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Flooring Bathrooms DIY

Smelly water coming out from where the wall meets the wall in shower

last year

I removed caulking from shower floor because it was getting moldy but water started coming from where I removed caulking and some of it has a bad odor, I have waited like 2 days but those areas where the wall meets the floor are still humid and some water (not a lot) comes out to shower from those edges, what can be the problem? Where would that water be coming from? Should I just re-caulk?

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Comments (15)

emilyam819
last year
What’s the shower made of? Tile?
millworkman
last year
Water getting behind the tile and not weeping back into the pan. Mold and rot are sure to follow if not there already (think smelly water).
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PRO
Mint tile Minneapolis
last year
Tell tale sign of fasilure. UN-caulkable.

Id first look to open a wall behind the shower pan area and get a few pics as a first step to assess.
PRO
Dragonfly Tile & Stone Works, Inc.
last year
You might find this article from the National Tile Contractor's Assn website helpful: https://cdn.ymaws.com/www.tile-assn.com/resource/resmgr/docs/help!_my_shower_is_leaking.pdf
HU-990107770
Original Author
last year
Yes, walls are tile and floor is one of those small square mosaic tiles
A Mat
last year
You may have a plumbling leak. You should budget $10K to remove and replace. Caulk on tile will not repair a leaking pipe. you may have a leaking pipe and require demolition to fix.

Caulk: lipstick on a pig.
emilyam819
last year
And how old is the shower?
HU-990107770
Original Author
last year
My town house is a little over 4 years old, I bought it new construction but it's one of those cookie cutters style house where they build many of the same at the same time so I'm assuming contractor was rushing and didn't do a good job in my
HU-990107770
Original Author
last year
The nly solution would be to tear down everything and do it again, right? If I decide to delay the repair and just re-caulk, can this become a much bigger problem?
A Mat
last year
If you have a leaking pipe, behind the wall, caulk will prevent the water from draining.

You may have a remove and replace, It is currently a problem, if this is a second strrystory, it may become a much bigger problem.
cpartist
last year
You can't let it fester because the longer it does, the bigger the problem it becomes. It already smells which tells you that there's a leak with mold most likely. Leave it be and you'll wind up with rotted wood too.
millworkman
last year
" If I decide to delay the repair and just re-caulk, can this become a much bigger problem? "

Rotting wood.
chispa
last year
Is the plumbing on an interior wall?

Can you get at it from the wall on the other side? Easier to open up drywall than rip out tile.

You probably have a leak in one of the pipes and/or your shower valve. Probably a small/slow leak that has been leaking for 4 years.

If you don't have DIY skills to try to figure out the problem, then my first call would be to a plumber so they can find the leak.
PRO
Debbi Washburn
last year
Is it a first floor or second floor shower? Smelly water is sometimes a leaky toilet. If you don't use that shower, does it dry out? If not, the water may be coming from somewhere else.

Either way - call a professional immediately - do not wait.

Hope it's something simple to fix.
PRO
Joseph Corlett, LLC
last year
I doubt this is a supply line leak, maybe a drain line if you're lucky. Fresh leaky water doesn't smell. It's time for some immediate diagnostic demolition.

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