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CHECK THE CAUlKING REAL GOOD AROUND THE FAUCETS both of my upstairs showers leaked because someone didn’t caulk good, luckily I caught the first one before we moved in the second leak happen about a month ago, I noticed my kitchen ceiling looked discolored in one spot went right up stairs checked those faucets out and sure enough no caulk on the under side of one faucet.
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Here is what I would do:
Determine if the pan is leaking. Take off the grill to the drain, and insert a rubber stopper. You can find one at a plumbing supply store. It neally needs to fit tight, and completely seal the drain. Fill up the pan to the rim. Wait 24 hours. If it leaks, your pan is crapped out. If it doesnt leak, then its a drain/pipe issue.
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To add to what Geo. has said, after you completed your pan test--filling all the way to the top of the dam--and still no leak, remove the stopper and let the water drain as normal. If no leak, turn on the water at the valve. Try to not let this water contact the walls. If still no leak you can be assured it is not the lines in the wall. Next, start spraying each wall in turn until you see something. Instead of working vertically up each wall, work horizontally starting from the bottom of the wall.
This will take about 15+ minutes per wall with the water running the entire time. The reason to go so slow is because it can take awhile before the water can migrate to where it's easily visible. It helps if you open up the ceiling below so you can get a better look. Although, I wouldn't do that until you have a strong suspicion of where the leak is.
*Wolvie, it's sheetrock. $10/a sheet. Toss in the bomb, and go have a look see. I'd want to go in and find out what and how much damage there is first.Plan of attack next.
*Well, GWC, that was my first thought! But - my family cringes at the total destruction aspect. I am going to try a few of the above suggestions, and then - probably BOMBS AWAY!
*The house was built in 1989. The pipe's are PVC. The walls & floor area all tile, and look to be in great shape.Cal sent me some info on home builder, am waiting to hear back!
*i "demo and remodeling contract to repair your bathroom and ceilings for say 35K and change."SUCH a deal! I b knewyou had a heart of gold! ;-)No Martha stuff here, I'm a mix and match kinda grrrl. So - no triplers this time me bucko!I wasn't installing the clickers, I was going to TINKER and see if I could find the problem - when Kai's arrived - I found the problem - they are CHEAP! I took them apart, they were broken inside.Does this mean I have to stop the shower massages? I hope not! ;-)
*Quite a bit of water, actually, but it started showing up after about 4 years of use of that shower. We bought the house 5 years ago.
*Good idea - thanks.
*Hey guys - thanks to all for the suggestions - I knew you would come thru! Shower views optional! ;-)
*I'm real good at giving shower massages. And it won't cost 35 grand either !View Image
*Yeah, but ya gotta grow that hair back, boy! ;-)
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Hey guys - question for ya. In one of the bathrooms upstairs, their is a stall type shower. I presume it has a pan under it, right? Anyhoo, water has started to leak - it is coming thru the hallway/kitchen ceiling downstairs. Do you think it is likely that the pan is tilted, or has a pipe somehow become disconnected? I recaulked the base of the tile in the shower to no avail, that means(to me) that the problem is coming from the drain in the center or somewhere in that line. Before I tear out the entire ceiling, I'd like to understand my options - if any.
Thanks - Wolvie
*How much water is leaking ???Do you know what kind of pipes the drain is made of ? ie, brass, plastic, etc.If it's just a small amount of water, it could still be water getting behind the tiles. You should also look at the tiles farther up, a lot of water is thrown onto the walls during a shower.If it is a lot of water and you have indeed resealed the floor area, then it is possible the drain pipe is a metal one and has corroded through.I'm sure the others have some better questions and ideas than I.
*I've replaced 2 plastic drains that were glued to the PVC. When the drain is directly glued and there is movement in the shower base, caulking loosens and leaks. I like rubber gasket ( Allows movement in shower base ) Not sure if this is your case? How old is the stall? Fiberglass or ceramic?
*Hey Wolvie,How old is the house? Into the mid 1960's it was pretty common to plumb with galvinized pipe- supply and waste. If the shower walls are sound I'd suspect the trap has given up. Newer house- look for the problem Senor Chiselhead brought up.P.S. How goes the search for a builder?
*CHECK THE CAUlKING REAL GOOD AROUND THE FAUCETS both of my upstairs showers leaked because someone didn't caulk good, luckily I caught the first one before we moved in the second leak happen about a month ago, I noticed my kitchen ceiling looked discolored in one spot went right up stairs checked those faucets out and sure enough no caulk on the under side of one faucet.
*Wolvie,I wouldn't assume there is a pan under the shower.1. Start with the drain and inspect for gasket failure and stress cracks. 2. Next inspect the fixtures, the fixtures often will leak back into the wall as often as into the enclosure. Take a moment to verify by taking off knobs and inspecting. (Especially the older ones)3. The old shower massages can do there task on shaking the pipes and may have caused fatigue in the line/fitting.4. If you have a door, look for leaks around it. A leaking gasket will allow water onto the floor and will find its way down along the edge of your stall.5. If you don't have a door, tell DH (Darn Hound) to be a little more careful.6. If 1-5 don't work try different scented soaps and see if you can identify which one is leaking.7. As a matter of attacking the problem, I would go in from the top, shower stalls are basically throw away and one thing leads to another and and and.........8. Shower with a friend and it saves water and it will leak less as a result.9. Call a plumber and oops can't find any magazines to reference Anderson "Any Plumber-Related Trade Mag's" 3/27/00 4:34pm to go by the pictures.10. We will all with little hesitation come watch you shower and pontificate and pool our great knowledge bases and render many conflicting opinions with no fee and even less basis to ensure we get the demo and remodeling contract to repair your bathroom and ceilings for say 35K and change.I also think we need additional information on what is downstairs, type of towels and colors, because if there are any of those b Martha Colors, linens or accessories,in there, we then charge triple our normal rates. On one of your recent posts you were installing those clickers, did you get carried away do something rash? i Come on, fess up, We know there is more to the story than just a little leak.
*I had a tile shower a few weeks ago that had a similar problem. There ended up being no pan at all, just tile over plywood. Your leak could be coming from all of the places previously mentioned. You can plug up the drain and put some water from the lavatory into the shower base to see if that is where the leak is. Dont use water from the shower because the leak may also be in the supply to the shower and this will help rule that out if the pan leaks. You can also pour water from a bucket down the drain to see if it is possibly the trap leaking. It is very difficult to find a leak like this and they dont show up right away. It is a job that calls for a lot of patience.
*well shoot, I was gonna offer to come watch you shower but someone beat me to it. Probably for the best...