Hairline crack in shower tray plug waste

[ckl7]

Hi all,

There is two hairline cracks around the waste of our shower tray, shower is less than a year old.

Is this a concern,as in water could get in crack? Or what could have caused this ?

Will it need a a new tray or any other fix?

Any advice would be much appreciated

Attached is where hairline cracks are

 

[ckl7]

With above could it be because no bed of cement etc under tray to support shower tray potentially?

 

[Madrab]

Tray shouldn't really crack there regardless of how it's been bedded in. Does the tray waste get a lot of weight on it from where it's situated and where a person would stand? Could it be an issue, possibly. May be worth taking the waste apart and seeing how far the cracking has got and whether it just superficial.

May also be worth a call to the manufacturer either that or the installer if they supplied the tray and you have a good relationship with them.

I certainly wouldn't just leave it and hope for the best, definitely worth a little investigation IMO.

 

[ckl7]

The person would stand quite close to it as it is close to the waste where person would stand.


The previous shower was on a higher level on wooden shims , this shower tray has been directly installed onto the subfloor and not raised , not sure if it was cemented etc.

I do know where the waste was under the plug hole the circular hole in sub floor around the waste pipe was slightly big so may have meant it couldn’t be supported as well there with cement etc


But it is worrying that it is only a year old tray and has the hairline crack around the plug

When you say superficial , do you mean it may just be on the surface of the waste tray? And not leak through to floor ? The crack is quite light and doesn’t seem to be deep at all maybe 2 or 3 mm which would suggest it is superficial and nothing to worry about ?

Thank you

 

[Madrab]

Not all tray's are cemented in, all depends on the finish underneath and what the tray is made of. That and rarely is any fixing medium laid so complete that it runs right up to the waste hole, so I don't think support is the issue. One thing is for sure though, no tray should be dropped directly onto the subfloor, it's just asking for movement and ergo trouble, especially with some of the nasty flooring types these days like P5 chipboard.

Could they be superficial, yes, but the shower waste needs taken out and the tray waste edge inspected to check if that's the case, anything else is just a guess. Every tray trap should be fitted where the tray side locking ring could be removed without the trap below dropping too much.

 

[ckl7]

I do know the old shower tray that was there previously was on wooden like beams to raise it off the floor

So like you said even if it has been cemented in , shouldn’t have been out straight onto subfloor


It it had been raised off floor and given support underneath with beams etc , this would remove the problem of potential movement ?

Just debating whether or not to remove the tray , install a new one on supported beams to raise it off the floor?

What do you think ?

 

[cross thread]

Is it not delaminating in other places ? Looks like it is in the photos

 

[Madrab]

Any tray I fit is always on it's own surface boarding, be that 18/22mm marine ply (WBP) or OSB3. If it's flat to the floor then the original flooring is lifted supports (noggins/dwangs) placed between the floor joist corresponding with the tray's outside edge footprint and any other support it may need in between and then the board is screwed @ 100mm spaces to lock the baseboard down tight.
If it's a raised tray to handle waste fall etc, then it goes onto a bespoke plinth with the frame made from CLS and then a 18/22mm Ply/OSB3 top, again so it is properly level and very stable.

Then the tray is fitted as normal or to the required MI specs.

 

[ckl7]

Yes Madrab sounds like a good shout to investigate further , thank you

 

[ckl7]

Cross thread , Yes agree potentially might be this.

I have a feeling that the plumber who installed tray has just put it straight onto chip board , rather than 18ml ply and no sand and cement.

Then it has cracked at weakest point near plughole,due to lack of support.

Think I’m going to get a quote for tray to be replaced , and ask for noggins to be put in between joists and 18ml plywood then sand and cement before tray goes down

Like you said madrab

That above is best option for support for shower tray yeah?

 

[Madrab]

I'll be honest, with all the modern adhesives etc then I rarely use sand and cement any more, even then it would more tend to be a flexible tile adhesive.
Again it depends on the tray, flat bottom stone resin can use silicone adhesives quite happily, I've even seen trays that use an expandable type foam. I find cheaper ABS plastics tend to be more fragile and can hairline crack at weak points.
It really is horses for course and each tray will be fitted according to its requirements, there is no one size fits all IME.