Ceiling Leak from Shower
There are two apartments in my building almost identical (same bathroom layout). A few months ago a leak started from the ceiling of the lower bathroom. It is from the ceiling directly over the sink. It seemed to coincide with the tenant in the upper bathroom taking a shower. We discovered that some tiles were…
There are two apartments in my building almost identical (same bathroom layout). A few months ago a leak started from the ceiling of the lower bathroom. It is from the ceiling directly over the sink. It seemed to coincide with the tenant in the upper bathroom taking a shower.
We discovered that some tiles were loose in that shower wall, and replaced all of them. That was a couple of months ago and I thought the problen was solved. But it has now recurred. (It may have been happening but unnoticed when the lower tenant wasn’t home). It is worse than ever and it does occur when the upper tenant is taking a shower. I do not believe the problem is the tiles.
What are the possible causes?
Correct. I understand now, you have a tub with a shower.
Yes, you are correct.
To determine if it’s the tiles or not, if I run the shower and direct the water into the tub (no water on walls), and it leaks then it must not be the tiles, correct? It would be a leaky pipe in the wall or ceiling (of the lower bathroom).
On the other hand if it doesn’t leak then it must be the tiles (grout, caulk). Am I right?
Starfish, could you please explain if water is coming from a tub or shower stall?
A leak from a tub or stall only when the shower is in use could be from a valve or between the shower body and the shower head, but it could also be drainage. A trap installed in the 1920’s or 30’s is likely to have a hole in the bottom by now.
As for shower pans, water seeps through porous grout lines and gets in to pans as part of normal “secondary drainage,” it is supposed to exit through “weep holes” back in to the bottom of the drain, about 2-3 inches below the grate. Eventually, weep holes become rusty or blocked with crud. The mortar filling the pan, on which the tile is bonded is also porous and becomes permanently water-logged. Unlike leaks from pressurized water supply pipes, pan leaks tend to be slow but continuous seeps. Water can wick up and out of a pan, which has stopped draining properly and is instead holding water like a reservoir. Any spongy material in contact with a saturated pan can act as a wick: wood, plaster or sheet rock, from which water evaporates, later condenses and drips, but not just when the shower is on.
I don’t believe most commonly recommended ways to fix shower stalls are worth the trouble or money: Pan repair or replacement, scraping out loose grout, resetting loose or bulging tiles, re-grouting, liquid grout sealers, epoxy grout and urethane grout. Most of these methods require a lot of work and often yield very little, or only short term benefit. Hard work, and possibly also dangerous to inhale fumes, especially where concentrated in unventilated shower stalls. Most pans are made of lead. Over the years they leach in to the mortar, grout and tile built inside them. Scraping produces air born lead dust. Then, there is the mold.
I build new tiled shower stalls, tub enclosures and bathrooms using a waterproof membrane system. All the water goes down the drain directly. It is a simple and safe alternative for those who are not ready to spend more money on shower stalls, which continue to leak, even after they were repaired.
Feel free to contact me directly. Aaron@leakyshowerstall.com
Could be the shower pan is leaking. The moisture could cause your tiles to fall off. Should cost $800 to $1200 to replace the shower pan and retile the bottom of the shower up to about two or three feet off the ground. If you need an exact match for vintage tile, contact Restoration Tile in Arkansas.
It’s probably the shower head, or the pipe coming up from the shower head.
it’s pretty simple to test. Turn the bathtub faucet on. let it run and check if it leaks downstairs. If not engage the shower and see if it leaks.
If you are lucky, it’s spraying back into the wall where the showerhead is attached. If not its further down the pipe and you’ll have to pull out some tiles and re solder it.
While the shower is running take a flashlite or feel with your finger if water is coming out by the showerhead attachment.
If so it may be split from over tightening. If it’s not split, remove it and wrap it with teflon tape and tighten in on by hand as tight as you can. Then use your plyers to tighten it another quarter turn.
DO NOT over tighten it
Could be tiles need grouting. Could also be the caulk line btw tub and wall needs redoing. If not those, could be a leaking shower body.