Leaking shower

[ajfielden]

Recently we noticed the floor around our shower cubicle was getting wet sometimes after using the shower. We have a pumped shower, and having checked the shower tray seal, I suspected that the mixer tap was leaking. After removing some tiles to expose the mixer, I could see mouldy damp plasterboard. However when running the shower, there was no leak from any pipes connected to the mixer. I'm puzzled now as to why the leaking only happens intermittently, and where it's actually leaking from. I would have thought if it was caused by the mixer, it would leak consistently. Any advice?

[Andrew Mawson]

In my experience it is only a matter of time before showers leak! It may take decades but they all do in the end

You mention mouldy, damp plasterboard under the tiles that you removed - that may well be your problem. Tiles on plasterboard are rarely satisfactory long term as there is too much flexability, and you get hairline cracks at the grout line, which let in water. The cement based tiling boards are far more satisfactory in that a/ they are more rigid so the problems tends not to happen, and b/ if there is a small weep the board (unlike plasterboard) is waterproof anyway.

AWEM

[ajfielden]

Thanks for the advice about tiles on plasterboard. After a bit of shower cubicle and tile removal (destruction), the plasterboard on one wall is mouldy black and damp, rising up from the shower tray. I think it's possibly more than just water leaking into cracks in the tiles, because we're getting a damp patch on the downstairs ceiling, as if a lot of water had just been discharged from somewhere. Doesn't happen every time we used the shower though. Could some water be pooling, possibly escaping from the waste pipe?

[ajfielden]

Well the whole cubicle is out now, and the plasterboard is pretty damp and crumbling. I'll replace the whole lot with tiling boards. As to what caused the leak, well I can only conclude that the trap wasn't connected properly to the outlet from the shower tray, as it looks like a fair amount of water has been present underneath the tray.

Placing the thermostatic mixer valve in the wall doesn't seem like a smart idea to me. After all, the thermostat can fail (ours is faulty anyway), and then you're faced with excavating the wall to replace it.

[Lurch]

On 15 Apr 2007 07:10:43 -0700, [e-mail] mused:

Another one of those 5 minute jobs then.

Some have a removable mechanism\cartridge assembly that can be pulled out without having to remove the whole wall.

[ajfielden]

Well, yes it took me about 5 minutes to destroy the corner of the en- suite. I suspect it's going to take considerably longer to rebuild the shower :)

I've seen these shower enclosure back wall products, which eliminate the need for tiling

thoughts on this?

[Lurch]

On 15 Apr 2007 15:22:11 -0700, [e-mail] mused:

I've seen mixed results from these. Some are cheap flimsy pieces of crap that fall to pieces after using them twice but as with anything you can pay more for decent ones.

I know someone who has recently bought a complete cubicle with shower and body jets etc... Seems to be pretty sturdy and works quite well.

Personally, I'd board and tile.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Yes, but by now this will be second nature to you.

Having built the house from stud and plasterboard, it doesn't seem that hard to rip it all out again..oh, and by the way, plumbing lasts a LOT longer if you have a water softener..

[ajfielden]

Well I'd prefer not to make a habit of it.

Fair enough. We do live in a hard water area, so it's something we should think about installing.

I've been considering thermostatic mixer valves for showers, and if we really need this. The one we had, was far from being convenient, as we were constantly adjusting it. Why not simply have a manual mixer? They are a lot cheaper than thermostatic ones, and they are far less prone to failure.