Any suggestions for repairing a leaking shower? We are thinking of cutting

[Riley18]

the wall out in the garage to see if the leak can be repaired. The builder's plumber "fixed" the leak a few years ago by going through the wall, but water started coming through the wall again. It is a leak from the drain pipe because water only comes out when the shower is used. What do we use to fix the leak? Should we hire a plumber for this or try to fix it ourselves?

[Wash. state Desk Jet]

1. Open the wall

Locate the drain line and expose it. First find out what yer drain line is , is it 2 inch black plastic ? abc / As a rule the leak will be at a fitting. Ok, so first find the leak and identify the the material yer drain is. Than yer going to need a good saw,but first things first. Expose the drain,make yer opening wide enough so you can get in there and fix it. Just did a repair on a four inch drain in a new house last week , so tell me what you see and I'll tell you what you must do to fix it. It's not hard or complicated , you just need to know what materials to buy and a little how to advice. It might be at the connection ,the fitting that connects up to the shower drain, or the p trap. after you have yer wall opened have somebody turn the shower on so you can see just whats going on with that leak.

Than post what you find out .

[Riley18]

2. Thank you so much. I'll let you know what we find.

[Wash. state Desk Jet]

3. You are welcome

And I'll be around.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

4. Any chance it can be the seal around the faucet handle?

I agree you should give it a shot.

[Riley18]

5. We bought a reciprocating electric saw and opened the wall. The only thing we see is

the back of the shower wall. No pipes can be seen. We will try again tomorrow and see if we can go lower. Not looking good. We know the problem is in that wall somewhere because the builder had it
repaired in 2005 for the same leak.

[Wash. state Desk Jet]

6. Your drain comes up through the shower pan.

Measure the difference between the garage floor and the floor yer shower pan is on. Is there steps going in to the house from the garage? Ok, so the drain comes up through the floor in the bathroom. Your drain lines are below that level.Water flows down ,so yer fittings are below the shower pan as are the drain lines.Yer sink drain plumb out is above floor level but it ties in down below. Can you see where the plumber opened the wall. One more thing, sometimes yer floor drain can be tightened from inside the shower. If it's a threaded fitting. Water comming through the wall in the garage, where than are the water stains located ? Where does the water come out? Can that tell you something ? Have you tried doing a little water test ?Could offer more than a clue.A sawsall is a good tool to have,a good investment.

OK, so try to locate the plumbers point of entry. You should be able to locate the drywall patch, look carefully at the seams, the joint tape .If you look carefully, you might see a slight impression . Rarely do plumbers do perfect drywall patch work.

And it being a new house, you should have a copy of the blue prints. Look over the plumbing pages, if you have those prints. If not get a copy at yer city hall building inspections, hall or records.Thats a good way to get to know yer house if you don't already.

Anywhoo, yer on the right track, try the water test ,see if that helps you find the leak.,may help you pin point the plumbing. By the way set yer sawsall guide so that you go in just deep enough to cut through the drywall and no further. That way you will not cut into what you do not want to cut into.

[Riley18]

7. Thanks for the info. We could not see where they opened the wall, but we

basically opened the entire wall. The only thing we see is the back of the shower wall with the tile. The water leaked out of the cement on the bottom of the wall. Like there is 6 inches of cement on the wall that runs underneath the stud. I'll ask for the blue prints before we tear out the cement. One thing that is weird is that the water has not come out of the wall and the shower was run three times today. It has been a few months since it was last used due to the leak, and it seems like the water must have to build up or something before it starts to come through again. Is that unusual?

[Wash. state Desk Jet]

8. How much ground water accumulates ?

I am thinking about the drain line fulling up out in the yard where it connects up to the sewer main.That is something you can check out with a snake after you start reusing yer shower And is yer shower floor tile ? If your shower pan was not done correctly,water may be collecting under the tile and if the sub flooring was not covered with a rubber lining or the brush on sealant ,that could be the problem. Any water markings around the bottom plate, the framing on the concrete ? And do you see any evidence of the plumber having broke concrete to do the repair? In other words do you see a concrete patch ?

So, do you think water might be getting under the shower pan ? Do you fallow me on what I am getting at ? If yer shower floor is a tile in, and if the water gets under the tile and the mortar, than the water collects on the sub floor and finds it's way out into the garage. So than if thats the case, all the moisture is dried up., which is why yer not finding any leakage.

You know replacing the sheet rock is no big deal, so it's about figuring out the leak. Tell me about the shower floor,the pan,what is it ,is it a tile in or is it fiberglass ? What is the condition of the caulking where caulk is used ? And if it' a tile in, what is the condition of the grout ?And take the drain cover off than take a look at the drain, and around the drain ,what pops up through the floor, any places water can get under the shower pan ? So if yer drain line is filling up, yer going to find that out with a snake, where's the clean out by the way ? And if it's gett'en under the shower floor ,you will find that out too.And it may be the pipe coming up through the floor at floor level. Are you ready to do the test ? And, I am not clear on six inch's of cement on the wall underneath the stud,can you post a pic ? or several of those? Include the shower pan or floor. And where's the vent fer that part of the plumbing drain system. ?

Let me know what you find, I think you have some areas to look over now.