So where does the water go?

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doug boardley

So you've done the tanking in your wet area to protect the substrate and prevent water ingress to lower floors etc etc etc..... but if water does get through to your tanking, where does it go from there? My best guess is that it can only expunge back through the grout, what's your thoughts?
 
brilliant question doug,my guess is that it comes back through grout,your tile may come away as well but at least you could re fix as the substrate will be protected?
 
Made my eyes water Doug ....little blighters snuck up on me while i wasnt looking.. Thank god for Tanglefoot
 
It simply passes through the grout at the bottom of the tanked area. Which is why I used to be fussy about a really small bead of Silicon. You don't want water trapped behind it, that's usually where you get the black mould from that seems to seep from behind there.
 
It simply passes through the grout at the bottom of the tanked area. Which is why I used to be fussy about a really small bead of Silicon. You don't want water trapped behind it, that's usually where you get the black mould from that seems to seep from behind there.
thats why I use a solid bed trowel in wet areas Dan, to stop the water ingress running down the ribs and pooling at the bottom.
 
the water would absorb into anything porous ie your cba and your grout or the...or absorb into the rear of the tile if it were ceramic.

if there was a section of grout missing grout, then the water ingress would be drawn back through the hole in the grout by capillary action, but again, some of the water would be absorbed into anything thats is porous..

oh and if the water was being drawn in at a rate that exceeded what the area could hold, then the pressure would build up and eventually 'pop' the tile off the wall..
 
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thats why I use a solid bed trowel in wet areas Dan, to stop the water ingress running down the ribs and pooling at the bottom.

Nah I mean generally. The adhesive will still get water into it, even a solid bed. And if a family power shower is ran 3 times daily for 10 minutes say, it eventually does travel down to the bottom I guess?
 
the water would absorb into anything porous ie your cba and your grout or the...or absorb into the rear of the tile if it were ceramic.

if there was a section of grout missing grout, then the water ingress would be drawn back through the hole in the grout by capillary action, but again, some of the water would be absorbed into anything thats is porous..

oh and if the water was being drawn in at a rate that exceeded what the area could hold, then the pressure would build up and eventually 'pop' the tile off the wall..

^ and that ^ :lol: :lol: :lol:
 
When I do a shower area I tank the screed but this tanking is carried into the pot below the main stainless steel trough,

jse_HPIM0131.jpg


So any water that gets behind the wall tiles or through the floor would eventually hit this membrane and find its way into the drainage system.

jse_HPIM0134.jpgjse_HPIM0138.jpg


In a house I would use something like this.. McAlpine Plumbing Supplies | Product Menu codeTSG1T6SS

Then any leaks can always be contained.

:thumbsup:
 
Very similar to the McAlpine system Jay, I have never understood why these traps are not a building regulation requirement.

:thumbsup:
 
there virtually law here as doug says were does the water go now you know if you dont use them i hope your adh is suitable for swimming pools
 
My bathroom shower areas are tanked, but despite using the correct materials and tools, and siliconing alll the joints, water is getting through somewhere. I know this because the water find it's way out where the edge of the wall tiles meet the exposed corner of the bath on the outside. So the tanking system is working, but I'm still diagnosing where the pesky water is getting behind the tiles.

For me it will mean a whole re-grout and re-Silicon. I suspect it's seeping through the grout but it all looks sturdy and solid to me, so trial and error. There's no embedded pipework that could be leaking and it only happens when we use the shower over the bath.
 
GRR you using an over bath screen? If so id lay my money on the water getting through there somewhere. Sometimes they can let water through the gap between the male and female channels and through the hinge mechanism at the bottom.
Iis quite common to get a damp patch by the edge of the bath at the base of the screen, just needs drying off and some additional Silicon at the base of the hinge.
 
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Just to add to Scottley's post any drill holes for the hinges etc, in fact all holes in tiles should be filled with Silicon.
 
GRR you using an over bath screen? If so id lay my money on the water getting through there somewhere. Sometimes they can let water through the gap between the male and female channels and through the hinge mechanism at the bottom.
Iis quite common to get a damp patch by the edge of the bath at the base of the screen, just needs drying off and some additional Silicon at the base of the hinge.

sorry boys, it's a shower rail and curtain. when the curtain is in place, I make sure it's all the way round, fully in the bath etc. I'm convinced the failure is somewhere between the bottom row of tiles and half way up. i've checked the Silicon over so many times, taken it out twice and re-done just to be sure. there has to be a pin hole somewhere in the grout that I haven't found yet.
 
but thankfully, at least I can see that there is a failure somewhere and that the water is finding it's natural path out. otherwise if it was sitting behind the tiles, I'd have bigger problems.
 
I can check it for you Liz, will call around next week. You will have to be using the shower in order for me to........................

errrrrrr.............I'll stop now

:shocked3:
 
I can check it for you Liz, will call around next week. You will have to be using the shower in order for me to........................

errrrrrr.............I'll stop now

:shocked3:

thanks for the lovely offer Dom but I think not :ban:
 
G R R do you have tap fittings in shower area they should be sealed around to from tile to tap mechanism ( not to tap cover or flange) this is one of the main areas water will get in
 
nope Jay, no taps in the walls either. shower riser rail is at the top half of the wall and I cannot see how water will get up that high even when I splash around. I'm thinking the grout may be too thin in some areas, so once I've finished my uni assignment this weekend, I might actually get my act together and start a re-grout :lol: It needs doing. I'll be waiting till next Christmas if I asked Mr GRR to do it :lol:
 
taps outside shower

nope it's a bath/shower mixer tap, so the tap is attached to the plastic bath. i've checked the fit of the tap too and there's def no water leaking through it. i'll find a way of repairing it :grin:

but at least I know where the water is going and that the tanking kit is doing its job :yesnod:
 
Couldn't it just be condensation running down and collecting, Liz, from the wall, taps or curtain?
 
most likley the Silicon internal corners might be it unless your grout is bad (cant imagine that in Lizes bathroom tho)
 

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