Leaking shower cubicle - found the cause (possible cowboy co

[NikNak]

The worst affected area 'seems' to be to the right of the cubicle.... can you get the tile off on the right hand side that abuts the door frame too.?

Plus (not wanting to scare you at xmas...) if the waters traveled 'up' the wall, then it WILL have traveled down too... just sayin'

 

[porker]

That looks like a plastered wall rather than plasterboard which is what I would expect on a brick wall. As NikNak states it looks like the left hand side is fairly dry but I would probably want to take the tile on the next row above off to see how far the damp has got.
What a lot of people don't realise is that grout is often porous and with an unsuitable backing, will in time get damp and blow the tiles off.
I would also expect the water to have tracked below the tray as well but I guess access will be difficult but depends which room is below this.

 

[Estoril-5]

The garage is underneath and has plastered unpainted ceiling, no sign of water damage but then again it is hard to see on an unpainted ceiling .

I think the tray may have dropped in the corner where the gap is the largest. Now getting a bit worried what state the joists must be in [DISAPPOINTED BUT RELIEVED FACE]

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[porker]

I have seen joist damage before once and it had clearly been leaking for years but even then it wasn't a difficult fix. If it were me I would probably cut out a section in the ceiling to take a look if it is in the garage. Would probably be quite easy to make an 'inspection hatch' to tidy up and maybe access the waste fitting if you ever needed to.

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[woodpig]

We had a leak like that in our shower. It needed new joists and a new floor. Shower units are a great source of work for builders once the damage has been found.

 

[Lons]

We had a leak like that in our shower. It needed new joists and a new floor. Shower units are a great source of work for builders once the damage has been found.

I'd agree with that having been a builder before retirement however not a job I relished at all as invariably smelly, messy and damned awkward to get at most of the time.
Plastic baths and shower trays are a major cause as they are too flexible and often tiled and siliconed with the bath empty and therefore unloaded.

In one case in a bathroom that had been left far too long, the owners were very lucky that the bath complete with water and occupant hadn't come through the ceiling. :roll: They were pretty shocked as it was above a corner where their toddlers play pen was located.

Bob

 

[Estoril-5]

Definitely plasterboard ontop of brick wall, finished off with a skim.

So do I cutout the bad section of plaster board and replace with cement board?

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[woodpig]

I used Aquapanel on the last bathroom refit I did. Dead easy to use.

 

[Estoril-5]

I used Aquapanel on the last bathroom refit I did. Dead easy to use.

How did you fix the aqua panel to the wall?

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[Estoril-5]

Here's where we are at the moment

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[woodpig]

I used Aquapanel on the last bathroom refit I did. Dead easy to use.

How did you fix the aqua panel to the wall?

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In my particular case it was screwed to battens but check out the Knauf site for fixing solutions.

http://www.aquapanel.com/solutions/knau ... AgwC8P8HAQ

 

[RogerS]

Mmmm..wonder if Aquapanel is the same stuff that I got suckered into buying having believed the hype of "score'n'snap". More like ''score'n'strain" "rescore'n'strain" "rescore'n'ohs*** it's snapped again in the wrong place". Never has my angle grinder been put to better use.

 

[davem62]

Aqua panel is just cement based board and cut with an old saw

 

[RogerS]

Aqua panel is just cement based board and cut with an old saw

But their marketing hype boasts about 'simply scoring it with a Stanley knife and snapping it' !

 

[Lons]

Aqua panel is just cement based board and cut with an old saw

But their marketing hype boasts about 'simply scoring it with a Stanley knife and snapping it' !

Yebbut, as said Roger, it's easier with an old panel saw.

Best way of fixing to the brickwork as you need to bring to similar level as the remaining plasterboard is to use wall board adhesive, it stiks like the proberbial to a blanket just put plenty of dabs on the wall and press / knock into place.
I don't know if it's recommended by the manufacturers but take it from me, it works.

Bob

 

[davem62]

Hi Bob
I read somewhere not to use board adhesive after i had already used it ,but as you say it sticks like xxxx ,and I've never had any problems with fixing that way
David

 

[Jake]

Wedi and the like (foam cored, waterproofed cement/mesh faced) are much better than Aquapanel as they are actually waterproof. Aquapanel is water resistant so it won't fall apart as it lets the water through, but it is not of itself a water barrier - you would have to tank it afterwards.

 

[Lons]

Hi Bob
I read somewhere not to use board adhesive after i had already used it ,but as you say it sticks like xxxx ,and I've never had any problems with fixing that way
David

I've fitted loads over the years David and likewise never had a callback so I'm happy with the method. As a sole trader before I retired, my reputation was everything so I was very careful and whenever possible used tile backing boards. Where only plasterboard was in place I always put a couple of coats of pva on the walls just for extra protection and when installing new plasterboard on to brick or block walls always dot and dabbed with wallboard adhesive though I probably was more liberal with the adhesive than most.

Wedi and the like (foam cored, waterproofed cement/mesh faced) are much better than Aquapanel as they are actually waterproof. Aquapanel is water resistant so it won't fall apart as it lets the water through, but it is not of itself a water barrier - you would have to tank it afterwards.

As he's tiling over it doesn't matter though i would still pva it personally

Bob

 

[Estoril-5]

I had an opening in the garage ceiling because I needed to replace the shower tray trap.

I took a quick video but can't upload due to the size but I've taken some screenshots (ignore the play button in the middle of the pictures)

You can see water marks in the two joists you can, can't access the others without making more holes in the ceiling.

I think the joists are ok as they don't look rotten, might just need airing out.

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[porker]

Looks from the pictures that there is no rot so it should just dry out and looks fine as far as I can see. As Lons says, using board adhesive should be OK to fix the paneling. I have used it in the past with no problems. Not sure about PVA myself, there are definitely different views on this. Personally I wouldn't use it unless I was sure it was thin enough to get into the substrate. If it forms a skin it can cause whatever is on top of it to peel away. (I use PVA mostly for re skimming artex ceilings and the bond is really strong). The manufacturers of Aquapanel state that there should be an air gap behind their board as they can permeate water but you should be OK. I have never used one but there are tanking kits available that would be a belt and braces approach. Any shower I have installed over the last 10 years has not had water being blasted onto a tiled surface so I have not bothered but I think for an en-suite I am doing which gets used heavily I will probably fit a tanking kit.

Jake makes a good point about a waterproof panel. I will look into that. It would seen a waterproof solution would be better. I cut Aquapanel with an old handsaw. The teeth get blunted so don't use your decent sharp one.