HELP: Leaky shower cubicle

mistry_2

Hello,

As the tittle say I have a leak in my on-suite shower. It leaked a year ago but by the time we realised the floor was rotten, so we got some a builder to replace the floor and rotten wall. and we changed the tiles and shower screen. A year we're finding that under the shower tray there is water, i've checked the grout and the seal round the screen and tray and now I'm completly confused as to where the water could be coming from...

I'm not sure where to start any ideas???

David_B_2

Sounds very similar to the problems that I have been having. I had no see-able leak but underneath the bath & shower area the wall and floor was totally rotten. In the end I tried to eliminate different areas and found that it was the shower leaking before the wall where I could not see. To find this I disconnect the pipes to the shower and it's not leak since and the floor as no fresh water. Of course this means I have a shower problem but at least it explains how the water is getting there.

May not help you but I feel for you as this drove me mad for weeks :mad:

Alan_M_2

It is common misconception that tiles and grout are a waterproof barrier, they aren't, they are simply there for Aesthetics, ease of Maintanance and Hygene.

The shower cubilcle should be tanked before any tiling is undertaken, the materials for this cost around £60 and it takes three or four hours to do.

Take a look at the following thread for an explanation of what I mean:-

http://www.trustedtradesmen.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=4930&PN=1&TPN=1

I post on that site under the name Mudster.

mistry_2

When i re-tiled the shower I used a waterproof sealent (can't remember the name of it) however it's not the wall thats being pentrated, the water is coming down to the floor under the shower tray.

I did spray the wall affected with the shower and when i saw water flowing underneath, I thought I had found the spot. in the end I just re-sealed everything i could, but now the water doesn't flow through, but just drips. it's also the opposit wall to the shower so unlikly to be the shower pipes.

Alan_M_2

Was the shower door fitted on the tiles or was it fitted before the tiling?

Is the leak in any way close or associated with a wall that the shower door is fixed to?

mistry_2

the wall was tiled before the screen was fitted, and yes the leak is directly under where the screen meets the wall.

However I have re-sealed the where the screen meets the wall, I also fitted the screen myself, and when I installed it, I used a lot of silicone down the side before screwing the screen braket to the wall

Alan_M_2

You have the following problem or variation of it:-

The tiles weren't sealed to the tray before the screen was fitted.

The screen has been sealed outside and inside. (The screen should only be sealed around the outside to allow moisture and condensation building up inside the frames to make it's way back into the tray).

Cure:-

Remove the shower enclosure/ door carefully. Clean off as much sealant as you can. Youll probably see mildew/water markings where stagnant water has collected in the frame, clean this up.

Seal the tiles to the tray and allow to set for 24 hours.

Refit the screen/door and reseal around the outside of the framework only, allowing any moisture to run back into the tray.

mistry_2

Thanks again.

I'll give that a go over the weekend.. looks like it's going to be a rainy bank holiday anyway.