Desperate for help about shower leak

[llg]

Hi All,

I am staying at the condominium, and the unit owner below me noticed a water stain on their ceiling. After they cut open their ceiling, my plumber was able to identify the water leak as coming from my unit’s drain line. My plumber also conducted a hydraulic test on my shower and concluded that the leak is coming from the shower pan. I have little knowledge about shower leaks and have been doing a lot of research, but there seem to be various reasons that could cause the leak. I need the help of all of you with more expertise, as your insights would be more helpful than my internet search.
Thank you so much

 

[Chucky_ott]

Since your plumber determined the leak is coming from the shower pan, you may get more help from the John Bridge tile forums.

It's not clear from the picture, but I see orange around the drain, which may mean you have a Kerdi shower tray or membrane.

Regardless of what you have, tile is not meant to be waterproof. Under the tile, you must have a waterproof layer. That could be a mortar bed over a (grey) PVC liner, a shower pan system like Schluter Kerdi, or some other system.

Determining what you have will be useful in coming up with the right solution.

To assess the leak, it looks like your plumber plugged the drain and then filled the shower pan with water. Is that correct?

 

[Sponsor]

 

[llg]

Since your plumber determined the leak is coming from the shower pan, you may get more help from the John Bridge tile forums.

It's not clear from the picture, but I see orange around the drain, which may mean you have a Kerdi shower tray or membrane.

Regardless of what you have, tile is not meant to be waterproof. Under the tile, you must have a waterproof layer. That could be a mortar bed over a (grey) PVC liner, a shower pan system like Schluter Kerdi, or some other system.

Determining what you have will be useful in coming up with the right solution.

To assess the leak, it looks like your plumber plugged the drain and then filled the shower pan with water. Is that correct?

Hi Chucky.

First of all, I really appreciate you taking the time to provide me with all this information.

Yes, my plumber plugged the drain and filled the shower pan with water, and then water started coming out from the P-trap. I don’t know how the shower pan works, so I’m not sure how the water ended up in the P-trap. I’ve been doing some research, but I couldn’t find the answer.

 

[Chucky_ott]

You really need to know how the pan was done.

If it was with something like Kerdi, thinset would have been used to adhere the Kerdi membrane to the Kerdi drain. Maybe the overlap wasn't done properly.

If it was a PVC liner, maybe the liner is not clamped properly at the drain.

Or you could have a hole in the Kerdi or PVC liner

Or a liner/membrane was never used, thinking that the tile was waterproof.

Here's a picture of how a PVC liner would have been installed. The liner is clamped by the drain during installation and before tiling.
Btw, the leak test that your plumber did should have been done before the tile was installed by whoever built the shower. That would have been the time to detect a leak and remediate.

 

[christopherdbrown]

Hi All,

I am staying at the condominium, and the unit owner below me noticed a water stain on their ceiling. After they cut open their ceiling, my plumber was able to identify the water leak as coming from my unit’s drain line. My plumber also conducted a hydraulic test on my shower and concluded that the leak is coming from the shower pan. I have little knowledge about shower leaks and have been doing a lot of research, but there seem to be various reasons that could cause the leak. I need the help of all of you with more expertise, as your insights would be more helpful than my internet search.
Thank you so much

Whether it's a shower or a roof, ensuring all seams and joints are correctly sealed is essential for avoiding water damage. If the waterproofing system is compromised, whether it's on a roof or in a shower, water can find its way in and cause serious damage below. i recently faced roof leak and it cost me heavy water damage and the cost to repair the roof from couvreur toiture mascouche was also too much, so always try to fix water leaks on time and quickly to avoid costly repairs and stress of being involve in all these things.

leak may be due to issues with your shower pan's waterproofing. If you have a system like Kerdi, improper overlap or bonding with the drain could be the cause. with a PVC liner, improper clamping at the drain might be the issue. The water reaching the P-trap suggests the leak is likely around the drain or beneath the tile. A closer inspection of the pan installation will help pinpoint the problem. I’d suggest consulting a tiling expert for a thorough assessment.