Posted: 9/23/2007 7:48:21 AM EDT
| It looks like the shower pan is leaking in the master bath in my less than 2 year old home. Has anyone here been unfortunate enough to have dealt with this before? I'm planning on having several estimates made on repairing the shower pan and replacing the necessary tile in the shower. What kind of ballpark am I looking at to replace replace/re-tile? I'm not looking to have this fixed as absolutely cheap as possible, I just want it done right. I have a big hunch (stemming from previous experience) that I'm going to find out that the builder cut corners. If I can substantiate that, it should fall as a latent defect under my 1 year home warranty. |
Are you sure it's the shower pan? The reason I ask, a few years ago I found wet carpet in the hallway adjacent to the shower, the shower pan was the only place I could think of that it might come from, I called a plumber expecting the worst, he checked things thouroughly and found it was a water pipe under the sink that was leaking, so the water wasn't coming from the shower pan, but apparently going under it. I got lucky, he found the leak and fixed it without having to tear the shower up.  I hate to even think how much it would have cost to pull out the shower pan, only to find it wasn't even the source of the leak!!!!! |
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Home owners insurance should cover it less the deductible. Someone probably got in a hurry, didn't let the cement dry on the corner cuts or heaven forbid - seamed it from two different pieces. An alternative fix is epoxy paint with Shark Tooth (for traction) embedded in it. It will seal it for awhile. Maybe PC can help you find someone who can do the tile and grout work.  We did my FIL's a few years ago. Or should I say I did while he watched.  It seems like he had estimates of $1100 or so for a 36"x48" shower stall. He has a $1000 deductible so he didn't turn it in to insurance. |
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First, thanks for the replies. I appreciate any info, ideas, suggestions, criticism, and further whatnot. I'm in Broken Arrow, and the shower is roughly 36"x48." The $1100+ mentioned is in the ballpark of what I was expecting. I also have a 1K deductible, so it's going to have to run substantially higher than that for me to turn it in. I think it's the shower pan because I have water leaking where the tile floor, the 4-5" tiled lip of the shower, and a drywall partition meet. Here's a cheesy drawing. I'm also seeing mildew build really quickly in the lower corners of the shower, both inside and out, but nowhere else. The shower is not caulked around the base, only grouted, and I can see a hairline crack between the edge of the grout and the vertical walls of the shower. I only see water after the shower has been used, but never after the bath. I do want to make sure that I'm dealing with the shower pan however, as mentioned, it certainly would suck to tear it up just to find it's not the problem. I also have what seems like a stupid question...do you have a plumber do all the work, including tile? A tile installer do all the work? Are there companies/individuals who specialize in shower pan fun? Like my in-laws told my wife...welcome to home ownership.  
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You have plumbing lines in the wall. Is there a chance the mildew, water are coming from the wall of the shower the valve/shower head is on? I"m assuming you have PEX and not copper lines. You may have a poor connection to the valve. It would be a steady drip, or even a fine mist, if the hole is small enough. I'd have a plumber check it out before I had someone do the shower pan. Just like Wingman said. The plumber usually DOESN'T repair the shower pan/tile/grouting. It is a tile layer. |
I think you had that right the first time. During construction, I do recall seeing PEX lines in the wall. The shower head is actually opposite the side where I'm seeing the water leakage, and as far as I can recall/determine, there are no lines at all in the other side. With that said, the phone calls start tomorrow morning and first on the list is finding a reputable plumber to determine what the problem actually is. |
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Going from your drawing, the tub has the bath tub drain and fixtures on the wall between the tub and shower. There should be an access panel to the side of your tube if it is a hot tub with electric pump. If you can get that panel off, you can see for yourself if it is the tube fixtures actually dripping or misting. The plumber probably stubbed the pipes up between the shower and tub before the slab was poured and the walls/plumbing fixtures installed. See if that panel will come off, if there is one. |
| Okay, just pulled the side panel off of the tub. I have the 2 hot/cold PEX lines coming out of the wall between the tub and shower. The drain/overflow go straight down to the slab outside of the wall. Unfortunately, or fortunately I suppose, I didn't see any leaking with the water on or off on any of the tub fixtures/lines/connections. On the plus side, I didn't see any obvious evidence of water having stained the drywall or floor on the opposite side of the wall from the shower and no mold or mildew. |
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PC, from what he says, I believe he has a tiled shower. I take it the PEX is looped and tapped in the shower/tub wall for the tub fixtures. If you can open the door on the tub again, use something to probe up against the inside of the shower wall. Clean it off on each probe of a different area. It may give you an idea of the general vicinity of where the water is leaking at. In the interim, until a plumber can tell you what's wrong, caulk the joint cracks in the shower floor/walls. |
| Good news...as good as it can get anyway. I had the shower looked at this morning and it doesn't appear to be a faulty shower pan. From the amount of water leaking, the relatively confined area that it is leaking, the non-existent caulking, and the crack in the grout, it appears that the shower and grout work weren't sealed and caulked properly. I'm going to clean the joints thoroughly tonight and caulk everything. Thanks everyone for the help/advice/suggestions. I'll let you know if this doesn't work. |