Tub/shower leak..I have checked everything

[SWEET GT]

My house is aprox 54 years old. Since I have had the house, (about 3 years) there has been a small leak coming from the shower/tub into the basement. The drain is not the source. Last August I replaced the packings and stems, etc in the pitchfork assembly. The leak is still occuring so I checked the packings,stems tonight and all is fine. I have an access panel behind the tub and it seems all connections are dry. I know where the leak is coming from..but not the sourece.

The water is coming from behind the caulking where the tile meets the tub. that horizontal surface, (under the handles/faucet)..it will run along the edige up to the front vertical surface of the tub (behind the caulking still) and find its way through the floor into the basement. I noticed this when I pullled the cauliking in one spot, and took a flashlight and looked in the 1/4 inch gap between the tub/tile and saw water dripping/seeping. I looked in the access panel and the part where the tub meets the tile backing (concrete type matieral in mesh) its wet right at that portion and the water will run along under the lip of the tub.

Tonight, I chipped away the tile around the hot, cold, and diverter valve..and removed the faucet and chipped tile away around the facuet pipe. All are dry I even removed some of the plaster around the shower head, and the 90 degree elbow is fine..all dry...I am stumped as to where this water is coming from.

Could the water be coming from the grout needing to be sealed or bad caulking along the edges/walls of the tub/shower? I know water can run in wierd paths..but I am stumped as to where this leak is coming from. I feel I have tried everything short of ripping out the entire wall..and in all honesty I dont think that is a smart idea, since it is dry around all the plumbing fittings.

Thanks in advance for the replies..I really could use some help

 

[Mikey]

If you're sure the plumbing is not the cause, all that's left is the wall itself. What condition is the tile in?

Try duct-taping a plastic sheet over the wall to shield the tiled wall from water while you're using the shower. After a few days of this, if the leak goes away you've narrowed it down to the area covered by the plastic. Then slowly reduce the area covered until the leak returns, and Viola! you've just uncovered the leaky area.

Or, the direct-action approach: using a small hose or garden sprayer, run water up against the tiled wall, moving slowly around and upward while looking for the leak to start.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[hj]

leak

usually if you can pull the grout up, it is not sealed properly and water can get past it.

 

[Plumber1]

leak

You didn't say, but are you taking only showers in this bath tub?

If so,,,, try using this tub for baths only to see if the leak downstairs stops.

I would think that if you looked real good with a light that you would be able to see where water has been or is even damp right now.