Shower leak on floor

[paulmars]

Any ideas what i can do to fix this without tearing out the shower?

shower drain never backs up, but pipe below it does leak below shower floor and only when taking shower. See pics.

The drain must be leaking. It gets wet inside that wall and with long showers, it leaks out onto the finished floor.

Pic 2 is the lower part of that wall you see in the other pic (red box). With that blue plastic wall cover removed.

wet with every shower where the yellow X is and then gets wet where the black X is with longer showers. shower drain is just a few inches higher and never backs up.

This shower was installed over 10 years ago and this issue just started happening in the last 8 months. Started shortly after i had the outside sewer line replaced and tenant moved in at same time. maybe coincidence. Maybe previous tenants never took long showers.

The other day we did run a snake down the shower drain at least 10 feet. that is well into the new sewer line that was replaced about 8 months ago. Its still getting wet as mentioned above after snakeing.

 

[Jadnashua]

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[paulmars]

pics attached

 

[Jadnashua]

Foam like that can compress and that can eventually stress the drain connection, possibly loosen it, or cracking something. An inspection camera isn't all that expensive, and by using one of those while poking around underneath might let you help isolate where the water is coming from. Once you know that, trying to figure out a fix may be possible.

It's also possible that when someone is in the shower, their weight opens up a seam, letting water out. Does it leak when nobody is actually in the shower while the water is running?

 

[paulmars]

Great idea. they what we use to reinforce it more foam?

 

[Jadnashua]

While some foams might be sufficient, most of the spray stuff isn't. The installation instructions often call for the use of mortar which doesn't shrink. You don't need a full coverage, but if you apply it in piles, then squish the pan down into it to ensure it is then level, that helps as all pans are designed to be level around the rim. Failing to give the pan support underneath means that it is more likely to flex. That can cause stress cracking, if nothing else.

 

[paulmars]

well, i cant remove the pan, so I cant really squish it down onto mortar. How about cutting some blocks to fit and using block caulking to hold in place?

 

[Jadnashua]

Try to see if it leaks when nobody is in the shower...you already know it leaks when someone is. If it doesn't leak when there's no weight in the shower, then you can try to find a way to stop it. It could be a joint is opening up slightly, it could be a bad seal between the walls and the pan or the pan to the drain, it could be a crack somewhere, IOW, it could be a lot of things, and the solution may differ depending. Until you know where and what is causing the leak, it's shooting in the dark. Can't diagnose this from afar.

 

[paulmars]

pic attached with grate removed.

 

[paulmars]

Missing rubber gasket? But it looks like the pipe is below the lower edge of the keyed drain assembly. What about using underwater rated caulking? Any other options that don't require removal of shower pan?

Everything there is 10 years old

 

[Reach4]

Missing rubber gasket?

Are you saying that the black in your photo is a gap and not a rubber seal?

If so, the things you suggest make sense. Is the gap even around? If so, how about shoving an carefully chosen o-ring in there?

Not sure what other thing could be good. Check these:
3M 05220 Marine Adhesive Sealant Fast Cure 5200, green package theme
3M T Marine Adhesive Sealant 5200 (week or so for complete cure) blue package theme TOO Slow.

 

[Jadnashua]

IF the floor of the pan deflects when you're standing in there, it's hard to maintain a seal in the drain assembly.