shower leak

[aaoplumb]

Dear members,

Advice wanted please. I have just moved in to a new place and within 3 weeks we have a leak from the shower into the dining room


At first glance I had hoped it was a simple failure of the sealant between the tray and the tiles (and it had come away there) but the problem is much worse unfortunately.

Whoever installed the bathroom has really cocked it up, all the grout is cracking and through the gaps I can see bare plasterboard, no adhesive, no tanking, no Aquapanel, nothing! I would expect to see a solid bed of adhesive under the grout, I have taken the grout out in a few places to confirm, I am pretty sure that this is a dot n dab job throughout.

My question is - do I need to rip everything out and start again (before any more damage is done) or can I patch up the grout, reseal and then try some kind of sealing compound over the tiles (ceramic)? It isn't a power shower but a reasonably high flow rate.

I think I know the answer but don't want to admit it...

Cheers

 

[ree]

If you had an even elementary house purchase survey done then this water damage potential should have been picked up on the survey.

You might run a water test starting low in the shower base, then its rim, and then slowly up the wall pausing and observing after each phase. This should indicate where its leaking - one place or many.

But the odds are that a duff installation will have to all come out - only do the job once by going back to the wall and the plumbing in the floor.