During the inspection of a home I am considering buying, two of the showers were leaking. As the leaks only appeared when the shower was running, I am assuming that the leaks are in the pans, drain or tile/grout.
One shower is on the second story and the other shower is in the masterbath.
This house is only 6-8 years old.
The upstairs leak came through the downstairs closet and for the masterbath, there was water on the side of the concrete slab on the exterior wall (it looked like the water was running on top of the slab/underneath the wall).
Both of the showers have tile walls and fiber glass one piece shower pans.
Aside from tearing up the shower pans/knocking holes in the ceiling, is there any way of determining where the leak is? I want to try to figure out the possible cost of repairs.
Any suggestions where the leak might be coming from?
you need to plug the drain with a rubber stopper. This will prevent any water from running into the drain area which is most likely the leak. Fill the shower pan with water up to the edge of the door sill. Wait to see if any leaks occur or if the water drops. If nothing happens then pull off the stopper and then check for the leak as the water drains out. It is very common for the drain fitting and drain pipe to leak as quite often when installing this the plumber does not properly glue the fitting. A quick fix is to remove the grate on the floor drain and clean and re-caulk the drain where it connects to the drain pipe. Remember this is a quick fix not a long term repair. The bigger issue is if this has been a reoccuring issue. You most likely have mold in the ceilings below the shower. Remove the ceiling, clean the mold and then properly repair the drain.
If this is a home sale and your inspector has indicated a leak why care where its coming from, get the seller to make the repair before you purchase the home and let them worry where its coming from. These repairs (and any other repairs)should be made by a professional plumber (or other contractor if it is something else) that will offer a warranty for some period of time to you after you close. Do not accept a cash settlement at closing. Something always comes up while doing plumbing repairs. And if you did not get enough **$ at closing you are picking up the additional cost out of your pocket. Cash settlemnts are fine if you know the outcome of the costs. Like a window repair or garage door fix. But anytime you open up a wall or ceiling the unexpected always happens. Good luck on the new home!
