the room.



Here's where the drywall has rotted. Some of the rot may have been from previous leaks from a faulty door, but this area was damp when we noticed the leak a few days ago.



Here's the shower floor.



And the drain.

[DrPN5]

Darn, pics didn't work!

Here's the links:

Carpet
car pit Pictures, car pit Images, car pit Photos, car pit Videos - Image - TinyPic - Free Image Hosting, Photo Sharing & Video Hosting

Wall rot
Image - TinyPic - Free Image Hosting, Photo Sharing & Video Hosting

Shower floor
Image - TinyPic - Free Image Hosting, Photo Sharing & Video Hosting

Drain
Image - TinyPic - Free Image Hosting, Photo Sharing & Video Hosting

[hkstroud]

Can't see pics.
To post pictures, first put in JPEG format.
Click "Go Advanced" button below. Scroll down and click "Manage Attachments" , browse to find pictures, click open, click upload.

[DrPN5]

Whoops, here's the drain.

Image - TinyPic - Free Image Hosting, Photo Sharing & Video Hosting

[hkstroud]

The first thing you need to do is find out where the water is coming from.

Plug the drain and fill the pan with water as instructed. If there is no leak you will know the shower pan is not leaking.
If when you pull the plug and drain, if there is no leak you will know the drain is not leaking.

Do not use the shower head to fill the pan because that might be where the leak is. Or the leak might be in the tile on the wall.

If there is no leak we will look elsewhere.

[DrPN5]

Sorry it's taken so long (away on personal matter) but I did the test and it did leak so I think it's definitely a leaky pan. Is there anything I can do to save my shower like seal the floor??

Thanks again for the help!

[hkstroud]

There is nothing that I know off that I would trust other than replace. You can't afford to take any chances. A constant leak will cause too much damage. If water ever gets through the pan you don't know where it goes. It might be leaking and you not be able to see until damage is done.