My adult son has a 45X60X75 (W L H) shower stall. two sides are against a wall, and the other two are glass walls. The bottom tray of the shower has a raised footing where the walls sit (and are caulked). There are two problems. In one corner on the footing, water collects and forms mold. in the same area, there is a leak of water outside the shower area. it has already rotted some molding. the flow of water is discernable if you rub your finger across it to interrupt the flow. you can then see the water bead run down as it reestablishes its stream.
We cannot find the source of the leak, and have recaulked the area.
for the collection of water and mold, it seems to be a design flaw with the unit. the footing should have somewhat of a slope so that water does not collect. the better the slope, the more forgiving of the tray being out of level.
My question would be, first, is it possible to re-level the bottom tray, considering its installation, drain pipe connection, and caulking between the tray and mating walls.
The second it any ideas on the leak.
Replies
It would help to know the construction of the stall (tile, fiberglass, etc) and of the shower pan. Are the stall and pan a "matched set", presumably from a single manufacturer, or do they appear to not be designed explicitly for each other?
Be aware that leaks can occur in the valve area or shower head area, in addition to leaking through cracks/joints in the stall. Also, leaks can occur around the drain connection.
It's impossible to say if leveling the pan in place is possible without knowing more about the construction, including the floor it sits on, what's below, etc.
pre-built or site built pan???
which corner of the pan does the water collect... near or away from the pan???
can you describe the leak location a bit better??? is it at the wall / glass intersection..
where is the molding??? room base???
what is on the walls??/ (tile, FRP, etc) does it extend past the glass??? what is under it???
what is the age of the shower...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
PS: To confirm that the leak is through the pan, plug the drain somehow and then fill the pan with an inch or so of water. If it leaks (with the shower not running) then the problem is in the pan (or drain connection). If not then likely the problem is higher up.
Thanks!!!!
have asked son to post a pix
Son here. Thanks for the responses. Here are some answeres to the questions, and a picture.
I believe the shower stall (base/tray and walls) are a match set installed during construction of the house. It is about 7 years old. The builder is local, and considered a good builder. Most likely he installed this, as opposed to building on-site. The construction is fiberglass all around, except for the glass walls. the mold/mildew occurs inside the shower stall, on the corner of the door and shower-head walls. no other corner has mildew. you can see in the picture the mildew on the inside of the stall, on the raised portion right under the door, all the way to the wall where the shower-head and handle is mounted. The leak is also at this point. When looking at the picture, the leak starts below the door hinge on the outside wall, and flows to the floor. in actuality, it is about an inch or so closer to the exact corner as opposed to directly under the hinge, but the picture angle shows it this way. you might be able to see a bit of discoloration where the water runs. you can see where I pulled away the deteriorated base molding. the water was flowing directly into this fiberous base molding (6 inch high base molding). when troubleshooting before, I poured water directly into this area, and could see it draining outside of the stall, towards the base molding. after caulking, for further troubleshooting, I let the water run for a while with the shower head pointed at the other wall. for five minutes I did not see any water in the area of the leak. I was trying to use this as a diagnostic to see if the leak is in the plumbing behind the wall. I also splashed water in that corner, and the leak was not as quick to happen, but eventually a drop or two wants to come out when I splash water on the area. but five minutes after turning off the water, the leak began in earnest. and in the close up picture, you can see two drops of water. You can also see a crack in the upright portion of the base/tray. I don't know if this means anything. I will pull the trim piece from the shower handle to see if anything is leaking there. thanks for your comments.
My first guess would be that it's leaking around the door frame.There may also be the problem that that corner of the pan is low and things aren't fitting well around it.
If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy. --James Madison
WTB the watter is chasing down the seam of the pan and surround.. perhaps entry is at the corner also....
that much water suggests a tear out and rebuild... when the damage became aparrent on the outside the underlaying construction was pretty far gone...
View Image
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->
WOW!!! What a Ride!<!----><!---->
Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
that crack looks to be a problem too...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->
WOW!!! What a Ride!<!----><!---->
Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
I was thinking that too. Maybe construction damage that was fixed with a tube of caulk? From the insert type showers i've installed it would seem to me that the lip is a secondary defense for leakage and with the crack, there goes the insurance.
But the crack isn't likely to be causing the current leakage if it's leaking from where I see the water drops.
If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy. --James Madison
Looking at my similar shower stall (which doesn't leak), I suspect that the problem is most likely water getting behind the door frame and running down the wall to where it leaks out. Before doing a total tear-out it might be worthwhile to remove and reinstall the frame.
If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy. --James Madison
Another point. you can see in the picture posted previously, the wall space behind the shower stall. I have never felt water back there. there seems to be wall board dust, but no water of any kind. very dry. only the base molding got soaked.
You'll probably need to anyway, so take the doors and frame completely off and look at the caulking. I would almost bet that the bottom section of the frame isn't caulked properly.
Another possibility is that the door doesn't close correctly and the shower sprays on the hinged side. That can cause some serious grief. - lol
The caulking has been the prime suspect for the leak, and I have had mixed luck with recaulking due to inability to get at all of the old caulk. Are there any instructions on removing these walls? If I take the door and frame off completely, is it possible to re-level the pan? I have to think that it is not level, and this, with the poor design, creates a pooling of water. a haven for mildew.
you have a lot more problems than pooling water...
could be the pan is warped..
the floor is sagging 'cause of water damag...
experience says yur gonna have to redo it all....
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->
WOW!!! What a Ride!<!----><!---->
Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
I concur with IMERC.
The shower is toast, it's a tear out. You could fudge it up some but you likely won't get much more use out of it while risking further damage to the rest of your home.
Eric[email protected]
It's Never Too Late To Become What You Might Have Been