Where is this leaking coming from =(

Hello,

I am needing some advice, I recently purchased a home about 3 months ago and here recently noticed some rotting occuring on the baseboard near the shower. In additional to the rotting on the baseboard the door jamb also connected to the wall was swelling to the point the door wouldn't close. Last night I removed the rotting base board and noticed water was puddled up. What could be causing this? I don't believe it's the shower pan since it is the plastic/fiberglass type. I have had a friend suggest I do the following:

1. Remove the shower head, cap the pipe, turn the water on and see if the leak in the wall is still occuring. <-- Did this, no leak.

2. Have the shower pan leak tested <-- Did this, no leak.

Are there any more suggestions? Behind this wall is a toliet if that helps.

Also, the sheetrock and boards were a little moldy..what are the chances of black mold occuring? The home is 4 years old.

Damage can be viewed at:

http://pro-net.dnsalias.net/~theprez/shower.jpg

Thank you.

How is the grout & caulking?

It could be more of a tile issue. In my parents house this was always a problem in on of their bathrooms and it turned out to be a factor of the grout/caulk that was used in the shower.

There is a spot about a half inch down on this same wall that is missing grout on a tile. I looked with a flash light to see if the wall behind was wet and it didnt' appear so. I fixed this area and hasn't reoccured yet. What concerns me is that a plumber was recently out to the home and without doing any real testing he concluded it was the shower pan or shower drain causing the leak. Is there a way I can test either of these theorys?

On an adjecent wall in the shower at the bottom a small section of the wall has swollen up to the point that there is a bulge in the tile. The wall feels solid behind it....any idea what would cause this and how it can be corrected?

Thanks!

That looks pretty bad, can you attatch more pics of the inside of the shower, also it's possible the leak could be from the valve plate inside the shower, take it off and look for water marks....it the tile wall to ceiling pics would maybe help

Shower Door

Looks to me like a little stream is getting past the shower door, running down the threshold, hitting the floor and being soaked up by the wall. Four year old house. Too bad. Wherever there is a bulge the wall is gone behind the tile. The tile makes it feel firm. Identifying shower leaks is challenging. The plumber says it the tile job and the tile guy says its the plumber. Each want the other to elminate themselves first. It only takes a few months for mold to feed and multiply.
You check the pan by installing a balloon down in the drain past the weep holes and filling the pan with water. (Heard balloon from john bridges site. )

Water leaking from bathroom ceiling

Soon after I moved to my house I found a weird looking stain in my downstairs bathroom ceiling. I had a contractor that said to me that apparently there used to be a leak there, but that it appears to be ok. He fixed the ceiling and it was fine for a while. A couple of weeks ago a stain came through again. I call a plumber that told me that there was a leak in the bathtub's overflow washer so he changed it. I thought the stain was getting dried, but now it seems to have come back and its getting bigger. What could it be?? I need someone's advice. Thanks

Sorry, it wont let me see the picture. Probably my computer problem.

Anyway, most mold is black. Do not panic over visions of "toxic black mold". This is lawyer hype. Just fix it.


As has been mentioned, there is already damage which to wood and drywall which must be REPLACED. You cant fix mushy wood of drywall. SO, open it up. Get a fan directed at the area to dry it out. This is the first step in mold cleanup. Many consumer friendly products are available, such as MoldWash and Moldex to treat any wood which is not yet damaged. Even the backside of adjacent drywall can be treated if the mold is just on the surface of the paper. If the mold is very extensive, it is safer with drywall to cut out and replace. But lots of air going in there to dry things up is vital.

NOW, while you have the wall open, you can also do your detective work to find the leak. If is simple, like a leak around the shower door frame, this is easy. If it is behind the wall, that is different. Post back if you get some more detailed indicators.


By the way, for peace of mind, you can buy a mold test kit. This will tell you in 2 to 4 days if mold is there. Then, for an additional cost, the kit includes an envelope to send the petri dish to their lab. They will send you a report of exactly what species of mold you have, how many colonies, and a description of the relative dangers of the various species.

shower leak

I don't see any picture either.

In almost all problems like you are describing is related to caulking or the guy taking the shower is too carelessly, and boy can a guy get in long discussions about that.

Even when seemingly perfectly good looking conditions exist, you can track a leak back to a lack of caulking, or someone whose water deflects from their body to a vulnerable corner at the shower door ( and they aren't water tight ). Watch where the reflecting water goes too.

Of course if the grout is bad fix that first.