Shower leak mystery.. shower pan??? please help!

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yan

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Hi,
We have a shower done 3 years ago... and recently we noticed leak coming out of the shower as well as water coming out of the grout from the side. (We placed a yellow rag there to suck out the water and it took 2 days - see pictures)

Someone came and cut open the wall and we eliminated issues with the water pipes. We are not sure if it could be the shower pan? if it's a shower pan issue, does it take this long for it to be noticed??? (3 years since installation) and does it make sense for the water to sit under the tile and coming out from the grout??

We have also noticed some water coming outside of the shower..

I also wondered if the failing caulking/grout could have caused water to go under the tiles... but that wouldn't explain why the water would also go outside of the shower?

Any idea on what could be the problem? Please help!!!

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Jadnashua

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Without knowing how your shower was constructed, it's hard to say, but a common thing that COULD result in what you're seeing is an improperly built shower pan. In a conventional shower (well, any shower!), the waterproofing layer must be sloped to the drain. FWIW, neither the tile nor the grout are considered waterproofing, they are the decorative wear surface.

In a conventional shower build, it is unfortunately not uncommon for the installer to try to shortcut things and leave out a layer by putting the liner flat, directly on the floor. It MUST be installed over a presloped layer. If they do that, they often don't try to ensure the weep holes in the drain are kept clear so whatever water does make it below the tile has a chance to weep out (the slope is critical as are open weep holes).

So, yes, it could take awhile for the moisture to build up underneath the tile before you notice. IT is expected that some moisture will make its way beneath the tile, but the sloped liner and the weep holes should let it escape without building up. It's sort of a first in/first out, with some moisture constantly flushing through the mud bed.

If they did that, they also probably didn't deal with the liner over the curb properly. Code says you cannot put any holes in the liner below 2" above the top of the curb. Many people take the shortcut of screwing cement board to the curb. They might try to seal those penetrations, but cement is NOT waterproof, just not damaged by being wet, so now, you have holes in that, too.

FWIW, you must use the 'Upload a File' button to post pictures, you can't cut and paste them.
 
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