Ramshankered Posted January 12, 2018 Share Posted January 12, 2018 Folks, I need some help with a leak in my shower unit. Was wondering if any resident (amateur or professional) plumbers could advise? For context: We bought the house last Feb. The bathroom was refurbished by the previous owners, so the shower unit is brand new (roughly 1.5 years old). A few months after we moved in, a damp patch appeared in the kitchen ceiling beneath the shower. Oh no! In an effort to save cash (buying having maxed us out), I decided to fix it myself. After further investigation, it seemed the sealant had come away from the tiles in patches – so I removed all the old caulk, cleaned it and re-applied it following a youtube video. I also re-grouted some of the tiles while I was at it. And that seemed to do the trick. Fast forward 6 months, and the leak has started again – I noticed too that the new sealant I applied is coming away from the tiles (despite me applying it generously). Is this an issue with the tiles (i.e. sealant won't bond to it)? Is there something I can put over sealant to make it water tight again? Can't decide whether to try fixing it again myself or hire a proper plumber. Any protips would be much appreciated? Thanks in advance! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Kevin Posted January 12, 2018 Share Posted January 12, 2018 Are you using silicone ?this should bond to tiles no problem .Make sure they are dry before application and if the shower is in a corner silicone the vertical joint in the corner . Sounds like this is the problem if your first attempt held it back for 6 months . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramshankered Posted January 12, 2018 Author Share Posted January 12, 2018 2 minutes ago, King Kevin said: Are you using silicone ?this should bond to tiles no problem .Make sure they are dry before application and if the shower is in a corner silicone the vertical joint in the corner . Sounds like this is the problem if your first attempt held it back for 6 months . Yup I used silicone - first time I did it, I cleaned the tiles down with methylated spirit to degrease them. The shower was 100% bone dry when I applied silicone sealant too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Kevin Posted January 12, 2018 Share Posted January 12, 2018 Might be useful to check if the drain is sealed as well again with silicone .If the shower base has a removable side panel not to bad of a job pita if you have to do any other way.Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stive Pesley Posted January 12, 2018 Share Posted January 12, 2018 God I hate doing amateur plumbing jobs - it drives me insane. I feel your pain From what you've described it sounds like there is a leak behind the tiles that is causing the damp. Sealant won't just come away because of surface water. Thatr's its one job to NOT do that What sort of shower is it? You proaby need to post a couple of pics Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramshankered Posted January 12, 2018 Author Share Posted January 12, 2018 35 minutes ago, King Kevin said: Might be useful to check if the drain is sealed as well again with silicone .If the shower base has a removable side panel not to bad of a job pita if you have to do any other way.Good luck. Thanks mate. Gonna need it with my DIY skills! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramshankered Posted January 12, 2018 Author Share Posted January 12, 2018 20 minutes ago, StivePesley said: God I hate doing amateur plumbing jobs - it drives me insane. I feel your pain From what you've described it sounds like there is a leak behind the tiles that is causing the damp. Sealant won't just come away because of surface water. Thatr's its one job to NOT do that What sort of shower is it? You proaby need to post a couple of pics Yup. It's pretty depressing that – having spent a good chunk of time doing it myself – the initial repair job wasn't up to scratch. What you're saying is exactly what I feared – that it's a problem behind the scenes I can't really identify or fix easily myself. For context, it's a walk-in shower. The shower heads are different, but base is nigh-on identical to this: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Kevin Posted January 12, 2018 Share Posted January 12, 2018 Thats a very shallow base are you sure it's not going over and through the floor tiles .From experience you can be suprised where water can get through. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaspode Posted January 12, 2018 Share Posted January 12, 2018 Had a similar issue with our shower - stripped out the grouting and sealant - re-did it and the sealant pulled away again a few months later. Eventually had the bathroom completely (professionally) refitted and when the guy took the tiles off and removed the old shower pan, it was clear that the plaster board behind the tiles was completely saturated/rotten and had to all be replaced. As Stive says, it sounds as if you may have some hidden damp that needs fixing.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JuanFloEvraTheCocu'sNesta Posted January 12, 2018 Share Posted January 12, 2018 Burn the house down, claim on the insurance, buy a new one. That is the only way to fix it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stive Pesley Posted January 12, 2018 Share Posted January 12, 2018 Is there some sort of access panel at the side there? I was thinking it might be an electric shower that sits on the wall, but these intergrated jobbies are a nightmare As Kev says - if water is getting out the base, there may be a gap where it is seeping beneath the tiles Likewise (and more worrying if the connector to the fancy tap unit is leaking on the other side of that wall then it's dripping down into the cavity and causing unseen damage If that cavity is not accessible then you may be looking at a plumber with a sledge hammer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramshankered Posted January 12, 2018 Author Share Posted January 12, 2018 35 minutes ago, Gaspode said: Had a similar issue with our shower - stripped out the grouting and sealant - re-did it and the sealant pulled away again a few months later. Eventually had the bathroom completely (professionally) refitted and when the guy took the tiles off and removed the old shower pan, it was clear that the plaster board behind the tiles was completely saturated/rotten and had to all be replaced. As Stive says, it sounds as if you may have some hidden damp that needs fixing.... Yipes! Deja vu – sounds nigh-on identical to my issue. To be honest yours (and Stive's comments) is reinforcing my need for a professional guy. Was hoping not to have to re-do the whole shower unit tho . Out of curiosity (and if you don't mind sharing), how much did it all set you back? I'm pretty skint at the mo. Got some savings, but was hoping to spend them on something more exciting than a shower (like a holiday!). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramshankered Posted January 12, 2018 Author Share Posted January 12, 2018 35 minutes ago, StivePesley said: Is there some sort of access panel at the side there? I was thinking it might be an electric shower that sits on the wall, but these intergrated jobbies are a nightmare As Kev says - if water is getting out the base, there may be a gap where it is seeping beneath the tiles Likewise (and more worrying if the connector to the fancy tap unit is leaking on the other side of that wall then it's dripping down into the cavity and causing unseen damage If that cavity is not accessible then you may be looking at a plumber with a sledge hammer Negative. No access panels. All the plumbing is behind the tiling. It's fed hot water through a combi-boiler. Thanks for your help – I was 50:50 on whether to have a crack again myself, but it does sound like something for a proper plumber (hopefully minus a sledge hammer!). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McRamFan Posted January 12, 2018 Share Posted January 12, 2018 Will be cheaper to go through the ceiling. Sounds like it could be either drain, sealant or the base has a small degree of movement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rev Posted January 12, 2018 Share Posted January 12, 2018 Did you stand in the shower enclosure while you resealed it previously? If you didn't, the base will sag under your weight and the seal may not be as effective. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Kevin Posted January 12, 2018 Share Posted January 12, 2018 14 minutes ago, Ramshankered said: Negative. No access panels. All the plumbing is behind the tiling. It's fed hot water through a combi-boiler. Thanks for your help – I was 50:50 on whether to have a crack again myself, but it does sound like something for a proper plumber (hopefully minus a sledge hammer!). Before you do that if the showers upstairs go in the loft and look down the cavity ,if it's downstairs floorboards up and likewise check the cavity with the pipework / shower unit in it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramshankered Posted January 12, 2018 Author Share Posted January 12, 2018 11 minutes ago, reveldevil said: Did you stand in the shower enclosure while you resealed it previously? If you didn't, the base will sag under your weight and the seal may not be as effective. I did - because of it being a walk-in shower, the only way I could apply it was by getting on all 4's in the shower. You're saying that's what I should've done right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rev Posted January 12, 2018 Share Posted January 12, 2018 2 minutes ago, Ramshankered said: I did - because of it being a walk-in shower, the only way I could apply it was by getting on all 4's in the shower. You're saying that's what I should've done right? Yes. Does the wet patch appear every time you use the shower now? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Kevin Posted January 12, 2018 Share Posted January 12, 2018 4 minutes ago, Ramshankered said: I did - because of it being a walk-in shower, the only way I could apply it was by getting on all 4's in the shower. You're saying that's what I should've done right? Yes as your weight when sealing will replicate using the shower so the seal will bear the same usage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramshankered Posted January 12, 2018 Author Share Posted January 12, 2018 1 hour ago, reveldevil said: Yes. Does the wet patch appear every time you use the shower now? The damp is on the kitchen ceiling, in the area beneath the shower unit. For 6 months or so (since I initially fixed it) it was fine. In the last week, I've noticed it's begun to spread again. Very slowly, mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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