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
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