Possibly leaking shower tray

[firenze13574]

We have a small damp area in the ceiling above our side door which has been there for a few years but as it hasn't expanded or gotten worse I only started looking at it recently. I drilled a hole up through the middle of the damp area and put a striped stick through (see first photo). By using an endoscope and poking behind the skirting in the bathroom above, it seems that the damp area is directly below the right-most column of tiling in the shower (see red arrow in second photo). There is also the water supply to the toilet passing through which had some drip marks on it - the third photo is from the endoscope looking up into the void (i.e. where the striped stick is in first photo).

So three questions:

1) Has any one seen this problem before? How likely is it to be the shower tray?
2) *if* it is the shower tray, could it be fixed by running an extra layer of sealant over the various joins between tray and tiling? Or is a full rip out and replacement necessary?
3) If it is not he shower tray, any other ideas what it could be?

Many thanks,
Neil

 

[Combicert]

If you have the camera why not run it while someone’s in the shower to see where it’s dripping from - if its not the shower then move on to something else.

MOst likely, i’d have thought, would be the sealant... if it were i’d remove the old silicone and replace... rather than just going over the top of it.

Silicone remover is great stuff - as is a good dollop of wd40 for removing silicone.

No - i personally wouldnt rip anything out ... doesnt seem any point - unless i’m missing something obvious and it’s a drip from a joint in the toilet thats totally inaccessible from elsewhere (and i suspect there isnt as there’d be a constant drip - rather than a slow and steady build up...(most likely..)

 

[Hot&Cold]

If you have the camera why not run it while someone’s in the shower to see where it’s dripping from - if its not the shower then move on to something else.

Do that ^ it needs further investigation.
Shower spray could be running down inside the vertical wall channel and dripping dripping behind the shower tray,this enclosure join is sometimes called 'the heel' its very common to leak on the heels.
Also check the tray for cracks,any movement (whilst someone is moving around in the shower). Check all silicone sealing in the shower.

 

[firenze13574]

Thanks both for your advice, very useful. It's quite tricky to run the camera very far under the tray - I'll give it a go.

Cheers,