leaking shower do i need plumber or tiler?

W

water baby

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Hi all,need some advice - have discovered a wet corner in my kitchen ceiling likely caused by the upstairs ensuite shower!! which tradesman do i call first? tiler to reseal ? carpenter to check damp floor boards or a plumber??All suggestions and advice greatly welcome :)
 
Its probably the seal between the shower and the tiles,is it a fairly new house? shrinkage occurs in the joists, this creates a gap between the shower and the tiles, is there a seal around the shower tray?
 
ah yes reminds me of the time i had the dining room and ceiling painted. next day my toddler decided was the ideal time to turn on the taps in the bathroom above it and put the plug in the sink. there is a certain type of paint to cover over leaks though.
 
Hose down the shower to see where the leak is coming from...the tray, the tiles etc. Tray --> plumber, tiles --> tiler, Unknowen --> Plumber
 
thanks tiler, shower looks well sealed and tiles intact, house is 10 years old hope i dont have soggy floor boards to contend with!!
 
It could be a leak underneath the shower check your house insurance you should be covered for a leak
 
My advice would be to completely re-seal the joint between shower tray and wall.
Place large weights on shower tray such as 4 concrete blocks (towel underneath to avoid scratching).

Remove all silicone with blade and clean with scotch pad and methylated spirits. Wipe clean with cloth and meths and leave to dry completely.

Now get anti-fungal silicone and with only a small opening in nozzle, work it into gap. Finish off by rubbing with a wet finger.

After 24 hours remove the blocks.

The blocks are there to force the tray down to the position it might endure with a person standing in it. It creates a good elastic limit/seating point for the sealant.

So basically, at present you may not see the gaps that are created when somebody steps in shower and moves about. Even at that you might never see them.
 
But if the seals are OK it's most likely a leaking waste pipe or water supply pipe.
 
Hi water baby. I had the same problem in my ensuite. I tought it was bad grout but when I went to change out the grout the tiles came away with part of the wall!! Problem was the mixer unit which is recessed into the wall was leaking and soaked the stud walls as well as leaking into the kitchen downstairs. Luckily this is covered by insurance and plumber is coming Friday to fix, I need 3 new stud walls and new tiles. Not sure how you'd check for this problem without removing the tiles.
Rule out a leaking waste pipe first tough, this can be done simply by pouring water directly down the drain and look for leaks in the kitchen.
 
Hi,

If the tray is leaking at the seal with the wall then the only long term solution is to take out the shower tray and reseal it using a flexible upstand product.

It's called CLASSI SEAL and comes in a self adhesive roll. It allows for any movement or settlement in the house. Most good house builders use it as standard these days.

Barratts in Maynooth sell it or see [broken link removed]http://www.Classic-Marble.com

Cheers,

Kevin F
 
We recently re-sealed the shower tray in rental property only to find it was a pipe which was not connected properly in the centre of the master bedroom.
Floor boards had to be taken up and leak fixed.

It can be difficult to locate the source of a leak as water follows the path of least resistance and where you think it is coming from is not necessarily the case.
 
Thanks lads for all your tips waiting on tiler to suss out what lies beneath my shower walls!! will keep ye posted and pass on any new pieces of wisdom :)
 
the floor of my shower tray is leaking. during retiling of the shower a year back the tiler dropped a tile and chipped the surface. only in the last few weeks has the water started to seep through. its not the end of the world as the bathroom floor is tiled but will get progressively worse with time. i want to avoid taking out the tray and retiling a section/all of the shower for now and was wondering is there was a sealant/bonding agent for coating the base of the shower tray.
 
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