Need to stop water leaking from behind bathtub into kitchen below

rvnmax

Hi All

Our bathtub has had leaking issues since it was bathroom was fitted 10 years ago. We are considering redoing it but that won't necessarily stop the leaking unless we do a find someone who will do proper job.

I would of course be up for some recommendations in terms of fitters and fittings (I've just read about upstand trays and tapes as added layers of defence), but apart from that I also need advice on how to fix and prevent the leak(s) occurring now since I cannot undergo a redo in the next few months.

I have found that when I point the shower to this area in picture 1 just above the tub, then it leaks as per pictures after. Directly underneath is the where it is leaking in the kitchen so it seems as if this is the area of concern. Although I can't discount a further leak as previously this year it was leaking a lot from the knobs in the thermostat control when I pointed the shower to them. I used cling film as a stop gap and then some silicon and that hasn't leaked from there in 6 months.

I have called people in the past to help, but they just apply some guesswork and don't even look at the videos I've showed them of where the leak is coming from.
One just said you should do your whole bathroom. I was just like is that really necessary? it seems fine but he gave the wall a knock and said he could tell tiles were coming off. As a secondary issue of the thermostat dial not turning to cold, he said he couldn't get the plate off and so we would have to change the whole shower.
Another said straight away that the water was coming from behind the shower head simply because that was dripping in the bathtub, he refused to see that I could show him another area where it's definitely leaking from. He said we would have to replace the whole shower with a new one and he never got back to us with his quote.

In addition, where I saw it in the kitchen today, for the first time it was coming from a light bulb and that is definitely an issue as the light bulb was flickering.

So I am trying to understand

• Is there stop-gap. Do you think a silicon like substance will work on those cracks in the tile.
• Is there another long-term solution rather than simply redoing the whole bathroom. I would like to avoid doing the rest of it if I can avoid it for a while yet.
• If the leak is stopped but the wood is starting to rot underneath does this need to be changed. Immediately or can wait. When we eventually refurb, can just small section of rotted wood be fixed or how does it work?
• One recommendation from someone we called was to tile underneath the bathtub when we get it done so it doesn't ever reach the kitchen? Made sense, but apparently this is not a good idea from what I've been reading online. Didn't understand why, I think the point might have been that it was a waste of money as tiles underneath could also crack and leak so better to stop the leak in the first place. But that is what I'm essentially trying to do, how do I stop leaks like this? Getting a new bathroom won't necessarily stop the issue as cracks in tiles and bad finishing is common. Maybe there's another material instead of tiles that is waterproof for either underneath or around the tub.
• When we get the refurb, how to prevent this type of leak from meaning that a whole new bathroom has to be built? Not sure if the upstand trays and tapes would work with the height of the cracks. Any ideas on how to prevent water leaking from tiles no matter how high they are (assuming that water can still hit them of course)?
• Apart from not switching that kitchen light on, what else can I do. Assuming I stop the leak, can I switch the light on after a few days?

Just quickly on another issue on the note on water leaks. I just saw this thread: Water leak — MoneySavingExpert Forum Water has been coming from that pipe recently in our house too. Is that an issue, I didn't even realise! 
 
1) Circled pink are a couple of cracks in the tiles. I'm not 100% if it's leaking from them but seems likely. Either way the leak is within this area.


2) This picture below shows the wooden board (RHS) below the leak area when dry. The thing on the LHS is the tub in case there was any doubt.


3) The pic below shows the board getting wet, and you can see some water dripping from edge of tub.

Thrugelmir

Do you have a concealed shower valve? 

grumbler

Where did you use the cling film? If on the cracks in the tile(s) and this helped, then just try sealing the cracks more reliably. If the cracks are small (I can't see them in the photo), dry them well (with a heat gun or hair drier), then try superglue or some liquid epoxi resin. Also, check the grouting and repair it if needed.

Why did  the tile crack and the wall looks uneven? When redoing the bathroom pay more attention to preparing the wall before tiling it.

And, although it seems to be not the silicone sealing that causes the leak, I'd use something more reliable - see this thread: Sealing a new bath to tiles

rvnmax said:

Just quickly on another issue on the note on water leaks. I just saw this thread: Water leak — MoneySavingExpert Forum Water has been coming from that pipe recently in our house too. Is that an issue, I didn't even realise!

What "that pipe"?  There are two pipes in that picture and it's explained there what sort of pipes they usually can be - toilet cistern overflow, cold water tank overflow, CH expansion tank overflow. And yes, it's not normal if any of them leaks.

NSG666

You might as well come back and ask questions about the refurb when you decide to have it done.

Looking at that photo the grouting looks to be cracked and if you tap the tiles they might sound a bit loose. If they are then ideally pull them of without breaking them, let the wall dry then stick them back on and re-grout. Alternative is to rake the grout out and re-grout them. If the silicone seal between the tiles and the bath has failed then replace it with something like CT1

rvnmax

Thrugelmir said:

Do you have a concealed shower valve? 

Correct, pic at bottom.

grumbler said:

Where did you use the cling film? If on the cracks in the tile(s) and this helped, then just try sealing the cracks more reliably. If the cracks are small (I can't see them in the photo), dry them well (with a heat gun or hair drier), then try superglue or some liquid epoxi resin. Also, check the grouting and repair it if needed.

Why did  the tile crack and the wall looks uneven? When redoing the bathroom pay more attention to preparing the wall before tiling it.

And, although it seems to be not the silicone sealing that causes the leak, I'd use something more reliable - see this thread: Sealing a new bath to tiles

rvnmax said:

Just quickly on another issue on the note on water leaks. I just saw this thread: Water leak — MoneySavingExpert Forum Water has been coming from that pipe recently in our house too. Is that an issue, I didn't even realise!

What "that pipe"?  There are two pipes in that picture and it's explained there what sort of pipes they usually can be - toilet cistern overflow, cold water tank overflow, CH expansion tank overflow. And yes, it's not normal if any of them leaks.

The cling film was used around the top and bottom shower valves that you see in the pic below where they meet the plate, just as a temporary measure while I got some silicone. There has been no further leaking from there since I used the film and then put some actual silicone instead.

Okay so grouting needs to be checked. I've just looked up what grouting is and I'm not sure how to check it. (https://youtu.be/EqgXEvnzPQo) I guess we can always redo it anyway right? Is grouting generally clear/translucent?

Not sure why the tile cracked. You can see a slight chip on the LHS circle and a vertical crack circled on the RHS. By uneven, you mean the fact that the edges of the tiles are not aligned with each other, right? Not sure why that would be other than the builder not taking as much care. Could that guy, who said from knocking on the tiles that they were coming off, have been right?

If you have any tips for preparing the wall that would be great.

Thanks for the pointer on the bath trim, that was that idea I saw mentioned as a tray. Will definitely go for that when we redo.

On the note about those pipes coming out of the exterior of the house, I'll have to keep an eye out in case they leak again in that case, to see which one it's coming out of and then investigate from there.