How come I can't just waterproof the tiled wall with a tile sealant? Are you saying that all of these condos like mine, have incorrect installation of the soaking tubs?

What exactly are you saying that needs to be reinstalled? The tub or the tiles? Sounds expensive...

It is established that the tub in your unit is causing water damage to the unit below. We are not there to inspect in person.
Unless you want a very expensive lawsuit, this needs to be properly repaired right now. And that repair will have to be done by a person who is actually there.

The tub, the tile, and all of the backing needs to be removed down to the studs and replaced with a different tub (WITH an integral tile flange) and waterproofing and new backerboard and tile. You might as well replace the plumbing fixtures while you are at it and have the walls open for access. That's the time to address anything that might be very difficult to do later.

Maybe you all have misunderstood me...it's a very small leak and didn't even ruin my neighbor's ceiling. Just stained it. These buildings are 25 yrs old. Why would there be a huge problem now? All of the condos have these type of soaking tubs in their master bathrooms. I don't understand why this has to be a major overhaul. If I decide to never use that tub for a shower, there's no problem with water getting thru the tiles, right??

This is a condo and I can't afford to do a remodel in the bathroom nor do I want to put that much money into it. I've lived here 11 yrs and no problems up until now. There must be a cheaper way to fix this problem.

Why would a builder install this incorrectly and secondly, why would the inspector let it pass?

No, no misunderstanding. Based on what you have stated, you need to replace the bath/shower portion of your bathroom. Codes change over time as people learn of better ways to do things. Waterproofing was not formerly required on a shower installation. Until there were a lot of problems just like yours. With mold and rot behind the tile as well as leaks.

Your neighbor below can sue you to force you to comply, as well as for continued damage. It's your responsibility to ensure that your unit's issues do not damage another's. Just like you would be able to do if someone in an adjacent unit had the issue and it leaked into your unit. You don't have the freedom to let the issue continue to deteriorate like you would in a single family home.

But, why would you even want to let the damage continue until you have even worse problems that are even more expensive to address? Get a reputable contractor in to give you a bid on replacement. You can probably do it on a budget for less than 5K if you are not in a high cost labor market.

It's not that I don't care about any future damage this may cause, I just don't want to spend a lot of money IF there is a cheaper way to fix the same problem.

I checked with the condo assn and they have no knowledge of any other units having the problem where all this replacement work is required. Sure, there have been leaks, but most are resolved by either caulking around the tub and fixtures and replacing the over flow drain. So, I am going to take that route first. I will test it and make sure there's no leak in my neighbors unit. I have not used this bathroom for showering or bathing so once I start using it again, I should be able to do a process of elimination.

I do appreciate your input and recommendations.

Oh, I might add...this water detection company was my downstairs neighbor's idea. She set up the appointment and all.

When I talked to the plumber that usually services these condos, his opinion and past experience with these condos leaned towards the over flow drain needing a new gasket. This was without seeing the bathroom. So, that's why I have decided to go with the simple fix.

"Oh, I might add...this water detection company was my downstairs neighbor's idea. She set up the appointment and all. "

OK, you're being set up for a lawsuit. And the HOA plumber isn't going to help your case. Better do what the leak detection expert recommends, or hire your own expert to prove the leak is coming from somewhere else.

By the way, a leak detection expert would know how to check the overflow drain.

Also, now that an expert has diagnosed the problem and explained it to you, ignorance is not an acceptable defense.

Health problem associated with mold, whether real or imagined, are taken into consideration when a court awards damages. This will likely exceed the cost of a proper tub/tile installation by tenfold.

Please take the proper precautions to protect yourself from damages.

Penny wise and pound foolish isn't the way to react to this.

The guy from the water leak detection co. told me to contact a tile co. He didn't say anything about needing the tub reinstalled and walls torn down. He was able to see the outside wall where the bathtub is and where the wet spot on the floor was since that was an access opening under my steps. It was very minimal but definitely needs addressing.

I am going to contact that company again to get a full report.

I didn't comment when the question was posted over a week ago because I see little that can be objectivly said about it. Obviusly you are determined to see it through so I'm in your corner Rgirl.
1st,determine who and what this leak detection expert is. If they are a pro,do as they suggested and caulk. If not or caulk doesn't fix it,start from square one and have somone else determin where the water is coming from. The one you mentioned that has a lot of experience with your condos is a good bet. My experience with similar situations has been bad gasket/seal at overflow,tub shoe or facuet stem packings 90% of the time. With the access opening under your steps,there should be no guessing since you can see it. I am in 100% agreement about starting with the simple and easy possibilitys. I believe advice to spend thousands of dollars based on hearsay started by a person with unknown experience and credintials is reckless at best. The fear mongering would be laughable were it not so shamless.

Thank you Klem1 for being more understanding about this. It's not as if I didn't check with the HOA to see if there have been other units having this problem and the outcome of rectifying it.

The water detector guy said to call in a tile guy. So, I'm thinking the tiles on the faucet wall need regrouting. Makes sense to me. The condos are 20 yrs old. I already changed the gasket for the overflow drain. I recaulked all around the tub and fixtures. So...once I fix the tiles (regrouting), I will then test it. I have not used that shower or tub at all since this happened. Believe me, I want to do the right thing but I'm not remodeling my bathroom-:(. I believe it can be remedied by doing the things I've mentioned without a major overhaul.

There are 318 units here with these soaking tubs and no one knows of anybody needing this overhaul for a very small leak. So, that's why I'm skeptical about the advice on this board. I'm not saying its wrong advice, I just don't think my situation is that severe while caulking, regrouting, replacing overflow gasket might be the answer. If not, then I will consider the major overhaul.

It always helps to get many opinions so you can at least be informed-good or bad-;)

The only reason my downstairs neighbor got this company is because she used them before when she lived in a house. Plus, she didn't want a plumber cutting into her ceiling.

Thanks again!

Grout is NOT waterproof.

Even sealed grout isn't waterproof. Regrouting will do nothing to stop water from getting behind a tile installation. What stops that happening is waterproofing.

20 years ago, showers weren't constructed with waterproofing. Many of them set tile straight onto greenboard, which was supposed to be "water resistant" drywall. Water damage from such an install is a common well known syndrome that anyone in the trades is very well familiar with. It's sadly an all too common occurrence. The showers that were constructed that way will pretty much be a mass of mold and mildew behind that almost pristine looking wall from the slow water leaks penetrating through the grout. If a soaking tub was used, the issue is exacerbated and there's usually more than just the mold and mildew behind the wall. There's usually a semi-active small leak to whatever is below.

A waterproof tub shower needs a tub with a tile flange. The install is like installing shingles on a roof. One layer physically overlaps the other, and that's what keeps the water out. A properly constructed waterproof shower doesn't even actually need tile on the surface to keep water out of the wall cavities. The overlapping waterproof layers will do that without the tile.

Technology has changed a lot in 20 years. Educate yourself thoroughly on modern methods of creating a water tight tub shower. Your band-aids may work for a short time, but if the inspector is correct, you will need to know how to do the renovation properly.

And even if your bandaids work for a short enough time to get the home listed for sale, you are still required to inform any future buyers of the water damage issues. They will want to deduct the cost of the project from any offers that you might receive. Buyers also typically inflate in their minds the costs of the project, so keep that in mind.

I was planning on using a sealant after regrouting the tiles. The worse that can happen is...I just won't be able to shower in this bathroom. I'll use it for tub baths and use my other bathroom for showers.

I'm not selling my place anytime soon-;). I will have a tile guy come out and access the problem. Like I said, if necessary, I just won't take showers in this bathroom. Better than paying thousands for a remodel that I don't want or cant afford.