[Maddox]

This house is a money pit for plumbing issues... We have well water. We have been unable to use the shower in the bathroom at the top of the stairs for well over 3 years now because when we do water comes out of the baseboard and down the wall into the livingroom downstairs. We use the bathtub and when it drains we hear a drip drip sound from the floor or wall... its only the shower that causes the constant flow to the level below. Are we going to have to remove the ceiling downstairs to get to the pipes or can we go into the wall right behind the shower? Thank you for any thoughts.

[doug238]

Remove the shower grid and pour water from a bucket through a funnel into the drain to test the pipe. Do not let watyer get on the shower floor. If this does not leak then get a cloth rag, wet it, put it in a plastic baggy and stuff it into the drain to stop it from draining. Then use a bucket to fill the shower floor about 1 to 2 inches and wait. If the pan leaks this will reveal it. If this is the problem you will be replacing the pan, the shower floor, and 2 or 3 rows of tile. If all these pass the test, use the bucket and fill it from the shower. If that leaks you may have to either repair the shower valve or open the wall and repair the shower riser.