MDF around new shower showing water damage.

last year

last modified: last year

This shower is less than 2 years old. A leak in grout was repaired and trim replaced a few months ago. Now water damage is back again on trim. Builder is blaming shower door by saying water could be seeping through door. Since damge shows from the bottom up he argues there is nothing wrong with shower! anyone know if this could be true? what should be done next ?

Edit;

when i questioned the builder on it being a leak that needs to be repaired this was his response.

” I would think since the wall has been open for over a few weeks now, it would be very apparent visually if the shower was leaking internally. I told David that with the baseboard being wet from the bottom up, the baseboard is installed on top of the tile, water would have to completely fill up from the slab and then spill over ontop of the tile. If that was the case, the 2x4’s bolted to the slab would be completely deteriorated by now if that much water was coming from an internal leak.“

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Comments (6)

cat_ky
last year
last modified: last year
Is there no shower curb, on that shower, to contain the water? Also, grout, does not keep water from getting into the wall. Its not waterproof. There should be waterproofing on the walls behind the tile.
millworkman
last year
" A leak in grout was repaired and trim replaced a few months ago "

Grout is not nor was ever intended to be waterproof, so a grout repair is not "fixing" anything as far as water. You have a pretty good leak that at this point will most likely require some demo (hopefully selective). Hopefully it is repairable with a gut. Do you know how the pan and wall substrate were constructed? What waterproofing was used? Any pics of it during construction?
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I'd like to know how your brother fixed it too. I hope you took pictures or had an outside party witness anything that was found. I'm not sure what "pulling on" something means and that could be hard to prove. I think it's odd to favor a previous issue over a faulty install or dw in that the problem occurred or became apparent to the HO only after the new machine was installed. They were unaware of any leaks and the installer said and documented absolutely nothing. Now he claims there was an existing problem. So what idjut would simply install a new dishwasher over soggy flooring in need of repair or dry-out, without raising the issue of a leak with the HO first. I think that is negligent, irresponsible and wreckless on his part. If there was an active leak prior to install, why didn't he report it? I would think it would be SOP for an installer to run the machine to make sure it isn't leaking before leaving the premises, in order to check their work and that the machine was running properly. I wonder if LL had any discussions at all with the installer while he was there.
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"There is no longer any water showing up on the sheets of paper. Can I eliminate the possibility of a leak in the pipes?" That may indicate that there isn't a leak when the shower valve is off. Leaks behind the wall are rare, but they do occur. You could troubleshoot leaks behind the wall by unthreading the shower head from the arm that comes out of the wall. Crack the shower valve so water starts trickling out of the arm, then close the valve. Now thread a 1/2" cap on the arm (in place of the shower head) and turn on the shower valve. That'll pressurize the plumbing between the valve and the cap. Leave the supply valve on for a while. If water starts showing up within a few hours or the next day, then there may indeed be a leak behind the wall. You can try to get a visual on it at the same time be sliding the shower head escutcheon plate off the arm, that'll allow you to put eyes on the union that the shower arm threads in to. You can also remove the escutcheon plate that covers the shower valve. With the shower head removed, the shower arm capped, the two escutcheons removed, and the water ON, you may be able to see or even hear a mist or spray from any faulty unions. If visibility is restricted, you can also poke a Q-tip or something like that into the holes and see if it comes out wet. But again...leaks behind the wall are rare. I'd be interested in finding out if the floor membrane itself is sloped to the drain. Many installers who use CPE or CPVC membranes improperly lay the membrane flat on the floor, then set sloped mud on the flat membrane and tile on the sloped mud. However, it's a code requirement that the membrane itself should be sloped. Lastly...sometimes these weird water things can disappear on their own over time. Fresh mud beds become wet with their first use, and on these forums we've had a few instances of water behaving badly while the bed saturates over the first few uses. Good luck with it.
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catbuilder
last year
Being female is irrelevant. Being male does not afford a person some magical knowledge.

It's possible that water is coming from the door. It's also possible that it's coming from somewhere else. You will need to do some investigating. How far laterally does the water extend? How far up does it extend? Have you watched what happens while the shower is running?
PRO
Joseph Corlett, LLC
last year
Your builder is hoping and dreaming, however, hoping and dreaming does not fix a leaking shower. This is not good and the repair will be extensive and expensive.

Plug the drain, fill the shower, and watch the water flow over that 2x4. Make a video and send it to the builder. Then post it here please.
Iluvdark kychns
last year
Ask your builder to share with you actual specs on the shower water proofing they did. The shower pan should have a decline toward the drain. There should have been city inspections that would have signed off on this before being closed up.

Also, Who was your builder? A local or a national. Check your contact to see what warranty coverage there is on builder defects and also check to see if there are any minimum warranty requirements in your state. I’m so sorry this is happening. I know this can be stressful.
Jess Bar thanked Iluvdark kychns
rwiegand
last year
With respect, I think the specs are irrelevant if the shower is leaking. Pinning down what was specified and how well it was executed might be useful for assigning blame later, but the fact of the matter is that showers need to not leak and the details of why they do are not the homeowner's responsibility. Mr Corlett proposed the relevant test, if it fails then the builder should fix it.

MDF around new shower showing water damage.

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cat_ky

millworkman

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