Leaky shower

[Max]

Hi, Group!

Our master bathroom is above my office which is where I am now. There is water leaking from it "somewhere" because we have staining on the ceiling and the plaster is actually wet...in fact, I just checked, it's DRIPPING which is hasn't done before. I recaulked it recently and I am sure that even though it doesn't look great that it's forming a good seal. The next thing I am going to check is the drain. Is there anything else that people can suggest I check? Since I need to repair the ceiling anyway, should I just rip oit off to see where the leak is coming from? I can't see any obvious places in the shower that there could be a leak so the only thing I can think of is the drain. I'm going to remove the drain cap today, give things a clean out and see what I can see.

Thanks, Max

[Max]

I should also add that the shower has two heads, one at each end of the stall so several feet apart. The leak seems to happen regardless of which shower head is being used.

[LazyPup]

Finding a leak in a shower or tub can be very frustrating, especially if all the plumbing is concealed with no service access panel.

Basically we must begin with what we can address without tearing anything out, and if we cannot solve the problem in that manner we have little choice but to rip out a ceiling or adjacent wall.

First check all caulking

Next, check the grout,,,it may be eroding out or it may be porous, in which case you would need to re-grout or re-seal the grout.

If you have a fiberglass, acylic or metal pan check carefully for stress cracks..

As you have already concluded, the drain basket is the leading cause of a leak. Generally you can correct that by pulling the basket and replacing the plumbers putty or you may elect to use silicone sealer. If you use plumbers putty the drain can be used immediately but if you elect to use silicone it requires 24 hours to set before you can use the drain, and once you have used silicone it is nearly impossible to ever pull the basket again.

Another common cause that often goes unchecked is the mixing valve stem and stem packing nuts. If water should happen to leak past the stem it will drip down to the subfloor, or in your case the sheetrock of the ceiling below and leave the illusion that its the drain. Generally you can remove the control handles and trim escutcheons they look inside the wall for signs of leaks around the handle shaft or the base of the stems.

The next place to check is the shower arms(the chrome pipe extending out of the wall). The shower arms have a 1/2NPT thread on the inner end which is screwed into a 1/2"FIP dropear 90 elbow. There should be teflon tape on the treads but there could be a leak there. Unscrew the shower arm and replace the existing teflon with 3 full wraps of Red Triple Density Teflon tape, then screw the arm back in. (Do not use the "el cheapo" single density white teflon)

If that does not resolve your problem you will then need to open the ceiling and check the piping. If you have brass piping check for pinholes or weakening on the bottom of the pipes. Often the brass pipes are corroded on the inside from the acids in the waste line and the underside of the pipes are extremely brittle.

If you drain is in a concealed location with no service access panel the drain and P-trap should be threaded, glued or soldered in. Code prohibits the common slip joint type fittings in a concealed location.

[Max]

Thanks, LP.

I checked the caulking and I think it looks good. I also looked at the grouting but I can't tell if it's porous or not. My wife found a couple of websites that had ideas for testing such as pouring water directly down the drain and also running the shower with the drain covered. I might try these. I don't mind ripping out the ceiling because it's going to need ripping out anyway...it's soft and I can poke my finger through it but there is no water dripping so there's not a puddle sitting up there. The annoying thing about our shower is that the tiles are about 2" square so there are lots of them. Luckily we have another shower that we can use in the meantime so while we need to get this fixed pronto, we have a workaround. I'll try checking the things you mention but I have a feeling that since we get a leak with both shower heads, it's unlikely that both have failed at the same time meaning that the cause is elsewhere. That said, I can see anything visually that would account for the leak. Is the drain connection to the sewer completely sealed or could there be a blockage which creates some sort of backwash that would leak? My wife has long hair and, well, you know what those clogs can get like. Our drain doesn't appear to be running slow.

[LazyPup]

There are absolutely no intentional openings in the drain system in the walls.

[596]

It certainly could be the drain, and opening the ceiling will reveal that.

One thing you can check first...remove the handles and chrome trim from the shower valve. With a flashlight inspect inside there to see if something around the handles is leaking when you turn the water on.

[Max]

Hi, Guys.

I think we've made some headway. We have tiled seat / bench that runs the length of the shower. At the end of the shower that my wife uses, there are a few loose tiles on the seat, the ones along the front edge. I didn't think that could possibly be the source of the leat because the seat doesn't get hit be that much water. At least that's what I thought! It turns out that when my wife shaves her legs in the shower she puts her feet up on the seat right where the loose tiles are. She has consciously stopped using that part of the shower and no more leaks! My next task is to pull up those tiles and see what I can see. Fingers crossed it's something as "simple" as regrouting some loose tiles. I'll also be able to get a look inside the ceiling when I rip it out. Great, that's two things I've never done before.

Cheers, Max

[Max]

Hi, Guys.

I realise now that this is probably the wrong forum for this but I'll stick with this thread for now. I've attached a photo of what the leaky area looks like after I have removed all the loose tiles. My question is, what's the best way to go about repairing it? I think I just need to:
1. scrape away all old cement and grout from the seat and the back of the tiles.
2. re-affix the tiles
3. re-grout the tiles

Does that sounds about right? Are there any tips or tricks that I should be aware of?

Thanks, Max