Hi and Help with damp issues - TilersForums.com

[Jody]

Hi

I have just joined this forum and need help! I work as a plumber. I have a problem with a bathroom I installed just over a year ago. I was called back in because tiles around the bath in the shower zone were loose. I removed all 'moving' tiles and found the adhesive to be damp and water pooling round the silicone barrier between bath and wall but no leak on any pipework or the shower unit. I decided to turn off mains and remove shower head which involved going under the floor.

There was quite a lot of water under the floor and discovered a waste pipe from the washing machine, dishwasher and utility room sink had been left unconnected and just emptying under the floor (another contractor had installed new kitchen and utility room).

The owner has had several surveyors etc look at the problem - my question is - with all this warm water under the floor, is there not a humidity problem and could this have affected the wall with my tiles in the adjacent room causing the adhesive and grout to fail? I am meeting a surveyor at the property and apparently, they are all saying that this waste water would not have caused any damage?? And the tile problem is because the grout has failed. I beg to differ! Does anyone have any advice or experience with this sort of problem??

Many thanks for reading and any help greatly appreciated

 

[Stewart]

So if I've got this right.... You think that water under the floor of the bathroom has affected the adhesive, grout and bonding of a row of tiles around the bath resulting in failure....

the only way I can think of water under the floor damaging the tiles and substrate, we're if you had rising damp. If you did, the wall below the bath would be wet to the core and would be quite noticeable on both sides of the wall.

The way you have described the failure sounds like water coming through the grout or silicone, but without seeing it in person I can only best guess. Do you have any pics and did you tile it or did you get a tiler in......?


Created on iPhone.....

 

[doug boardley]

as above ^^^ for me.

 

[kendo1]

If as you say, it is just around the shower area and not the rest of the bath, it seems to be faulty grout/silicon.
Surely, if it was the water under the floor all the tiles would be loose?
Seems like an unconnected problem to me.

 

[Gazzer]

Grout /silicone failure for me. The washing machine waste water has nothing to do with this IMO.

 

[Jody]

Many thanks for replies - a tiler (20 years time served) did the job for me - I guess if grout and adhesive failure then will just have to accept it and re-do! Many thanks again

 

[Mike]

was the shower area tanked? this could be another possible cause

 

[DHTiling]

Hello and welcome...

Pics would help.

 

[Ian]

Welcome along to TF. Was the adhesive used ready mixed or a powdered/cement based one?

 

[Jody]

Hi

Thanks for your help and replies. The only pics I have are of the completed job and after tiles have been removed (and the waste pipe under the floor draining into the hole).

The living room is adjacent to the bathroom - There is a hatch in the living room to get under the floor. There is about two feet under the floor and below the hatch a hole has been dug about a 3' x 4' in area and about 18" deep. If I stand in this hole it's bout chest height to the floor. The waste water from the washing machine, dishwasher and basin was draining into this area and is about 2 feet from the bathroom wall. As this water is warm and been draining into the area for the last 10 months, would there be no condensation or humidity problems? It just seems a bit coincidental that the tiles have come loose while this has been going on. The pipes to the bathroom run under the living room floor and up into the bathroom. Would this amount of water cause rising damp?

The area was not tanked and the adhesive was not ready mixed - the tiler has many years experience - why would the adhesive and grout fail? Thanks for any replies.