Help with leaking shower

[myoakley]

I hope someone can help me with this problem. My shower is leaking into the room below. The plumber/repair man tells me that the pan needs to be replaced and that he will have to remove the tile on the wall up to about a foot and replace the sheetrock behind it. However, the house is 50 years old, and my chances of matching the tile are slim. (I do not want to retile the whole bathroom, since I expect to be downsizing and the new owners will probably have their own ideas for remodeling.) What do people do in this case?

 

[Passepartout]

However, the house is 50 years old, and my chances of matching the tile are slim. (I do not want to retile the whole bathroom, since I expect to be downsizing and the new owners will probably have their own ideas for remodeling.) What do people do in this case?

I'd be doing the repair as required before it does more damage to wherever the water is/has been leaking. This is not something that should be put off.

Jim

 

[WinniWoman]

If it were me I would get it repaired right away and replace the tile you had to remove with something that blends in and looks like it was purposely part of the design.

 

[wackymother]

Get the repair done asap. If you have a couple of the tiles, go to the tile store and ask what they recommend that will go with it in terms of texture/size/color. You can also take a pic of your bathroom and the tile and email it to stores and ask if they have something suitable. Call first, before emailing.

 

[Talent312]

If you can't match other tile, I'd get tile or marble to match the new floor.
IOW, use a tile/slab of the same color/style as the floor for the missing tile.
That way, the foot up the wall looks like an intentional design decision.

.

 

[Gypsy65]

Insurance will cover this
Could be potential mold issues. we just went through a small pipe leak in the wall.
Insurance covered all new wood floors in the kitchen. Living Room. DR. Bathroom as well as all new tile in bath

Damage wasn’t noticeable but insurance would rather make certain than have a much bigger issue down the road

 

[Tank]

If it's a ceramic or cast tub you could get bathfitters in to install over the tub with a new surround has a really good guarantee.
If it's fiberglass this can't be done
Just another idea

 

[Talent312]

Insurance will cover this.... Damage wasn’t noticeable but insurance would rather make certain than have a much bigger issue down the road.

Indeed. We had a little flood in our "west-wing."
Insurance covered new carpets in the BR's, new tile in the hallway,
a new bath vanity, and the extra electricity used to dry the walls.

So, yeah, make a claim.
.

 

[WVBaker]

Is the shower is leaking only during a shower or is it leaking constantly.

I'm not quite sure what the "pan" is. At this point, in order to prevent any further damage, I would cut the water off at shut off valve in the pipe that leads to the shower.

I had the same issue and needed to shut down everything until a leak in the pipe behind the wall was repaired. Why do leaks always seem to happen in the pipes behind the sheetrock?

 

[controller1]

I'm not quite sure what the "pan" is.

The shower pan is the one-piece rubber-like container forming the bottom of the shower floor and about 4-6 inches of the wall. The tile floor and wall is on top of this.

 

[WVBaker]

The shower pan is the one-piece rubber-like container forming the bottom of the shower floor and about 4-6 inches of the wall. The tile floor and wall is on top of this.

Thanks

 

[klpca]

I hope someone can help me with this problem. My shower is leaking into the room below. The plumber/repair man tells me that the pan needs to be replaced and that he will have to remove the tile on the wall up to about a foot and replace the sheetrock behind it. However, the house is 50 years old, and my chances of matching the tile are slim. (I do not want to retile the whole bathroom, since I expect to be downsizing and the new owners will probably have their own ideas for remodeling.) What do people do in this case?

I would just bite the bullet and redo the tile in the shower. You can use inexpensive subway tile and perhaps a colored grout (gray grout with subway tile looks great) to visually tie it into the rest of the bathroom, or use white grout, it is a timeless look. Trying to redo the bottom foot of the shower will just call attention to the fact that you had a leak and the possibility that there is mold. Buyers hate that kind of stuff. If you are somewhat handy you could even DIY. I actually enjoy tiling, but not everyone does and a poorly done DIY tile job can look atrocious.

 

[pedro47]

I feel also , your homeowners policy should cover this problem. Water leaks and water damages are very costly if you do not at dress them in a timely manner.
Good luck.

 

[Gypsy65]

Water also gets in places you may not know
Get insurance involved.
They’ll fix the problem and repair your home correctly
Especially if you are selling. You will have to disclose any known issues and water is one that can throw a red flag if not handled properly

If you fix it and don’t disclose it. Then you’ll set yourself up for a battle down the road

 

[Gypsy65]

And another thing. Your insurance will put you up elsewhere if need be while the work and remediation is being done

 

[AnnaS]

I hope someone can help me with this problem. My shower is leaking into the room below. The plumber/repair man tells me that the pan needs to be replaced and that he will have to remove the tile on the wall up to about a foot and replace the sheetrock behind it. However, the house is 50 years old, and my chances of matching the tile are slim. (I do not want to retile the whole bathroom, since I expect to be downsizing and the new owners will probably have their own ideas for remodeling.) What do people do in this case?

We (my hubby) did the same exact project in my son's home. My son went to Home Depot (also try Lowes and/or a tile store) and found tiles very similar to the original one. If you replace them even all around - it will almost look like a design done intentionally. But you can barely tell the difference. It looks fine and this bathroom is in the master bedroom (where no guests is going in anyway). It solved the problem.

 

[VacationForever]

We had a similar problem in 2 houses where there was leakage below the shower stalls. In the first house, the entire shower stall was taken out and rebuilt with new underlying beams (visible from crawl space) as the wood was rotted away. The contractor said it came from the wall where you turn on/off the shower head, and not from the bottom of the shower. I certainly did not think of claiming against homeowner insurance. That shower replacement project cost $8K back in 2007. In the second brand new home, the leak started in year 2 of ownership. Our contractor said the problem was similar in that the leaks came from the wall and not the bottom of the shower. We wanted to convert that bathroom to a walk-in shower instead of a shower over tub anyway, so that became a bathroom remodel project. Out of pocket cost was $12K in 2010.

Due to the repair of the home in 2007 running into 2008, taking up almost 8 months, we were caught in the real estate crash and we were unable to sell that home due to the timing. It had to be fixed before listing it.

 

[controller1]

In the second brand new home, the leak started in year 2 of ownership. Our contractor said the problem was similar in that the leaks came from the wall and not the bottom of the shower. We wanted to convert that bathroom to a walk-in shower instead of a shower over tub anyway, so that became a bathroom remodel project. Out of pocket cost was $12K in 2010.

In some states that repair should have been covered by the builder under a warranty. For plumbing systems our state has a two-year warranty for new construction which commences with the date of purchase.

 

[jimf41]

Insurance will cover a sudden break or a burst pipe. If it's a slow leak that's been going on for awhile and you just noticed it it could be denied. It's all in the presentation between you, the plumber and the insurance company. I came home after a weekend away and there was water everywhere sounds a lot better than we've had this leak for a few months now and it's gotten really bad.

 

[VacationForever]

In some states that repair should have been covered by the builder under a warranty. For plumbing systems our state has a two-year warranty for new construction which commences with the date of purchase.

We bought a model home from the developer, and their warranty was shortened from 2 years to 1 year.

 

[BJRSanDiego]

There are a number of things that could leak. The supply, the shower pan, the drainage plumbing, etc.

If I were you, I'd remove the metal cover for the shower knob and use a bright light to confirm whether or not it is leaking in the wall. If it leaks (below) throughout the day, then it probably isn't the shower pan.

The rubber liner may or may not be leaking. If it is rubber, it is unlikely (but still possible) that it is leaking. I'd take a look at the ceramic tiles and see if there is missing grout, especially at the bottom.

 

[Big Matt]

I agree with the above poster. Insurance will not cover any of this if it was a minor leak that has been in existence for a while.

For the tile, you should go to Home Depot or Lowes or a tile store and look at some shower examples to see what you can do. I wouldn't worry about matching the tile. If it is a foot above the pan, just put in some 12 inch tiles or mosiacs. It will probably look real nice if the colors are complementary.

 

[Gypsy65]

I disagree
My leak was a drip in the wall
They covered about $40k when done

To the OP.
I would at least check with your insurance
Best case? Covered
Worst? Same place you are now

 

[Passepartout]

What do people do in this case?

The question is WHAT DID YOU DO? You haven't been back on TUG since you posted this query.

 

[easyrider]

Leaks behind a tub or shower are very common and easy to repair most of the time. The first thing to do is identify the leak by using a small inspection camera to see inside the wall areas to find the leak. Usually the problem is not going to be a broken pipe but a leak in a valve, shower head or drain. Often times, regarding old tile, the grout has failed and water is getting through the shower wall.

Once the leak is identified it can be repaired but often times a small portion of wall , floor or ceiling will be removed to repair the leak.

Bill