Another Leaky Shower question

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pennypincher

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I've read all the previous Post on Leaky showers and applied most of what's in the Posts but still haven't gotten to the bottom of my problem.Basically I live in a Bungalow,the grout around the shower near the main door to the hall becomes dark after showering,no surface water to be seen.This water is also leaking to the hall(Bathroom on other side) and travelling up the dry board.All joints had been siliconed multiple times by the builder.In the process of trying to get the shower tray up it cracked and a lump fell out of it...I now know it's made of cement or something!!Any way all the concrete underneath is wet,I cut a hole in the dry board where the pipes go into the shower and no wet there(thought it might be dripping down).I don't want to put in a new tray until I'm sure the leak is fixed...but what do I do now...where else could it be coming from...I'm letting it dry out now and then going to run the shower later...once I find a way of diverting the water to the waste pipe....anyone any suggestions(other than plumber)...at this stage I'll try anything....!!!
 
Hi,

Is your door sealed on the inside or the outside as there is a possibility the leak is around the shower door? It is possible that the water is ingressing into the door profile and hence leaking. If the sealing is on the outside of the door this problem would not arise.

I happen to have a plumber here in the house right now and have just asked him for you!!

He also said to divert the water to the waste pipe just lower your shower hose and remove the shower head.

Hope this helps..
 
Hi Igora,maybe a bit more info might help -the doors of the shower slide together at one corner.The shower head is directly over head-it's not an electric so I've no hose to divert the water.When the builders had a go they siliconed both sides of the shower door at the bottom,sides and just about anywhere else they could,the 7th(yes 7th) time they came back they removed the shower screen ,re-fitted and resealed everything,but the leak is still there.At this stage I want to fix it myself(it's1.5 years ongoing now) as I'm concerned the builders will tell me it's fixed re-insert the tray and I'll be back to square one.Any other advice from your plumber will be acted on....!
 
Hi Pennypincher,

I have just relayed your post. The plumber still believes that the shower should not be siliconed/sealed on the inside of the shower door and this is what is causing your problem. What seemingly happens in this situation is that the water cannot escape from the shower door profiles into the shower tray.

Is there a seal between tile and shower tray?
 
Yes I think it would be safe to say there is a silicone seal everywhere,Dolly Parton would be Jealous of my shower cubicle!!both sides of the screen door are well and truly sealed,in fact when I took the screws out today to remove the doors the silicone had to be chisled off the tiles both sides before the doors would come down,I've decided tomorrow I'm going to buy 10 Ft of wavin pipe hold it to the pipe feeding the shower head(I've removed the shower head) and let it run for twenty mins into the bath and see what happens!Can you ask your plumber if the shower only leaks when the shower is on could I assume all the pipe work in the wall/ground is good...??
 
pennypincher said:
Can you ask your plumber if the shower only leaks when the shower is on could I assume all the pipe work in the wall/ground is good...??
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I really feel for you - we had a similar problem earlier this year - it took 3 months to fix, 2 plumbers, 2 tilers, myself and my husband, 4 tenants, removing part of the living room ceiling, removing and replacing tiles around the shower basin, etc. etc.

If the pipe feeding the shower head is inside the wall, I don't think you can assume that the pipework in the wall is good if the shower only leaks when turned on. There is usually a length of pipe between the 'tap' where the water is turned on and the shower head. This pipe only fills with water when the tap/valve is opened. We blocked off the shower head and opened the tap/valve fully and waited to see if any water dripped into the living room to rule out a leak here. According to our 2 plumbers, the other pipes in the wall/ floor must be okay otherwise there would be a constant leak and not just when the shower is in use.

We thought at one stage that it was the shower tray, hairline crack, or the seal around it and tested it by blocking the outlet and filling it with buckets of water from the bath. We poured water above where the basin meets the tiles and not a drop came down.

Our problem turned out to be the seal around the shower door -when water was splashed around in the shower, it found its way into a small gap near the top of the shower door.
 
Pennypincher, more info for you..
More than likely your pipework is okay. You would have noticed a leak when the shower was on when you opened the dry wall/plasterboard.

Where your shower door meets the wall.. there is a u shaped profile, which the side screen/door slots into. If this is incorrectly sealed while being fitted this allows water to ingress in behind shower tray.

Take down the shower door and seal in the U of the profile where it meets the shower tray(a tiny bit of silicone in, in the corner). Seal entire door only on the outside.

You might actually need a plumber again as it is a bit tricky.
 
Thanks Igora,I sucessfully tested the shower isn't leaking from the pipes today,putting a new tray back in is going to be difficult so I am getting a plumber in to do that part and then re seal the doors in the manner you describe.Thanks again for the helpful advice I'll let you know how I get on with the plumber as I intend on working working him as he does the job!!
 
The saga continues....I had the plumber out today and he told me I would have to remove the bottom row of tiles before fitting the new shower tray.However the one piece I did remove took a lump of the dry board with it.Del Girl how did you get around this problem...my walls are not cement but Dryboard,if I continue removing the tile I'll have nothing to stick the new tiles too adter replacing the shower tray...
 
I don't know if I am of any help here but my brother-in-law, when he was re-doing his en-suite, lined the walls of the shower with marine ply. Marine ply is more water-resistant and a perfect base for tiles. However, he was putting it on a good wall so you'll have to find out if it's ok to put it on a crap wall though I don't see that there should be a problem if it's fixed securely.
 
you should maybe think about tanking your walls first and foremost. doesn't cost much and will seal it tight. diy job...paint it on with a roller, couple of coats will do it!! buy it in a tile shop
 
pennypincher said:
The saga continues....I had the plumber out today and he told me I would have to remove the bottom row of tiles before fitting the new shower tray.However the one piece I did remove took a lump of the dry board with it.Del Girl how did you get around this problem...my walls are not cement but Dryboard,if I continue removing the tile I'll have nothing to stick the new tiles too adter replacing the shower tray...
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Sorry to hear the saga continues - believe me, I know how you feel!

Our tiler was able to very carefully remove the tiles without damaging the plasterboard behind them. He replaced them and put a Sealux seal behind the bottom row of tiles and secured it with Sealux silicone.

Here's another AAM thread about a similar problem which may be of some use to you.
 
Hi All....I am having a similar problem to that described in this and other AAM threads. Without going into the detail of my situation I have one simple question.....how much water are we talking about that can cause a ceiling below an ensuite to become considerably stained over an area of about 1m by 0.5m? A litre, 2 litres, less?? In one of the threads someone refers to a hairline fracture causing considerable damage....if that's the case I'll never find my leak! Thanks in advance.
 
It's hard to know how much water was causing my leak,but it wasn't flooding or anything,and Dry board is so porous that small amounts will show up easily.Now I am the other side of my problem,the plumber never showed up most likely because there wasn't enough money to be made(I ended up replacing the shower tray myself,using a rubber seal all around the tray and then re-tiling,I have now have no leak).Can you give more details on what sort of shower tray you have,is it ceramic resin or fibre glass etc.Does the shower give a little when you stand in it etc?
 
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