need help detecting the source of a bathroom ceiling leak

This morning, quite a bit of water came down through a tenant’s bathroom ceiling. It seemed to coincide with the upstairs tenant, whose bathroom is directly above, taking a shower. There was no water on the upstairs bathroom floor.This means to me that there are two possibilities: either the bathtub drain pipe is leaking or the shower water is going through the tiled wall. So I had them do a test. First, the bathtub faucet ran for 10 minutes. No leak. Then the shower was pointed at one of the walls for 10 minutes. No leak. Then the shower was pointed at the other wall for 10 minutes. No leak. There was a leak in the same ceiling about a month ago, We did the test, and water leaked when the shower was pointed at one of the walls. I had it regouted, tested it again and the problem was solved. Now it’s happened again but I can’t recreate the leak to determine its source. This is puzzling. Any ideas?

starfish11040

in Plumbers and Plumbing 13 years and 6 months ago

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starfish11040 | 13 years and 6 months ago

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Thank you for the suggestions of all these possibilities. I think I’ll go for that idea of covering all the walls with plastic. If that stops the leak then I can eliminate all the other possible sources and concentrate on sealing the tiles.

JoeBushwick | 13 years and 6 months ago

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I recently had a similar problem where the leak was coming from the joint between the pipe that goes into the showerhead and the vertical pipe in the wall.  The water only showed up in the ceiling of the apartment below after the shower was running quite a while.  I only figured this out after caulking every inch of the tub and opening up the wall the see if there was a leak in the valves or the diverter.

Bond | 13 years and 6 months ago

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Just to clarify, you say “a tenant”.  I’m assuming there is only one tenant above you?  I’ve seen cases in apartment buildings where the leak would originate several floors up, but not appear until it had flowed along a wall for a floor or two.  Following up on what MP said, water will bounce off a person and hit the wall at almost a 90 degree angle, which you really can’t get with a shower, unless it’s a handheld unit.  When you caulk around a tub or shower, I was taught you really should fill the tub first so that it gets pulled down, then after you’ve caulked and the caulk has set, you let out the water and it will compact, and you’ll get a good seal, although as Tinkerswagon pointed out, you really shouldn’t get a leak there due to the lip of the tub. If you really get stumped, I’d tape plastic sheeting over the three shower walls, (just tape the tops, and check periodically to make sure you’re not getting water behind the plastic, or you’ll get mold in a hurry) make sure the overlap is positioned so that water won’t penetrate and see if the problem persists.  If you still get leaks, it’s probably a drain/plumbing issue. If that solves the leak, it’s probably a grout/caulk issue.

greenmountain | 13 years and 6 months ago

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Regrouting is not waterproofing.  Grout is porous.  Typically, substrate is porous.  When water sucks, seeps or drains though grout lines, it may soak in to unsaturated material and slowly evaporate in wall cavities.  It may saturate already damp material and drip down on a ceiling below.  It may condense at a later time.  It may mix with other liquid or vapor from other types of penetrations.  Many failures of grout are from water inside walls applying force on the backs of tiles.

ejalbk | 13 years and 6 months ago

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MP is correct. Sometimes the water bounces back toward the showerbody and the water may be getting through unfilled holes around the showerbody or caulk where the tile meets the tub. Also, make sure they don’t take baths as it may involve the overflow if they do.

Master Plvmber | 13 years and 6 months ago

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We’ve had some leaks where they only showed up when someone actually took a shower. Sometimes putting weight in the tub will spread open a seam or shift a drain pipe or something. Also, the way water bounces off a person can sometimes get into an opening more effectively than a straight-down shower.

Hardcharger | 13 years and 6 months ago

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I had the same mystery leak years ago.  It was coming through the floor.  Upstairs guy wouldn’t admit it, but agreed to recaulk the tub and be more careful with his shower curtain.   Problem solving isn’t easy when you can’t control the truth.  Hasn’t happened since.