Shower Hell

[moorem]

Hi all. I am having a problem with a leak in a small tiled shower, 32 x 32 inches. The shower pan and lower 3 rows of ceramic tile are only about 6 months old. We just bought the house and after a 20 minute or so shower, water starts coming in through the floor below. (I have a 4 foot hole in the kitchen ceiling so I'm sure about this.) I removed tiles and verified that the plumbing is dry. The drain, hot and cold, showerhead, everything. So I know that the tile is leaking somewhere. I have removed and reinstalled the shower door, regrouted and recaulked absolutely EVERYTHING that could possibly be leaking, but still get water , about a drop every 20 seconds. It's maddening. Does anyone have a suggestion, or know of a product that I can use to help out here? I'm trying to avoid retiling the entire shower but it looks like that might be the only way out. Thanks guys.

[LazyPup]

Is there by chance a horizontal run of cold water line above the kitchen ceiling and below the bathroom? If so, check the line to see if it is forming condensate moisture when the cold water is running. If you find evidence of condensate moisture on a cold water line you can remedy the problem by insulating the line with foam insulation.

if you have an opening in the ceiling below you may try covering the opening with a sheet of old cardboard, run the water and then examine the cardboard to try to pinpoint the actual point of the drip.

Water leaks in ceilings can be very illusive because the water will drip down onto a framing component or the ceiling material then flow to the lowest point before actually creating a leak through the ceiling. Often the source of a leak can be a great distance from where is manifests itself through the ceiling materials.

[HayZee518]

Follow lazypup's idea but if that don't prove fruitful, you may just end up pulling the floor tile and part of the wall. You know, that a shower tile floor NEVER dries out completely. It's always wet even if it looks ok. I installed a shower pan at my house that measures 36 inches by 72 inches. It's made of 4 mil poly almost feels like rubber. The drain is a three part system. The bottom most part glues into place over the two inch drain line. The next part has a hole cut out for the drain and 6 bolt holes, that 6 stainless steel bolts go through into the first base fitting. A Layer of silicone sealant is spread between the upper surface of the pan and the second drain part and the whole thing is bolted up tight. The last part is a threaded drain piece that adjust up and down to accomodate your mortar and tiles. Prefab shower pans are ok but unless it is on a solid base will flex and create leaks. That's why I went with the poly shower pan as opposed to a copper pan or prefab plastic.