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johno1945 · Jul 20, 2006, 01:15 PM

My house is 17 years old and I am the original owner. The fiberglass shower stall in the 2nd floor master bath is obviously leaking, as the first floor ceiling directly below it has some water spots and was wet to the touch. I removed the drain screen and pulled out 17 years worth of hair. It was full of hair from the top of the drain to the bottom of the pipe. And it was tight and thick. Always wondered where my hair went! Could this have been the cause of the leak? The water spot on the ceiling below is now dry and was only about 2 inches in diameter. Thanks in advance. John

RickJ · Jul 20, 2006, 01:47 PM

Yes, that could have been it. Joints are not meant to hold standing water... so if the hair was causing water to remain up where a joint is it could have slowly seeped through with the movement that the joints get when getting in and out of the shower.

Keep your eye on that spot... and if it does not get bigger then you know it's OK.

If it does get bigger then you'll want to open up the ceiling there for a closer inspection as to where it's coming from. They make decorative access panels for openings like that so that once you're done you can close it back up, but leave yourself access that does not look too unsightly.

johno1945 · Jul 20, 2006, 02:02 PM

Thanks, Rick. I will try out the shower after work tonight and see if I just may have gotten lucky by removing all that hair. John

johno1945 · Jul 21, 2006, 11:40 PM

Hey Rick,
I used the shower today and the ceiling below stayed dry so I think the hair was the problem. Will continue to monitor the ceiling after showers for a while just to be safe. May also want to open the ceiling just to check for water damage or mold.

johno1945 · Jul 24, 2006, 03:28 PM

Well, the next day I take another shower and lo and behold the ceiling below is wet again in the same spot. Not as big a wet spot as before but right in the same place. Is it feasible to put a slightly smaller outside diameter plastic PVC pipe in the drain pipe and then seal any open area between the two pipes with 100% silicone? Thanks in advance for any help. John

RickJ · Jul 24, 2006, 03:50 PM

No sweat. Now you just need to open up either the wall behind it - or the ceiling where that spot is - to see exactly where the leak is coming from.

This is easy diy stuff that would cost you an arm and a leg to have a plumber do.

johno1945 · Jul 24, 2006, 07:03 PM

Thanks for responding, Rick. So, are you saying that it is okay to put a smaller diameter PVC pipe in the drain pipe and seal the top edges? This way the water will all be going down the smaller diameter pipe and hopefully past wherever the leak is! John

RickJ · Jul 25, 2006, 02:41 AM

??
No, not at all. Your goal is to find the leak and fix it properly, which in all likelihood (100 to 1) will be a loose joint that just needs tightened - or the washer replaced.

johno1945 · Jul 25, 2006, 11:23 AM

Okay. Thanks, Rick, for clarifying that! I guess I will be opening up the ceiling and trying to find where the leak is coming from. The drain and the stub-up are both black PVC. Do you think it may be PVC all the way. The drain flange is just siliconed to the floor of the shower and the screen cover is also plastic and just pops into the top of the drain. It has two slots that you pry it off with a screwdriver. The house was built in 1989 and I am the original owner. John

RickJ · Jul 25, 2006, 11:27 AM

Being built in '89 it's likely pvc all the way. Easy stuff to work with, replace, etc.