Leak under shower tray
Discussion
I'm not sure what to do about getting this fixed.
We've had a (very) damp patch on the outside wall for some months now and originally thought the roof was leaking into the wall cavity and I replaced a portion of the underfelt myself, however the damp patch persisted.
I ended up taking a timelapse video of the outside wall to see where the water was originating from and it turned out to be adjacent to the toilet/shower waste pipe where it joins the outdoor drain.
The shower was only put in around 8 months ago.
Options are:
1. Speak to the bathroom fitter - he was a sole-trader and gave no guarantee so I'm not sure how interested he would be.
2. Go through house insurance - I've read the policy and it includes cover for 'escape of water' however, it says that if the cause is found to be bad workmanship then it wouldn't be covered. I'm curious to know what happens if they take the shower tray up and presumably some tiles as well, then find it's not covered due to poor workmanship of the original fitter then what happens? Do they bill me for the time it takes them to rip out? will they finish the repair (and bill me), or just walk away and say it's my problem to fix? I honestly don't know if it was poor workmanship or not, but it seems probable given the timing.
3. Just fix it myself, I'm a decent DIYer and happy taking everything out and fixing the pipe, but I would probably pay a tiler to do the finishing.
One question is, would the shower tray come up without damaging it?
Waste pipe runs from the toilet, under the floor/shower tray, and I'm fairly sure the leak is somewhere very close to the outside wall.
Outside damp patch, water originating from bottom left of the stone block
We've had a (very) damp patch on the outside wall for some months now and originally thought the roof was leaking into the wall cavity and I replaced a portion of the underfelt myself, however the damp patch persisted.
I ended up taking a timelapse video of the outside wall to see where the water was originating from and it turned out to be adjacent to the toilet/shower waste pipe where it joins the outdoor drain.
The shower was only put in around 8 months ago.
Options are:
1. Speak to the bathroom fitter - he was a sole-trader and gave no guarantee so I'm not sure how interested he would be.
2. Go through house insurance - I've read the policy and it includes cover for 'escape of water' however, it says that if the cause is found to be bad workmanship then it wouldn't be covered. I'm curious to know what happens if they take the shower tray up and presumably some tiles as well, then find it's not covered due to poor workmanship of the original fitter then what happens? Do they bill me for the time it takes them to rip out? will they finish the repair (and bill me), or just walk away and say it's my problem to fix? I honestly don't know if it was poor workmanship or not, but it seems probable given the timing.
3. Just fix it myself, I'm a decent DIYer and happy taking everything out and fixing the pipe, but I would probably pay a tiler to do the finishing.
One question is, would the shower tray come up without damaging it?
Waste pipe runs from the toilet, under the floor/shower tray, and I'm fairly sure the leak is somewhere very close to the outside wall.
Outside damp patch, water originating from bottom left of the stone block
No it wasn't, just tiled onto the plastered wall.
That was a concern to be honest, but I can't believe it is causing an issue to this extent - after using the shower you can literally see water seeping out of the outside wall.
Just to add, the shower tray is directly onto a concrete floor, so (I guess) less concern for full tanking.
That was a concern to be honest, but I can't believe it is causing an issue to this extent - after using the shower you can literally see water seeping out of the outside wall.
Just to add, the shower tray is directly onto a concrete floor, so (I guess) less concern for full tanking.
Edited by billbring on Thursday 27th June 21:09
The issue isn't so much finding where the damp is coming from, that is virtually beyond doubt.
I'm interested in the best route to getting it fixed. Particularly my questions about the house insurance.
I guess I could add a fourth option of taking ALL the tiles off and tanking it properly – I suppose that's only a couple of days work.
I'm interested in the best route to getting it fixed. Particularly my questions about the house insurance.
I guess I could add a fourth option of taking ALL the tiles off and tanking it properly – I suppose that's only a couple of days work.
The grout and silicone look good, there is no way there is enough water (if any) getting out of the shower area to cause the amount of damp I'm seeing.
I'm near certain that the main leak is at the joint where the shower/toilet waste meets the outside drain, which feeds down to where the round cover is in the bottom-centre of the outdoor photo. There may also be a leak behind the concealed control valve.
My current thinking is that I'm going to rip out the tiles and tray myself, then get somebody experienced in to fix the leak, tank the shower area and re-tile.
I just don't like the idea of getting the same person back to fix it, even though it will cost me a lot more to get somebody new in. It needs re-doing to a much higher standard and having some guy who's in a bad mood because he's being made to work for nothing doesn't fill me with confidence, especially when his first attempt has revealed significant incompetence.
I'm near certain that the main leak is at the joint where the shower/toilet waste meets the outside drain, which feeds down to where the round cover is in the bottom-centre of the outdoor photo. There may also be a leak behind the concealed control valve.
My current thinking is that I'm going to rip out the tiles and tray myself, then get somebody experienced in to fix the leak, tank the shower area and re-tile.
I just don't like the idea of getting the same person back to fix it, even though it will cost me a lot more to get somebody new in. It needs re-doing to a much higher standard and having some guy who's in a bad mood because he's being made to work for nothing doesn't fill me with confidence, especially when his first attempt has revealed significant incompetence.
Edited by billbring on Friday 28th June 10:18
An update...
I exposed all the pipework in the wall and have discovered a leak on the cold inlet at the point it joins the valve.
For anyone interested, here's a little video of the leak and you can see how fast it's dripping.
https://streamable.com/qyuyfn
I can isolate it in the loft above so have left it alone for now.
Unfortunately, I still believe there could be a leak on the waste pipe as well, given that the outside damp patch looked considerably worse immediately after using the shower, whereas the leak on the valve would have been constant.
The plasterboard behind the tiles is all rotten anyway, so it will have to all come off and the shower tray also has very slight play in it which rocks maybe half a millimetre if you stand in the right place. No doubt caused by water damage, and I find it generally annoying so another reason to take it up and get everything re-done properly.
I exposed all the pipework in the wall and have discovered a leak on the cold inlet at the point it joins the valve.
For anyone interested, here's a little video of the leak and you can see how fast it's dripping.
https://streamable.com/qyuyfn
I can isolate it in the loft above so have left it alone for now.
Unfortunately, I still believe there could be a leak on the waste pipe as well, given that the outside damp patch looked considerably worse immediately after using the shower, whereas the leak on the valve would have been constant.
The plasterboard behind the tiles is all rotten anyway, so it will have to all come off and the shower tray also has very slight play in it which rocks maybe half a millimetre if you stand in the right place. No doubt caused by water damage, and I find it generally annoying so another reason to take it up and get everything re-done properly.
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