We have a tub/shower combination that leaks into the ceiling below. We called in a plummer, who looked around and said he didn’t know where the leak was coming from and wanted to tear the wall apart. That seemed a little drastic. I know I once read of a systematic was of attempting to figure out what part of the thing is leaking, but have now found it again. Does anyone know of a good way to try to narrow things down?
I assume the caulk/grout is all in good shape, including any caulk around the base of the tub, right?
I also assume there’s no access panel behind the shower that pops off, right?
If the ceiling is in bad enough shape that you’re going to have to have it repaired anyways, you might cut the bad spot out and see if you can just look up from below and see where it’s leaking.
You could also try taking the valve cartridges out and hoping you find something cracked in there and replacing all the O-Rings while you’re at it. At the very least, that’s a quick and easy job. If all you end up doing is replacing O-Rings, it’ll cost a few dollars, take an hour or so (including a trip to the hardware store) and it might end up fixing the problem. (Just make sure you turn off the water to the shower first.)
Yes, all caulk and grout are in good shape. The ceiling beneath the tub is in excellent shape because when the leak occurs it comes out of a ceiling light fixture rather than pool in the ceiling.
Yes, all caulk and grout are in good shape. The ceiling beneath the tub is in excellent shape because when the leak occurs it comes out of a ceiling light fixture rather than pool in the ceiling.
water flows downhill, it can run many feet on the underside of pipes.
make an inspection hole in the ceiling under the suspected pipe path. use a flashlight and mirror to see in two directions.
make an inspection hole in the wall.
Long shot, but Have you looked at the caulk while standing in the Tub? It happened to me in a Rental place. It was leaking on the ceiling below but every test I ran, for no matter how long there was no leak. Fortunately one day I got really sweaty and took a shower with my contacts in (I see like shit without them) with the weight over the front of the tub the caulk pulled just away from the wall to leave a tiny crack the water could run through, but way to small for me to see with out contacts, even looking for one.
The beam below had weakened a little bit, and needed a bit more bracing.
That’s a good point. In fact, I believe I’ve heard (but always forget since I have a one piece) that when you caulk your tub you should stand in it to open that gap up as much as possible.
Any chance the leaks only show up after it has been raining? I nearly shit a brick one night because we had water dripping out of the middle of our kitchen ceiling, underneath the second floor bathroom. I thought one of our polybutylene pipes was finally letting go, then I decided that it was too much of a coincidence that we had just had a major downpour. I went up in the attic and it turned out that water had leaked in around the vent stack for that bathroom and had run down the pipe, between the walls, to the kitchen ceiling.
Anyway, if you think it is the tub, you could always stopper the tub and run the shower for a bit. If the leak still shows up, you could eliminate the drain line.
It takes such a small crack to leek lots of water over time. And gravity is on the water’s side with your two story. If everything is all right up top, then the drain pipes could be leaking and that requires a tear out. I don’t see plumbers doing that pipe-in-a-pipe on inside drains. Sometimes it can be as simple as applying silicone to the lip of the drain to plug the crack. You would life up the drain stopper and seal the edges using silicone on your finger.
Ceilings are expensive to keep replacing them. A new drain system avoids that hassle. Your plumber was being honest. If he can’ see the problem, he can’t fix it and the leaks will continue.
fill the tub with water which will stay steady and not shift until cured.
A friend had a similar situation, dauerbach, and the cause was finally identified as an almost indistinguishable hole in the tub.
So you might want to just check that as a possible source.
Kids like to splash in the tub. If enough water hits the floor it will often leak along the tub and the floor. There’s always a long crack there that has to be kept caulked.
Same thing up along the rim of the tub and the wall. That’s another long crack that can leak water. Especially if the tile wasn’t installed correctly. The tile should overlap the rim of the tub. That way any water on the wall tile will slide directly into the tub and not behind the tub.
Check for a leak below after each step. I strongly recommend cutting an opening in the ceiling below the leak as this will allow you to see where the leak originates. Otherwise, unless the leak rapidly appears on the ceiling, the cause could be overlooked if it’s a relatively slow leak.
Step 1
Run cold water
Step 2
Run hot water (If you have an auto mixing valve, open it to about 50% to complete both steps 1 & 2)
Step 3
Run shower with shower head directed at tub floor or drain (either hot/cold or both)
Step 4
Direct shower head at tub enclosure walls
Step 5
Direct shower head at tub enclosure sliding doors (if installed)
You should be able to see the leak after one of these steps and that will tell you if it’s a plumbing issue or a tub enclosure (tile, grout, door, etc) issue.
You may end up removing and replacing the tub walls but if the plumber
overlooked say, a leaking water supply line, drain or mixing valve, that would be a waste of money.
We have an extremely intermittent leak in our tub/shower. About once a month there is a leak that goes through to the ceiling below. I called in a plumber, and he could not figure out the cause. He suggested removing dry wall to look at the pipes, but for technical reasons that was not a very viable solution. He also admitted he might not be able to diagnose the problem even them. I followed very extensive testing on the tub (as I read about online) isolating each possible cause. It took about three hours total, and the leak was never reproduced. Is there anything to try that I have not thought of? I hate when the ceiling gets ruined by water, but don’t know what else to try.
Why not just work off the advice given from the other thread you started?
Something else, based on the other thread. Try closing the drain and letting it fill up and then spraying down the surround with water. The weight of the water will simulate the weight of a person in the tub. When someone is standing in the tub (or the bath is full of water) the caulk stretches out. If it’s starting to fail, the gaps will widen when this happens.
I was just feeling desperate and thought someone might have a different idea in a new post. I know, not very likely given how thoroughly it was answered the first time.
Have you considered calling in a leak detection company? They will use sound listening equipment to pinpoint the leak, saving you hours or days of trying to find it. Plus no knocking holes in the drywall in the wrong places.
I never even heard of a leak detection company. I will see if I can find one tomorrow.
If you can’t find one through the Yellow Pages or online call a local plumbing company and they should be able to direct you to one. This is really the smart way to go. I have seen people rip apart a room(s) trying to guess where a leak is. And I have seen these companies come in and in an hour or two pinpoint exactly where the leak is in a wall, floor, etc… Only one hole to repair after fixing the leak.