Shower Leak to basement...

[justinmadalone]

I had a new tile shower, mud pan and all installed last March. Yesterday, I was in my basement and noticed water pooling on the floor directly underneath the shower. I inspected the tile and found some pretty aggregious cracks in the grout that I can't believe i hadn't noticed before. It's clear that water has been leaking into those cracks and is causing the leak in the basement. What I don't know is what to do from here. My contractor and his tile guy said they would come to "reseal" it, but I'm worried that they are just going to try to patch it up and trap any moisture left in there... Any recommendations on how to assess the moisture concern an remedy that piece before approaching the cracked grout would be a hug help!

Here's a few pictures. I should also note that the tile grout right outside the shower is constantly wet(sign of trapped moisture...). Oh and now there's white gunk seeping out of the grout in the shower

 

[Kreemoweet]

Your shower curb is failing structurally, probably due to bad construction and/or incorrect shower pan waterproofing.
Tile grout and caulk is for appearance only, and a properly built shower does not need it to remain watertight.

It's conceivable, but unlikely, that the badness you show could be caused by extreme splashing outside the shower curb.
Proof positive could be had by plugging the shower drain and filling the receptor almost to the brim with water.
It's very unlikely the problem will be solved by any type of "resealing". What you probably need is a "rebuilding".
You might want to start looking for another, more competent, contractor to investigate and remedy your problem.
That could very well entail demolishing and rebuilding the shower pan.

Yours is an all-too-common tale.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Jadnashua]

Your thoughts are the common perception of a shower - the tile makes it waterproof. That is patently WRONG! A shower should be water tight PRIOR to any tile installation. The tile is the decorative, wear surface, not waterproofing. Do not listen to anyone saying that fixing the crack will solve your problem. It might patch it or slow it down, but you have an inherent, functional build problem in the shower, and a long-term fix isn't adding grout or sealant.

Check out www.johnbridge.com and you'll find literally thousands of posts similar to yours, some real professionals that build showers on a daily basis, and some good advice based in accepted industry standards.

 

[Joe joe]

If the basement has drywall.. First thing I would do is cut a hole in the cieling directly under the shower and inspect..

 

[A.P. Tile guy]

Yes.Probably need to rebuild shower pan.But i would inspect from underneath first.you may be able to isolate the problem and then tear-out deck tiles .let it dry then try a membrane over that , leak test it ,then go from there.People don't realize how crucial water-proofing is..I always recommend a hot mop then water test.Then i float and set my showers.I 'm old school ,i guess.But,it's been working for the last 120 years.I have seen jobs from 1901 second story in California..still good.no problems (except the pink and blue ceramic tiles are no longer in style) just wait another 50 years,it all comes around!lol.

 

[Atomic1]

As most everyone else said, this is a defect in the required waterproofing. IMHO, this is a tear out of at least the curb, but who knows what more. If the leak has gotten beneath the pan liner, it's done for. Get a competent contractor in there now before it causes structural damage to the floor.

 

[Jadnashua]

FWIW, in most places, a shower pan leak test is a requirement of the plumbing code. Hassle is, many places allow the pan to be flat on the floor (which technically fails the plumbing code requirements for slope of a drainage system). Then, after the flood test, some hack nails cement board on the curb and down low on the walls and curb to hold in the cement board, totally ruining the waterproofing layer! Building a proper shower isn't rocket science, but it is very detail oriented. Follow an approved method, and it will work. Mess up one step, and it is highly likely to fail.