wall leaking on other side of shower

[finch]

Hey there, i just recently bought a house where the last owner re built the bathroom, which is a on suit in the master in the basement. I have just recently noticed that when we are showering the floor on our bedroom side is soaked. I have been told to check the shower head for cracks. i did that and no cracks there. i was also told to take off the hot cold handle and to check inside for leaks there. I should mention that the shower does have a seating area. No bath tub is installed. There is no water on the floor in the bathroom itself, just the bedroom side, could this be a indication that i may need to re grout the tiles.

I am at lost as i am not as handing as a average person, and this is my very first house.

Please advise.

Thanks Finch

[johnfrwhipple]

There is a very good chance you have a major crack and failure at some point in the wall assembly.

Can you upload a few drawings and pictures so we can get an idea of the layout of the two rooms side by side? Often shower benches are poorly build and waterproofed even worse. Fixing a few cracks in the grout will not make your shower and better but only slow the rate of waterflow.

Sadly these types of showers need a lot in the way of a rebuild. Do you have a dresser in your bedroom that perhaps could be moved and that drywall behind opened up to inspect more closely?

I find loading pictures onto Photobucket and then using the web-link that PhotoBucket generates and pasting it here on Terry's message field is the easiest way of uploading pictures.

If you fill up a few buckets of water with the shower head you can determine if the line between the mixing valve and the shower head is leaking. Fill the buckets and pour the water down the toilet.

Next you can try soaking different areas of the shower. I suspect you have a leak from the bench or right at the shower base.

Pictures are so helpful and opening up drywall on the other side really can tell a lot.

Good Luck.

JW

[jadnashua]

A properly built shower is waterproof without the tile and grout installed, so regrouting and adding caulk will not fix your problem. You are likely to need to tear at least some of it apart and rebuild, but it's more likely it's a total loss. SOrry about being blunt. If you're lucky, it's only the bench, and that may only require a partial tearout. As mentioned, take a bucket and see if you can determine where it's leaking from. But, consider that water can flow a long ways, and may take time before you notice it, so it's notoriously hard to tell without direct visual access. It may be easier to tear out some drywall in the bedroom to get a good look at what's going on, that is easier and cheaper to repair. If you're lucky, you will see where it's leaking, and it might suggest a patch. Long term, though, sounds like a rebuild may be in your future.

[finch]

thanks JW and Jim this is very helpful. I will upload pictures as soon as i can. I just took a further look into the bench, and i am pretty sure it is coming from one of the corners of it. where the base and top meet on the bench there is a metal type of frame to square it off. the grout is completely gone and cracked. now if this is the case does this bench need to be ripped out to get all the moisture and water out or cutting the bedroom wall would be a easier and cheaper way?

[johnfrwhipple]

There is good chance that this repair will be neither easy nor cheap. Often a poorly built shower causes the wood framing in a home to swell and this change in thickness can cause a whole chain reaction of events.

If you open up the bench area and inspect and find say drywall or green drywall and mastic you might consider a full redo. If you want to keep costs to a minimum you can consider a band aid repair but only after you remind yourself that these types of repairs often cost you more in the end. If you can't afford to do it right this time will you be able to in say a year or six months?

Pictures help.

Is your shower built with a framed shower glass enclousure. I have found that sometimes these have aided in leaks before.

Waterproofing a shower bench is not a difficult task. You could invest in $70.00 of liquid waterproofing and do a proper job of the bench and the shower walls. Here in Vancouver the backer board needs to be either cement board, hardi board, Denshield or something like Kerdi Board. I'm just guessing but I bet you will find green drywall and perhaps a rubber liner or prefab shower base.

Send those pictures. I can give you a few ideas of baid aid repairs or point you in the right direction of a complete rebuild.

JW

thanks JW and Jim this is very helpful. I will upload pictures as soon as i can. I just took a further look into the bench, and i am pretty sure it is coming from one of the corners of it. where the base and top meet on the bench there is a metal type of frame to square it off. the grout is completely gone and cracked. now if this is the case does this bench need to be ripped out to get all the moisture and water out or cutting the bedroom wall would be a easier and cheaper way?