[Higgs Boson[_2_]]

Here's a link to several pix of a nasty situation in my (only)
bathroom.




I am scared to death that there is a leak somewhere in the wall which
is showing up at the base.

Background: Some years ago the latch on the shower went bad, and
water leaked out in this area. So I replaced the latch. Shower is
used by another person, so I just now checked to make sure it closed
tight, and it does, and OP is aware of this. I got in the shower,
turned on the water, but did not see any leakage through shower door.

Any idea what could be causing this, and what I need to do?

TIA

HB

[jamesgangnc[_3_]]

On Jun 17, 12:19*pm, Higgs Boson wrote:
Here's a link to several pix of a nasty situation in my (only)
bathroom.



I am scared to death that there is a leak somewhere in the wall which
is showing up at the base.

Background: *Some years ago the latch on the shower went bad, and
water leaked out in this area. *So I replaced the latch. *Shower is
used by another person, so I just now checked to make sure it closed
tight, and it does, and OP is aware of this. I got in the shower,
turned on the water, but did not see any leakage through shower door.

Any idea what could be causing this, and what I need to do?

TIA

HB

That's not really enough to go on. Wallboard near the outside of
showers often gets water soaked. Remove the wallboard. Look at the
lumber behind it for signs of water staining. Leave the wallboard off
for a while so you can check the inside of the wall after the shower
is used.

[RogerT]

jamesgangnc wrote:
On Jun 17, 12:19 pm, Higgs Boson wrote:
Here's a link to several pix of a nasty situation in my (only)
bathroom.



I am scared to death that there is a leak somewhere in the wall which
is showing up at the base.

Background: Some years ago the latch on the shower went bad, and
water leaked out in this area. So I replaced the latch. Shower is
used by another person, so I just now checked to make sure it closed
tight, and it does, and OP is aware of this. I got in the shower,
turned on the water, but did not see any leakage through shower door.

Any idea what could be causing this, and what I need to do?

TIA

HB

That's not really enough to go on. Wallboard near the outside of
showers often gets water soaked. Remove the wallboard. Look at the
lumber behind it for signs of water staining. Leave the wallboard off
for a while so you can check the inside of the wall after the shower
is used.

I think that is a very good idea -- first, just remove the wallboard and
leave it open and see what is going on behind the wallboard. Replacing the
wallboard will be easy.

I couldn't really tell from the picture where the shower is, but I guess
others could. The OP's message says the link is to several pictures but I
only see one picture.

[willshak]

jamesgangnc wrote the following:
On Jun 17, 12:19 pm, Higgs Boson wrote:

Here's a link to several pix of a nasty situation in my (only)
bathroom.



I am scared to death that there is a leak somewhere in the wall which
is showing up at the base.

Background: Some years ago the latch on the shower went bad, and
water leaked out in this area. So I replaced the latch. Shower is
used by another person, so I just now checked to make sure it closed
tight, and it does, and OP is aware of this. I got in the shower,
turned on the water, but did not see any leakage through shower door.

Any idea what could be causing this, and what I need to do?

TIA

HB


That's not really enough to go on. Wallboard near the outside of
showers often gets water soaked. Remove the wallboard. Look at the
lumber behind it for signs of water staining. Leave the wallboard off
for a while so you can check the inside of the wall after the shower
is used.


That appears to be a lath and plaster wall with the 'brown coat' showing.
As for the cause, I would suspect a leak in the plumbing behind the
wall, perhaps above the valve, which may only leak when the valve is
turned on.

--

Bill
In Hamptonburgh, NY
In the original Orange County. Est. 1683
To email, remove the double zeroes after @

[DerbyDad03]

On Jun 17, 12:19*pm, Higgs Boson wrote:
Here's a link to several pix of a nasty situation in my (only)
bathroom.



I am scared to death that there is a leak somewhere in the wall which
is showing up at the base.

Background: *Some years ago the latch on the shower went bad, and
water leaked out in this area. *So I replaced the latch. *Shower is
used by another person, so I just now checked to make sure it closed
tight, and it does, and OP is aware of this. I got in the shower,
turned on the water, but did not see any leakage through shower door.

Any idea what could be causing this, and what I need to do?

TIA

HB

I can't see the pictures (tinypic is blocked at work).

Is it a tile shower or a fiberglass unit?

I've seen grout go bad and allow water to leak behind the wall in
between the tiles. The grout *looks* OK on the surface, but the water
can go right through it. DAMHIKT

And of course, any spot where the caulking has deteriorated will also
allow water to leak through, often unseen by the user until everything
behind the wall gets saturated and the water begins to find its way to
a visible location.

[Higgs Boson[_2_]]

On Jun 17, 9:51*am, "RogerT" wrote:
jamesgangnc wrote:
On Jun 17, 12:19 pm, Higgs Boson wrote:
Here's a link to several pix of a nasty situation in my (only)
bathroom.



I am scared to death that there is a leak somewhere in the wall which
is showing up at the base.

Background: Some years ago the latch on the shower went bad, and
water leaked out in this area. So I replaced the latch. Shower is
used by another person, so I just now checked to make sure it closed
tight, and it does, and OP is aware of this. I got in the shower,
turned on the water, but did not see any leakage through shower door.

Any idea what could be causing this, and what I need to do?

TIA

HB

That's not really enough to go on. *Wallboard near the outside of
showers often gets water soaked. *Remove the wallboard. *Look at the
lumber behind it for signs of water staining. *Leave the wallboard off
for a while so you can check the inside of the wall after the shower
is used.

I think that is a very good idea -- first, just remove the wallboard and
leave it open and see what is going on behind the wallboard. *Replacing the
wallboard will be easy.

I couldn't really tell from the picture where the shower is, but I guess
others could. *The OP's message says the link is to several pictures but I
only see one picture.

I had trouble downloading them all at once. I guess that can't be
done. Here is one mo



HB

[Higgs Boson[_2_]]

On Jun 17, 9:52*am, willshak wrote:
jamesgangnc wrote the following:









On Jun 17, 12:19 pm, Higgs Boson wrote:

Here's a link to several pix of a nasty situation in my (only)
bathroom.



I am scared to death that there is a leak somewhere in the wall which
is showing up at the base.

Background: *Some years ago the latch on the shower went bad, and
water leaked out in this area. *So I replaced the latch. *Shower is
used by another person, so I just now checked to make sure it closed
tight, and it does, and OP is aware of this. I got in the shower,
turned on the water, but did not see any leakage through shower door.

Any idea what could be causing this, and what I need to do?

TIA

HB

That's not really enough to go on. *Wallboard near the outside of
showers often gets water soaked. *Remove the wallboard. *Look at the
lumber behind it for signs of water staining. *Leave the wallboard off
for a while so you can check the inside of the wall after the shower
is used.

That appears to be a lath and plaster wall with the 'brown coat' showing.
As for the cause, I would suspect a leak in the plumbing behind the
wall, perhaps above the valve, which may only leak when the valve is
turned on.

Correct. It is a lathe and plaster wall. So I can't "remove the wallboard" as some suggested.

Your reading bears out my worst fears.

Do I have to get a construction person to open up the wall?

Also: This shower backs up to another shower in the tub, which is
partly visible in one of the pix.

How to tell which shower is leaking inside the wall?

Why is it showing up only at the base? Note there is some bare
plaster above the area, where I never got around to re-papering. So
why isn't that water-stained too?

Is this going to be an expensive job?

What will happen if I don't do anything? (I'm afraid I know, but need
your input)

(I really needed this! Up to my *** in other expenses!)

HB

[Higgs Boson[_2_]]

On Jun 17, 10:01*am, DerbyDad03 wrote:
On Jun 17, 12:19*pm, Higgs Boson wrote:









Here's a link to several pix of a nasty situation in my (only)
bathroom.



I am scared to death that there is a leak somewhere in the wall which
is showing up at the base.

Background: *Some years ago the latch on the shower went bad, and
water leaked out in this area. *So I replaced the latch. *Shower is
used by another person, so I just now checked to make sure it closed
tight, and it does, and OP is aware of this. I got in the shower,
turned on the water, but did not see any leakage through shower door.

Any idea what could be causing this, and what I need to do?

TIA

HB

I can't see the pictures (tinypic is blocked at work).

Is it a tile shower or a fiberglass unit?


Tile shower.

I've seen grout go bad and allow water to leak behind the wall in
between the tiles. The grout *looks* OK on the surface, but the water
can go right through it. DAMHIKT

Shower is in good shape generally, but I'll get a ladder and check
grout more closely.

And of course, any spot where the caulking has deteriorated will also
allow water to leak through, often unseen by the user until everything
behind the wall gets saturated and the water begins to find its way to
a visible location.

See my just previous reply for more detail on the shower, the other
shower backing up to it, and more background.

What may be significant here (as mentioned in my first post) is that
there was minor "leakage " years ago, due -- I assumed -- to door
latch not closing properly, which I repaired. Now this major leakage
is appearing in the same spot. Why now?

HB

[Higgs Boson[_2_]]

On Jun 17, 10:31*am, Higgs Boson wrote:
On Jun 17, 10:01*am, DerbyDad03 wrote:









On Jun 17, 12:19*pm, Higgs Boson wrote:

Here's a link to several pix of a nasty situation in my (only)
bathroom.



I am scared to death that there is a leak somewhere in the wall which
is showing up at the base.

Background: *Some years ago the latch on the shower went bad, and
water leaked out in this area. *So I replaced the latch. *Shower is
used by another person, so I just now checked to make sure it closed
tight, and it does, and OP is aware of this. I got in the shower,
turned on the water, but did not see any leakage through shower door.

Any idea what could be causing this, and what I need to do?

TIA

HB

I can't see the pictures (tinypic is blocked at work).

Is it a tile shower or a fiberglass unit?

Tile shower.

I've seen grout go bad and allow water to leak behind the wall in
between the tiles. The grout *looks* OK on the surface, but the water
can go right through it. DAMHIKT

Shower is in good shape generally, but I'll get a ladder and check
grout more closely.



And of course, any spot where the caulking has deteriorated will also
allow water to leak through, often unseen by the user until everything
behind the wall gets saturated and the water begins to find its way to
a visible location.

See my just previous reply for more detail on the shower, the other
shower backing up to it, and more background.

What may be significant here (as mentioned in my first post) is that
there was minor "leakage " years ago, due -- I assumed -- to door
latch not closing properly, which I repaired. *Now this major leakage
is appearing in the same spot. *Why now?

HB

Here is a better view:



HB

[DerbyDad03]

On Jun 17, 1:25*pm, Higgs Boson wrote:
On Jun 17, 9:52*am, willshak wrote:





jamesgangnc wrote the following:

On Jun 17, 12:19 pm, Higgs Boson wrote:

Here's a link to several pix of a nasty situation in my (only)
bathroom.



I am scared to death that there is a leak somewhere in the wall which
is showing up at the base.

Background: *Some years ago the latch on the shower went bad, and
water leaked out in this area. *So I replaced the latch. *Shower is
used by another person, so I just now checked to make sure it closed
tight, and it does, and OP is aware of this. I got in the shower,
turned on the water, but did not see any leakage through shower door..

Any idea what could be causing this, and what I need to do?

TIA

HB

That's not really enough to go on. *Wallboard near the outside of
showers often gets water soaked. *Remove the wallboard. *Look at the
lumber behind it for signs of water staining. *Leave the wallboard off
for a while so you can check the inside of the wall after the shower
is used.

That appears to be a lath and plaster wall with the 'brown coat' showing.
As for the cause, I would suspect a leak in the plumbing behind the
wall, perhaps above the valve, which may only leak when the valve is
turned on.

Correct. *It is a lathe and plaster wall. *So I can't "remove the wallboard" as some suggested.

Your reading bears out my worst fears.

Do I have to get a construction person to open up the wall?

Also: *This shower backs up to another shower in the tub, which is
partly visible in one of the pix.

How to tell which shower is leaking inside the wall?

Why is it showing up only at the base? *Note there is some bare
plaster above the area, where I never got around to re-papering. So
why isn't that water-stained too?

Is this going to be an expensive job?

What will happen if I don't do anything? *(I'm afraid I know, but need
your input)

(I really needed this! *Up to my *** in other expenses!)

HB- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

"Do I have to get a construction person to open up the wall?"

Opening the wall is easy...it's closing it back up that becomes the
issue. ;-)

If done properly (e.g. cutting the wallboard so that the cuts are
centered on the studs) then it's a simple matter to cut a patch from
some new wallboard, attached it to the studs, tape, mud, paint. QED

Are you sure that there isn't an access panel in a closet someplace so
you can get to the plumbing? Did they really seal both showers up?

"What will happen if I don't do anything? (I'm afraid I know, but
need your input) "

You already know:

Possible mold issues
Possible rotten wood
Possible collapse of ceiling below

Maybe even this:

http://tinyurl.com/MyLeak

[JayR]

"willshak" wrote in message
...
jamesgangnc wrote the following:
On Jun 17, 12:19 pm, Higgs Boson wrote:

Here's a link to several pix of a nasty situation in my (only)
bathroom.



I am scared to death that there is a leak somewhere in the wall which
is showing up at the base.

Background: Some years ago the latch on the shower went bad, and
water leaked out in this area. So I replaced the latch. Shower is
used by another person, so I just now checked to make sure it closed
tight, and it does, and OP is aware of this. I got in the shower,
turned on the water, but did not see any leakage through shower door.

Any idea what could be causing this, and what I need to do?

TIA

HB


That's not really enough to go on. Wallboard near the outside of
showers often gets water soaked. Remove the wallboard. Look at the
lumber behind it for signs of water staining. Leave the wallboard off
for a while so you can check the inside of the wall after the shower
is used.


That appears to be a lath and plaster wall with the 'brown coat' showing.
As for the cause, I would suspect a leak in the plumbing behind the wall,
perhaps above the valve, which may only leak when the valve is turned on.

--

Bill
In Hamptonburgh, NY
In the original Orange County. Est. 1683
To email, remove the double zeroes after @


It does look like it could be lath and plaster, but the green parts that
show on the first picture make me wonder if it isn't greenboard underneath
and then maybe a later patch job over the greenboard (from earlier leak
damage).

Either way, the key is to carefully open up that part of the wall and see
what is going on underneath. You could start by carefully taking off the
piece of wood trim at the bottom by prying it off. Then start to carefully
take off the bottom part of the wall and work your way up. You won't know
how big of a problem you have until you can see where the water is coming
from.

[RogerT[_3_]]

"Higgs Boson" wrote in message
...
On Jun 17, 10:31 am, Higgs Boson wrote:
Here is a better view:



HB


++++++++++++++

Well, gee, that is a MUCH better view! I had no idea where the shower and
tub were from the first views.

The water damage on the wall may just be water that gets on the wall from
people using the tub -- especially if the tub has a shower.

What is under the floor where the tub and shower are located (the floor
below)? Is there any ceiling damage on the floor below under where the tub
and shower are located?

[Stormin Mormon]

I found the URL to be useless, with the extra text stuck on.
I'll add a couple spaces.

--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..


"RogerT" wrote in message
...
jamesgangnc wrote:
[IMG] http://i56.tinypic.com/2hrod3q.jpg [/IMG]

I think that is a very good idea -- first, just remove the
wallboard and
leave it open and see what is going on behind the wallboard.
Replacing the
wallboard will be easy.

I couldn't really tell from the picture where the shower is,
but I guess
others could. The OP's message says the link is to several
pictures but I
only see one picture.

[Stormin Mormon]

And, here are a couple spaces, no charge. So that your URL
will be clickable. Next time, you can add the spaces
yourself.

--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..


"Higgs Boson" wrote in message
...

[IMG] http://i56.tinypic.com/2hrod3q.jpg [/IMG]


I had trouble downloading them all at once. I guess that
can't be
done. Here is one mo

[IMG] http://i55.tinypic.com/2mwxzbp.jpg [/IMG]

HB

[willshak]

Higgs Boson wrote the following:
On Jun 17, 9:52 am, willshak wrote:

jamesgangnc wrote the following:










On Jun 17, 12:19 pm, Higgs Boson wrote:

Here's a link to several pix of a nasty situation in my (only)
bathroom.



I am scared to death that there is a leak somewhere in the wall which
is showing up at the base.

Background: Some years ago the latch on the shower went bad, and
water leaked out in this area. So I replaced the latch. Shower is
used by another person, so I just now checked to make sure it closed
tight, and it does, and OP is aware of this. I got in the shower,
turned on the water, but did not see any leakage through shower door.

Any idea what could be causing this, and what I need to do?

TIA

HB

That's not really enough to go on. Wallboard near the outside of
showers often gets water soaked. Remove the wallboard. Look at the
lumber behind it for signs of water staining. Leave the wallboard off
for a while so you can check the inside of the wall after the shower
is used.

That appears to be a lath and plaster wall with the 'brown coat' showing.
As for the cause, I would suspect a leak in the plumbing behind the
wall, perhaps above the valve, which may only leak when the valve is
turned on.

Correct. It is a lathe and plaster wall. So I can't "remove the wallboard" as some suggested.


Your reading bears out my worst fears.

Do I have to get a construction person to open up the wall?

Opening up the wall is the easy part. You can open up the wall yourself,
but you may need a plumber to fix the leak and possibly a contractor to
replace the wall, unless the plumber does that too. You'll have to check
with the plumber to see if he does all three stages.
The replacement wall will probably not be lath and plaster, but green
board, a wet area sheetrock..
Also: This shower backs up to another shower in the tub, which is
partly visible in one of the pix.

How to tell which shower is leaking inside the wall?

Does the water leak out from under the the wall onto the floor tile in
that area?
If so, you may try running one shower and look for water there. Then do
the same with the other shower.
It probably does not matter since the plumbing for both is in the same
wall cavity.
Why is it showing up only at the base? Note there is some bare
plaster above the area, where I never got around to re-papering. So
why isn't that water-stained too?


It may be running down the inside of the wall, or down the pipe until it
gets to the floor and then puddles and wicks up, or the source of the
leak may be down in that area.
Is this going to be an expensive job?

You'll have to get some estimates from local contractors. The cost may
depend upon the local economy.
What will happen if I don't do anything? (I'm afraid I know, but need
your input)

The water probably has been doing some damage to the floor under around
the showers for as long as that leak was occurring. Can you get below
that floor to check for damage? Another room, basement, crawl space?

(I really needed this! Up to my *** in other expenses!)

HB



--

Bill
In Hamptonburgh, NY
In the original Orange County. Est. 1683
To email, remove the double zeroes after @

[Nuzzy]

"Higgs Boson" wrote in message
...

Any idea what could be causing this, and what I need to do?

Blame Obama, & you need to vote Republican.

[Higgs Boson[_2_]]

On Jun 17, 10:51*am, DerbyDad03 wrote:
On Jun 17, 1:25*pm, Higgs Boson wrote:









On Jun 17, 9:52*am, willshak wrote:

jamesgangnc wrote the following:

On Jun 17, 12:19 pm, Higgs Boson wrote:

Here's a link to several pix of a nasty situation in my (only)
bathroom.



I am scared to death that there is a leak somewhere in the wall which
is showing up at the base.

Background: *Some years ago the latch on the shower went bad, and
water leaked out in this area. *So I replaced the latch. *Shower is
used by another person, so I just now checked to make sure it closed
tight, and it does, and OP is aware of this. I got in the shower,
turned on the water, but did not see any leakage through shower door.

Any idea what could be causing this, and what I need to do?

TIA

HB

That's not really enough to go on. *Wallboard near the outside of
showers often gets water soaked. *Remove the wallboard. *Look at the
lumber behind it for signs of water staining. *Leave the wallboard off
for a while so you can check the inside of the wall after the shower
is used.

That appears to be a lath and plaster wall with the 'brown coat' showing.
As for the cause, I would suspect a leak in the plumbing behind the
wall, perhaps above the valve, which may only leak when the valve is
turned on.

Correct. *It is a lathe and plaster wall. *So I can't "remove the wallboard" as some suggested.

Your reading bears out my worst fears.

Do I have to get a construction person to open up the wall?

Also: *This shower backs up to another shower in the tub, which is
partly visible in one of the pix.

How to tell which shower is leaking inside the wall?

Why is it showing up only at the base? *Note there is some bare
plaster above the area, where I never got around to re-papering. So
why isn't that water-stained too?

Is this going to be an expensive job?

What will happen if I don't do anything? *(I'm afraid I know, but need
your input)

(I really needed this! *Up to my *** in other expenses!)

HB- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

"Do I have to get a construction person to open up the wall?"

Opening the wall is easy...it's closing it back up that becomes the
issue. *;-)

If done properly (e.g. cutting the wallboard so that the cuts are
centered on the studs) then it's a simple matter to cut a patch from
some new wallboard, attached it to the studs, tape, mud, paint. QED

Hey, thanks for heads-up about cuts centered on studs!

Are you sure that there isn't an access panel in a closet someplace so
you can get to the plumbing? Did they really seal both showers up?

They must have. There's nothing visible but the pipe coming out of
the wall. For my info, what SHOULD they have done?

(This was decades ago, so I wouldn't even have known to ask! I
encountered an analogous situation years ago with electricity in my
office. The ***holes had sealed up the access! The REAL electricians
I hired years later for upgrade pointed that out and left the access
exposed. )

"What will happen if I don't do anything? *(I'm afraid I know, but
need your input) "

You already know:

Possible mold issues
Possible rotten wood
Possible collapse of ceiling below

Maybe even this:

http://tinyurl.com/MyLeak

OMG!!!!

HB

[Higgs Boson[_2_]]

On Jun 17, 10:59*am, "RogerT" wrote:
"Higgs Boson" wrote in message

...
On Jun 17, 10:31 am, Higgs Boson wrote:
Here is a better view:



HB

++++++++++++++

Well, gee, that is a MUCH better view! *I had no idea where the shower and
tub were from the first views.

The water damage on the wall may just be water that gets on the wall from
people using the tub -- especially if the tub has a shower.

Hmmm...will check that out. I kinda doubt it; I'm the one that uses
the shower in the tub, and I always close the curtain; I would be
aware of splashing outside.
Thing is -- damage is in the same location as earlier, much less
severe, damage which I attributed to user improperly closing shower
door latch. Maybe I was wrong then, but there was a long period when
no further damage occurred until just recent alarm.

What is under the floor where the tub and shower are located (the floor
below)? *Is there any ceiling damage on the floor below under where the tub
and shower are located?

There's nothing underneath but the crawl space. This is a one-story
California -- do they still call them bungalows?

(I haven't been down to visit the black widows for years -- since I
drilled holes in the hardwood and ran lines from the hi-fi on E. wall
to the speakers on W. wall.)

HB

[RogerT]

Higgs Boson wrote:
On Jun 17, 10:31 am, Higgs Boson wrote:

Here is a better view:



Just a suggestion....,

When you upload a picture to http://tinypic.com , instead of copying and
pasting the link that is created that says, "IMG Code for Forums & Message
Boards", copy and paste the link that it creates that says, "URL for E-Mail
& IM".

That will produce a clean URL link that does not have "[IMG]" attached to
the front and back of the link.

So, in your case, instead of the link you post looking like this:

,

it would look like this:

http://i55.tinypic.com/2j34is7.jpg .

[DerbyDad03]

On Jun 17, 2:57*pm, Higgs Boson wrote:
On Jun 17, 10:51*am, DerbyDad03 wrote:





On Jun 17, 1:25*pm, Higgs Boson wrote:

On Jun 17, 9:52*am, willshak wrote:

jamesgangnc wrote the following:

On Jun 17, 12:19 pm, Higgs Boson wrote:

Here's a link to several pix of a nasty situation in my (only)
bathroom.



I am scared to death that there is a leak somewhere in the wall which
is showing up at the base.

Background: *Some years ago the latch on the shower went bad, and
water leaked out in this area. *So I replaced the latch. *Shower is
used by another person, so I just now checked to make sure it closed
tight, and it does, and OP is aware of this. I got in the shower,
turned on the water, but did not see any leakage through shower door.

Any idea what could be causing this, and what I need to do?

TIA

HB

That's not really enough to go on. *Wallboard near the outside of
showers often gets water soaked. *Remove the wallboard. *Look at the
lumber behind it for signs of water staining. *Leave the wallboard off
for a while so you can check the inside of the wall after the shower
is used.

That appears to be a lath and plaster wall with the 'brown coat' showing.
As for the cause, I would suspect a leak in the plumbing behind the
wall, perhaps above the valve, which may only leak when the valve is
turned on.

Correct. *It is a lathe and plaster wall. *So I can't "remove the wallboard" as some suggested.

Your reading bears out my worst fears.

Do I have to get a construction person to open up the wall?

Also: *This shower backs up to another shower in the tub, which is
partly visible in one of the pix.

How to tell which shower is leaking inside the wall?

Why is it showing up only at the base? *Note there is some bare
plaster above the area, where I never got around to re-papering. So
why isn't that water-stained too?

Is this going to be an expensive job?

What will happen if I don't do anything? *(I'm afraid I know, but need
your input)

(I really needed this! *Up to my *** in other expenses!)

HB- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

"Do I have to get a construction person to open up the wall?"

Opening the wall is easy...it's closing it back up that becomes the
issue. *;-)

If done properly (e.g. cutting the wallboard so that the cuts are
centered on the studs) then it's a simple matter to cut a patch from
some new wallboard, attached it to the studs, tape, mud, paint. QED

Hey, thanks for heads-up about cuts centered on studs!



Are you sure that there isn't an access panel in a closet someplace so
you can get to the plumbing? Did they really seal both showers up?

They must have. *There's nothing visible but the pipe coming out of
the wall. *For my info, what SHOULD they have done?

I don't know if it's a matter of "should" but oft times they will
install an access panel so that you can easily remove a section of
wall and get to the pipes.

I didn't do it when I re-did my basement bathroom, knowing that if I
ever needed to get behind to the pipes, I'd add one then. (I needed to
get the job done ASAP)

After many years the Pressure Reducer Vavlw went bad, so I cut open
the ceiling, replaced the valve and built an access panel for next
time.

If the shower valve ever goes bad, I'll do the same thing.

Something like these can be made or bought:

http://1-800fasthelp.com/wp/wp-conte...access_pnl.jpg

http://www.diyadvice.com/diy/drywall...access-panels/


(This was decades ago, so I wouldn't even have known to ask! * I
encountered an analogous situation years ago with electricity in my
office. The ***holes had sealed up the access! *The REAL electricians
I hired years later for upgrade pointed that out and left the access
exposed. *)



"What will happen if I don't do anything? *(I'm afraid I know, but
need your input) "

You already know:

Possible mold issues
Possible rotten wood
Possible collapse of ceiling below

Maybe even this:

http://tinyurl.com/MyLeak

OMG!!!!

HB- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

[Higgs Boson[_2_]]

On Jun 17, 11:04*am, willshak wrote:
Higgs Boson wrote the following:







On Jun 17, 9:52 am, willshak wrote:

jamesgangnc wrote the following:

On Jun 17, 12:19 pm, Higgs Boson wrote:

Here's a link to several pix of a nasty situation in my (only)
bathroom.



I am scared to death that there is a leak somewhere in the wall which
is showing up at the base.

Background: *Some years ago the latch on the shower went bad, and
water leaked out in this area. *So I replaced the latch. *Shower is
used by another person, so I just now checked to make sure it closed
tight, and it does, and OP is aware of this. I got in the shower,
turned on the water, but did not see any leakage through shower door..

Any idea what could be causing this, and what I need to do?

TIA

HB

That's not really enough to go on. *Wallboard near the outside of
showers often gets water soaked. *Remove the wallboard. *Look at the
lumber behind it for signs of water staining. *Leave the wallboard off
for a while so you can check the inside of the wall after the shower
is used.

That appears to be a lath and plaster wall with the 'brown coat' showing.
As for the cause, I would suspect a leak in the plumbing behind the
wall, perhaps above the valve, which may only leak when the valve is
turned on.

Correct. *It is a lathe and plaster wall. *So I can't "remove the wallboard" as some suggested.

Your reading bears out my worst fears.

Do I have to get a construction person to open up the wall?

Opening up the wall is the easy part. You can open up the wall yourself,
but you may need a plumber to fix the leak and possibly a contractor to
replace the wall, unless the plumber does that too. You'll have to check
with the plumber to see if he does all three stages.
The replacement wall will probably not be lath and plaster, but green
board, a wet area sheetrock..

Correct. That is what's there now. My mistake originally saying
lathe & plaster. That was before remodel w/greenboard.

Also: *This shower backs up to another shower in the tub, which is
partly visible in one of the pix.

How to tell which shower is leaking inside the wall?

Does the water leak out from under the the wall onto the floor tile in
that area?

Absolutely not!

If so, you may try running one shower and look for water there. Then do
the same with the other shower.
It probably does not matter since the plumbing for both is in the same
wall cavity.

Correct.

Why is it showing up only at the base? *Note there is some bare
plaster above the area, where I never got around to re-papering. So
why isn't that water-stained too?

It may be running down the inside of the wall, or down the pipe until it
gets to the floor and then puddles and wicks up, or the source of the
leak may be down in that area.

Doesn't puddle or wick up, AFAIK. Most likely, from my amateur
perspective, is that it runs down pipe, as you suggest, and emerges
near the base.

Is this going to be an expensive job?

You'll have to get some estimates from local contractors. *The cost may
depend upon the local economy.

What will happen if I don't do anything? *(I'm afraid I know, but
need
your input)

The water probably has been doing some damage to the floor under around
the showers for as long as that leak was occurring.

NO visible damage to vinyl floor tile adjacent to shower. Maybe I
should pry up/cut out a few squares to see if damage to floor. Is
this worth the damage/hassle?

Can you get below that floor to check for damage? Another room,
basement, crawl space?

Crawl space. Bare dirt. Spiders. Claustrophobia. Ewww...


HB
(I really needed this! *Up to my *** in other expenses!)

HB

--

Bill
In Hamptonburgh, NY
In the original Orange County. Est. 1683
To email, remove the double zeroes after @

[Higgs Boson[_2_]]

On Jun 17, 11:16*am, "Nuzzy" wrote:
"Higgs Boson" wrote in message

...

Any idea what could be causing this, and what I need to do?

Blame Obama, & you need to vote Republican.

That will get it fixed!!! You're on. Can I throw in new side door,
back yard patioconstruction & landscaping, paint house indoors & out,
refinish front door, repaint front porch, rip up concrete in front of
garage and replace with permeable concrete squares; in fact rip out
concrete driveway paths leading to garage apron and replace whole
thing with landscaping, replace edge tiles on garage roof, replace
both side gates and driveway gate... let's see...what am I missing...

Lawdy, if I'd known it was that easy, I would have sold my soul right
around Nixon's zeit.

HB

[Higgs Boson[_2_]]

On Jun 17, 12:06*pm, "RogerT" wrote:
Higgs Boson wrote:
On Jun 17, 10:31 am, Higgs Boson wrote:

Here is a better view:



Just a suggestion....,

When you upload a picture tohttp://tinypic.com, instead of copying and
pasting the link that is created that says, "IMG Code for Forums & Message
Boards", copy and paste the link that it creates that says, *"URL for E-Mail
& IM".

That will produce a clean URL link that does not have "[IMG]" attached to
the front and back of the link.

So, in your case, instead of the link you post looking like this:

,

it would look like this:

http://i55.tinypic.com/2j34is7.jpg.

Thanks. I copied the link that TinyPic said was for forums. Didn't
think email would work. Will use your suggestion next time. 'Preciate
it.

HB

[hr(bob) [email protected]]

On Jun 17, 12:20*pm, Higgs Boson wrote:
On Jun 17, 9:51*am, "RogerT" wrote:





jamesgangnc wrote:
On Jun 17, 12:19 pm, Higgs Boson wrote:
Here's a link to several pix of a nasty situation in my (only)
bathroom.



I am scared to death that there is a leak somewhere in the wall which
is showing up at the base.

Background: Some years ago the latch on the shower went bad, and
water leaked out in this area. So I replaced the latch. Shower is
used by another person, so I just now checked to make sure it closed
tight, and it does, and OP is aware of this. I got in the shower,
turned on the water, but did not see any leakage through shower door..

Any idea what could be causing this, and what I need to do?

TIA

HB

That's not really enough to go on. *Wallboard near the outside of
showers often gets water soaked. *Remove the wallboard. *Look at the
lumber behind it for signs of water staining. *Leave the wallboard off
for a while so you can check the inside of the wall after the shower
is used.

I think that is a very good idea -- first, just remove the wallboard and
leave it open and see what is going on behind the wallboard. *Replacing the
wallboard will be easy.

I couldn't really tell from the picture where the shower is, but I guess
others could. *The OP's message says the link is to several pictures but I
only see one picture.

I had trouble downloading them all at once. *I guess that can't be
done. *Here is one mo



HB- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

A decent picture showing the tub and the shower so we can undestand
the situation would be very helpful!!

[hr(bob) [email protected]]

On Jun 17, 12:38*pm, Higgs Boson wrote:
On Jun 17, 10:31*am, Higgs Boson wrote:





On Jun 17, 10:01*am, DerbyDad03 wrote:

On Jun 17, 12:19*pm, Higgs Boson wrote:

Here's a link to several pix of a nasty situation in my (only)
bathroom.



I am scared to death that there is a leak somewhere in the wall which
is showing up at the base.

Background: *Some years ago the latch on the shower went bad, and
water leaked out in this area. *So I replaced the latch. *Shower is
used by another person, so I just now checked to make sure it closed
tight, and it does, and OP is aware of this. I got in the shower,
turned on the water, but did not see any leakage through shower door.

[RogerT[_3_]]

"Higgs Boson" wrote in message
...
The replacement wall will probably not be lath and plaster, but green
board, a wet area sheetrock..

Correct. That is what's there now. My mistake originally saying
lathe & plaster. That was before remodel w/greenboard.

+++++++++++++

Since it is now greenboard, it is easy to just open the wall up and see what
is going on. You'll be able to see if any of the plumbing is leaking, or if
the grout is leaking, or if water is coming through either of the two walls
(the stall shower or the tub/shower) where the fixtures come through the
wall. In my home, I once had to caulk with 100% silicone caulk around where
the shower faucets went through the wall to stop water from running down the
shower wall and going through the wall at that point. And, with the wall
open, you won't need to go into the crawl space and bother the black widow
spiders.

Maybe you can open the wall up and see if you can get any good pictures of
where it is wet inside of that wall.

[mm]

On Fri, 17 Jun 2011 15:00:53 -0700, "chaniarts"
wrote:

mm wrote:
On Fri, 17 Jun 2011 12:13:27 -0700 (PDT), Higgs Boson
** Eleveators are okay, but I did go caving one time, even knowing my
problem. At one point we had to craw 10 or 15 feet with the rock just
an inch or two above my back and my butt. When I moved my legs I
would often press up against the "roof". Just thinking about that now
upsets me, but at the time I tried hard to not think about it, to
control myself. I"m glad I did it, but I'll never do it again.

you won't like mri's then.

So I hear. I've resolved not to get sick until they improve them.

And they clang, too, I hear. Not like the gentle radio soudns I
wanted the OP to use.

Maybe people like me could get a vri instead. Violin resonance
imaging.

[Higgs Boson[_2_]]

On Jun 17, 12:43*pm, "hr(bob) "
wrote:
On Jun 17, 12:38*pm, Higgs Boson wrote:









On Jun 17, 10:31*am, Higgs Boson wrote:

On Jun 17, 10:01*am, DerbyDad03 wrote:

On Jun 17, 12:19*pm, Higgs Boson wrote:

Here's a link to several pix of a nasty situation in my (only)
bathroom.



I am scared to death that there is a leak somewhere in the wall which
is showing up at the base.

Background: *Some years ago the latch on the shower went bad, and
water leaked out in this area. *So I replaced the latch. *Shower is
used by another person, so I just now checked to make sure it closed
tight, and it does, and OP is aware of this. I got in the shower,
turned on the water, but did not see any leakage through shower door.

Any idea what could be causing this, and what I need to do?

TIA

HB

I can't see the pictures (tinypic is blocked at work).

Is it a tile shower or a fiberglass unit?

Tile shower.

I've seen grout go bad and allow water to leak behind the wall in
between the tiles. The grout *looks* OK on the surface, but the water
can go right through it. DAMHIKT

Shower is in good shape generally, but I'll get a ladder and check
grout more closely.

And of course, any spot where the caulking has deteriorated will also
allow water to leak through, often unseen by the user until everything
behind the wall gets saturated and the water begins to find its way to
a visible location.

See my just previous reply for more detail on the shower, the other
shower backing up to it, and more background.

What may be significant here (as mentioned in my first post) is that
there was minor "leakage " years ago, due -- I assumed -- to door
latch not closing properly, which I repaired. *Now this major leakage
is appearing in the same spot. *Why now?

HB

Here is a better view:



HB- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Much better *Now if the shower foor did not latch properly, the water
would run straight down, not go behind the tiles. *So you must open
the wall between the tub and shower to see what is going on. *Have you
tried just using the tub./ shower for a couple of weeks to see if the
wall dries up. *IF it does, then the separate shower is at fault. *OR,
just use the shower and not the tub/shower as\nd see what happens. *IT
will take a couple of weeks to show up as the wall looks so very damp
that it will take a while to dry out. *You could also put a fan
blowing at the opened wall to speed up the process.

Thanks. Others have made your good suggestion about isolating the
shower for a few weeks, so I've arranged with OP to use my shower.
Also good thought about fan on opened wall.

Stay tuned!

HB

[Higgs Boson[_2_]]

On Jun 17, 12:43*pm, "hr(bob) "
wrote:
On Jun 17, 12:38*pm, Higgs Boson wrote:









On Jun 17, 10:31*am, Higgs Boson wrote:

On Jun 17, 10:01*am, DerbyDad03 wrote:

On Jun 17, 12:19*pm, Higgs Boson wrote:

Here's a link to several pix of a nasty situation in my (only)
bathroom.



I am scared to death that there is a leak somewhere in the wall which
is showing up at the base.

Background: *Some years ago the latch on the shower went bad, and
water leaked out in this area. *So I replaced the latch. *Shower is
used by another person, so I just now checked to make sure it closed
tight, and it does, and OP is aware of this. I got in the shower,
turned on the water, but did not see any leakage through shower door.

Any idea what could be causing this, and what I need to do?

TIA

HB

I can't see the pictures (tinypic is blocked at work).

Is it a tile shower or a fiberglass unit?

Tile shower.

I've seen grout go bad and allow water to leak behind the wall in
between the tiles. The grout *looks* OK on the surface, but the water
can go right through it. DAMHIKT

Shower is in good shape generally, but I'll get a ladder and check
grout more closely.

And of course, any spot where the caulking has deteriorated will also
allow water to leak through, often unseen by the user until everything
behind the wall gets saturated and the water begins to find its way to
a visible location.

See my just previous reply for more detail on the shower, the other
shower backing up to it, and more background.

What may be significant here (as mentioned in my first post) is that
there was minor "leakage " years ago, due -- I assumed -- to door
latch not closing properly, which I repaired. *Now this major leakage
is appearing in the same spot. *Why now?

HB

Here is a better view:



HB- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Much better *Now if the shower foor did not latch properly, the water
would run straight down, not go behind the tiles. *So you must open
the wall between the tub and shower to see what is going on. *Have you
tried just using the tub./ shower for a couple of weeks to see if the
wall dries up. *IF it does, then the separate shower is at fault. *OR,
just use the shower and not the tub/shower as\nd see what happens. *IT
will take a couple of weeks to show up as the wall looks so very damp
that it will take a while to dry out. *You could also put a fan
blowing at the opened wall to speed up the process.

Dunno if my reply went through. Thanked you for suggestion of
isolating shower for a few weeks and for fan idea.

HB

[Smitty Two]

In article
,
Higgs Boson wrote:

Thanks. Others have made your good suggestion about isolating the
shower for a few weeks, so I've arranged with OP to use my shower.
Also good thought about fan on opened wall.

You've typed OP twice now. Perhaps you might choose another abbreviation
for Other Person or whatever it is you're using it for. On Usenet, OP
stands for Original Poster, or sometimes Original Post, depending on
context. You are the OP because you started the thread.

[Higgs Boson[_2_]]

On Jun 17, 6:35*pm, Smitty Two wrote:
In article
,
*Higgs Boson wrote:

Thanks. *Others have made your good suggestion about isolating the
shower for a few weeks, so I've arranged with OP to use my shower.
Also good thought about fan on opened wall.

You've typed OP twice now. Perhaps you might choose another abbreviation
for Other Person or whatever it is you're using it for. On Usenet, OP
stands for Original Poster, or sometimes Original Post, depending on
context. You are the OP because you started the thread.

Yes, m'lord. In future yr. humble obt. servt. will say The Other
Person or some other non-confusing identifier.

HB

[Higgs Boson[_2_]]

On Jun 17, 2:37*pm, mm wrote:
On Fri, 17 Jun 2011 12:06:10 -0700 (PDT), Higgs Boson

wrote:
the shower in the tub, and I always close the curtain; I would be
aware of splashing outside.

Do you put the curtain outside or inside the tub?

Liner inside, curtain outside.

HB

[Higgs Boson[_2_]]

On Jun 17, 2:24*pm, mm wrote:
On Fri, 17 Jun 2011 12:13:27 -0700 (PDT), Higgs Boson

wrote:

The water probably has been doing some damage to the floor under around
the showers for as long as that leak was occurring.

NO visible damage to vinyl floor tile adjacent to shower. *Maybe I
should pry up/cut out a few squares to see if damage to floor. * Is
this worth the damage/hassle?

I woudlnt' do it. * What if you find that it's wet? *How will that
tell you what it will be like when it dries?

Can you get below *that floor to check for damage? Another room,
basement, crawl space?

Crawl space. *Bare dirt. *Spiders. *Claustrophobia. *Ewww...

Send a child. *They love that stuff. Send him with a camera.

Or, how high is it? * I wouldnt' do it either 3 feet or less**, but
put down folded cardboard boxes on the dirt,

GOOD IDEA!

wear old clothes, use a
broom to sweep away the cobwebs before you get to them, and play the
radio and maybe have extra lights to lessen the claustrophobia. (I
have some of that too. maybe you have more.) *

Mine is relatively mild. But when I was working at [studio] they
wanted to put me in a windowless office, with dust and cobwebs, so I
quit. Wouldn't have killed me to work there, but I felt under-
appreciated. **** them.

crawl space, couple of years ago when I was stringing the wire
from hifi to speakers, I went under the house with a too-dim
flashlight. To make it worse, I got slightly jammed between dirt
floor and lumber above (and I am not a large person). For a moment,
there, I almost panicked, then I told myself "***hole, get out and get
a brighter light". So I did, and finished the job, but this is not my
favorite memory.

What would be really cool is a remote controlled car with a wireless
video camera on it, pointed up. * * Tie a strong string to the car so
you can get it back if it gets stuck.

Or just don't worry about it. * IF it gets bad, you can worry then.
Seriously.

** Elevators are okay, but I did go caving one time, even knowing my
problem. *At one point we had to craw 10 or 15 feet with the rock just
an inch or two above my back and my butt. *When I moved my legs I
would often press up against the "roof". *Just thinking about that now
upsets me, but at the time I tried hard to not think about it, to
control myself. * I"m glad I did it, but I'll never do it again.

YOU. COULD. NOT. GET. ME. INTO. A . REAL. CAVE. FOR. ANY. MONEY!!!

I did go touring in some huge cave in Kentucky? umpty years ago, but
it was all lit up like a Christmas tree, and people all around. I've
seen TV shows about spelunkers diving in water-filled "blue holes"
somewhere in Central America? somewhere?. They go under in scuba gear
and wind (wend?) their way down into the depths and around the
corners...un-efffing-believable

HB

[[email protected][_2_]]

On Jun 17, 3:19*pm, Higgs Boson wrote:
On Jun 17, 11:16*am, "Nuzzy" wrote:

"Higgs Boson" wrote in message

....

Any idea what could be causing this, and what I need to do?

Blame Obama, & you need to vote Republican.

That will get it fixed!!! *You're on. *Can I throw in new side door,
back yard patioconstruction & landscaping, *paint house indoors & out,
refinish front door, repaint front porch, rip up concrete in front of
garage and replace with permeable concrete squares; in fact rip out
concrete driveway paths leading to garage apron and replace whole
thing with landscaping, replace edge tiles on garage roof, replace
both side gates and driveway gate... let's see...what am I missing...

Lawdy, if I'd known it was that easy, I would have sold my soul right
around Nixon's zeit.

HB

As others have pointed out, the damaged section is pretty much
shot, so you could just open it up and take a look inside. That
assumes that with the construction there isn't some framing
completely blocking the way. Not likely, but possible. If no
water is appearing on the floor, I'd say odds are that it's not a
leak, but it might be.

The other option is as suggested to dry
it out with a fan and hold off using both the shower and the bath
tub for a couple days. Or if you're going to be away for a few
days, let it dry out then and when you return, use only the
bath part for a week, carefully making sure no chance of
water getting their past the curtain, running down the top of
the tub, etc. If it's not wet, then do the same using the
shower.

[mm]

On Sat, 18 Jun 2011 16:00:25 -0700 (PDT), Higgs Boson
wrote:



** Elevators are okay, but I did go caving one time, even knowing my
problem. *At one point we had to craw 10 or 15 feet with the rock just
an inch or two above my back and my butt.

With my belly on the "floor" at all times

*When I moved my legs I
would often press up against the "roof". *Just thinking about that now
upsets me, but at the time I tried hard to not think about it, to
control myself. * I"m glad I did it, but I'll never do it again.

YOU. COULD. NOT. GET. ME. INTO. A . REAL. CAVE. FOR. ANY. MONEY!!!

I did go touring in some huge cave in Kentucky? umpty years ago, but
it was all lit up like a Christmas tree, and people all around. I've
seen TV shows about spelunkers diving in water-filled "blue holes"
somewhere in Central America? somewhere?. They go under in scuba gear
and wind (wend?) their way down into the depths and around the
corners...un-efffing-believable

I used to want to learn SCUBA diving, or go some place where they will
rent you equipment without trainging. After all, I've watched 50
episodes of Sea Hunt, and I think I know what I need to. Now, after
I realize I'll probably never do it anyhow, I realized my
claustrophobia would be as big a problem as my fear of the water.

But I do like commerical caves. Been to maybe 10, the only
disappointment was Mammoth Cave, which was big but boring. This was
the standard tour. They have other tours which are only offered once
a day. Upstate NYS, Allentown Pa. 3 or 4 in the Viginia Mountains,
others.

Four miles from my house are abandoned chromium mines. My part of
Maryland used to be the world's leading producer of chromium, back
when no one used it and little was produced. Into the mines are kite
strings, used by previous guys to find their way back out. It's
parkland now and of course they posted a sign not to enter, and it's
also full of water everytime I've been there starting maybe 8 feet
from the entrance. And I suppose the water has ruined the timbers
holding up the roof of the shaft. OTOH, now with cell phones, I might
be able to dictate my last will and testament to someone.




HB

[mm]

On Sat, 18 Jun 2011 15:58:51 -0700 (PDT), Higgs Boson
wrote:

On Jun 17, 2:37*pm, mm wrote:
On Fri, 17 Jun 2011 12:06:10 -0700 (PDT), Higgs Boson

wrote:
the shower in the tub, and I always close the curtain; I would be
aware of splashing outside.

Do you put the curtain outside or inside the tub?

Liner inside, curtain outside.

Yeah, I gather my shower curtain is considered a liner. I dind't
know that for the first 10 years.

HB

[aemeijers]

On 6/18/2011 9:31 PM, mm wrote:
On Sat, 18 Jun 2011 15:58:51 -0700 (PDT), Higgs Boson
wrote:

On Jun 17, 2:37 pm, wrote:
On Fri, 17 Jun 2011 12:06:10 -0700 (PDT), Higgs Boson

wrote:
the shower in the tub, and I always close the curtain; I would be
aware of splashing outside.

Do you put the curtain outside or inside the tub?

Liner inside, curtain outside.

Yeah, I gather my shower curtain is considered a liner. I dind't
know that for the first 10 years.

HB


Chuckle. Me as well. I hate the plastic liner/curtains, so I bought one
of the hotel style fabric ones. I wash it 3-4 times a year, when it gets
stiff, or the rust stains from my horrid water get too blatant. Never
saw any point in a 'show' curtain to put in front of it- it would make
the shower too dark, and make the inner curtain stay wet longer. I also
raised the rod as high as I could to avoid banging my head, and to keep
the curtain from dragging on the bottom of the tub. The things you can
get away with without a SWMBO in the house....

--
aem sends...

[aemeijers]

On 6/18/2011 9:31 PM, mm wrote:
On Sat, 18 Jun 2011 16:00:25 -0700 (PDT), Higgs Boson
wrote:



** Elevators are okay, but I did go caving one time, even knowing my
problem. At one point we had to craw 10 or 15 feet with the rock just
an inch or two above my back and my butt.

With my belly on the "floor" at all times

When I moved my legs I
would often press up against the "roof". Just thinking about that now
upsets me, but at the time I tried hard to not think about it, to
control myself. I"m glad I did it, but I'll never do it again.

YOU. COULD. NOT. GET. ME. INTO. A . REAL. CAVE. FOR. ANY. MONEY!!!

I did go touring in some huge cave in Kentucky? umpty years ago, but
it was all lit up like a Christmas tree, and people all around. I've
seen TV shows about spelunkers diving in water-filled "blue holes"
somewhere in Central America? somewhere?. They go under in scuba gear
and wind (wend?) their way down into the depths and around the
corners...un-efffing-believable

I used to want to learn SCUBA diving, or go some place where they will
rent you equipment without trainging. After all, I've watched 50
episodes of Sea Hunt, and I think I know what I need to. Now, after
I realize I'll probably never do it anyhow, I realized my
claustrophobia would be as big a problem as my fear of the water.

But I do like commerical caves. Been to maybe 10, the only
disappointment was Mammoth Cave, which was big but boring. This was
the standard tour. They have other tours which are only offered once
a day. Upstate NYS, Allentown Pa. 3 or 4 in the Viginia Mountains,
others.

Four miles from my house are abandoned chromium mines. My part of
Maryland used to be the world's leading producer of chromium, back
when no one used it and little was produced. Into the mines are kite
strings, used by previous guys to find their way back out. It's
parkland now and of course they posted a sign not to enter, and it's
also full of water everytime I've been there starting maybe 8 feet
from the entrance. And I suppose the water has ruined the timbers
holding up the roof of the shaft. OTOH, now with cell phones, I might
be able to dictate my last will and testament to someone.




HB

Unless you are right under the tower, cell phones don't work too well
underground...

--
aem sends...

[aemeijers]

On 6/19/2011 12:58 PM, Higgs Boson wrote:
On Jun 18, 8:04 pm, wrote:
On 6/18/2011 9:31 PM, mm wrote:









On Sat, 18 Jun 2011 15:58:51 -0700 (PDT), Higgs Boson
wrote:

On Jun 17, 2:37 pm, wrote:
On Fri, 17 Jun 2011 12:06:10 -0700 (PDT), Higgs Boson

wrote:
the shower in the tub, and I always close the curtain; I would be
aware of splashing outside.

Do you put the curtain outside or inside the tub?

Liner inside, curtain outside.

Yeah, I gather my shower curtain is considered a liner. I dind't
know that for the first 10 years.

HB

Chuckle. Me as well. I hate the plastic liner/curtains, so I bought one
of the hotel style fabric ones. I wash it 3-4 times a year, when it gets
stiff, or the rust stains from my horrid water get too blatant. Never
saw any point in a 'show' curtain to put in front of it- it would make
the shower too dark

What, you read in there?g

and make the inner curtain stay wet longer.

I make sure to pull the whole shebang aside when not in use, and let
air and Western sun stream in.

I also raised the rod as high as I could to avoid banging my head,
and to keep
the curtain from dragging on the bottom of the tub. The things you can
get away with without a SWMBO in the house....

I bought a liner at Bed Bath& Beyond that was marked in HUGE letter
"Will not mold". Yeah, sure. Pretty soon the black stuff began to
accumulate, giving me the PITA of cleaning it off with bleach, etc.
that never really worked. Finally took it back and exchanged for a
better liner. Notice that BB&B doesn't carry the former liner any
more!

HB

it is a classic cleaning conundrum- do you close the shower curtain
after use, or leave it wide open so the tub and walls dry faster? I've
found that almost closing the curtain (with an air gap on both ends so
it doesn't stick to walls) slows down how fast mold appears on the
curtain. If curtain is all bunched up, it never gets dry. I have same
issue with towels- damn bathroom is too small for full length towel bars
anywhere, so they don't dry fast enough to retard the funky smell.

--
aem sends...

[DD_BobK]

On Jun 17, 9:19*am, Higgs Boson wrote:
Here's a link to several pix of a nasty situation in my (only)
bathroom.



I am scared to death that there is a leak somewhere in the wall which
is showing up at the base.

Background: *Some years ago the latch on the shower went bad, and
water leaked out in this area. *So I replaced the latch. *Shower is
used by another person, so I just now checked to make sure it closed
tight, and it does, and OP is aware of this. I got in the shower,
turned on the water, but did not see any leakage through shower door.

Any idea what could be causing this, and what I need to do?

TIA

HB

HB- (aka OP)

Having read all the entire thread & looked at all the photos you
posted.....my best guess is that leak is from inside the shower stall.

My buddy's ex-wife's house has the exact same shower stall / bath tub
arrangement and the exact same water damage (~2009).
Her house in in SoCal & was built in the early 50's. The shower
stall tile & tube are original.

He & I determined that the source of the leak was failed grout on the
floor of shower stall, cracked grout at the wall / floor corners and
most likely a cracked / deteriorated shower pan.

We took a look from the crawl space and saw that the subfloor had
evidence of water leakage.
We ran the shower to confirm an active leak.

She didn't want to bear the cost to redo the shower stall (it was a
rental that she wanted to get new tenants into)
Since damage was already done, we caulked the corners & re-grouted
floor and re-checked the leak behavior.
The leaking was reduced by 90% but the dry rot is slowly continuing
the destruction even in the relatively dry SoCal environment.

I would suggest you get a look at the underside of the shower stall
(from the crawl space) after the shower has been unused for a couple
weeks and then run the shower and see the effect on the subfloor.

It that leak has been active for any length of time, I'd bet you're in
for a shower stall rebuild.

cheers
Bob