Wetroom Leaking - Please Help!

[Holly Thwaites]

Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
We are renovating our house and a year ago had a wet room flooring fitted to the shower area of our downstairs bathroom. It was fitted by a professional tiler and with a complete wet room kit. It was all fine until about a month ago when we noticed water creeping up through the grouting of floor next to the raised enclosure.

The tiles are travertine which we have since been advised can become porous over time. We have proved the drain and are confident it all the pipework is sound - the water is not a great deal, its just a small amount. If it was the drain/pipes, I'm sure there would be more!

We have also scraped out the sealant and re-sealed, this didn't work. So we removed all the grout and re-grouted with flexible grout and allowed sufficient time for it to dry. This didn't work so we brought a spray which claimed to put a waterproof layer over the surface of the tiles to prevent water ingress but tried to use the shower this morning and its still leaking.

I'm at the end of my patience and we are verging on having to take the flooring up to refit but wanted to see if anyone had any other suggestions of what the issue might be? I've attached some photo's of the various stages and again, it has been in for a year with no issues until now?

Many thanks,

Holly

 

[Ian]

Hello Holly, do you have a picture of the shower area after it was tanked? What was used to fill the gap on the right hand side of the shower tray?

 

[Holly Thwaites]

Hi, I don't have a photo unfortuantely but we did see it tanked before it was tiled and all appeared to be ok. The right hand side was filled using marine ply, then tanked, then tiled.

Thanks,

 

[hmtiling]

Is there any sign of movement in the tray/former? I've seen that system fail through inadequate support underneath.

 

[Holly Thwaites]

No, nothing appears to have dropped or moved other than a hairline crack in the grout around the drain but it's been regrouted since & leak continues!

 

[One Day]

Could be so many things. Likely causes are poorly supported tray causing excessive movement and allowing water through. Possibly excessive movement around the waste, can cause leaks there. Photos of where the water is seeping up would be useful. Out of interest-do you know what brand the tray is and the 'wetroom kit'?

 

[Holly Thwaites]

Hi, We can't remember exactly which kit we brought but its very similar to the attached screenshot if that helps. I've also attached some photos of the water. It definately doesn't come over the lip of the door whilst you're in the shower, and just to be on the safe side we fitted a strip of rubber seal to make sure that doesn't happen. We have watched it seep up through the grout on both the left and right of the door and along the bit between the floor and wall tiles along the right side - even as far up as the furthest radiator bit on the floor if you're in the shower too long!

 

[padtheplumber]

Do you know if there is any Silicon between the wall and floor tiles behind where the door wall channels are fitted?

 

[Holly Thwaites]

Hi, yes there is Silicon all the way around the edge of the cubicle and up each of the corners - this has been scraped out and redone as well.

 

[One Day]

If water escaping from the surface can be ruled out then it's got to be either getting away under the tiles and out of the shower area, or the drain is leaking. I'd start by looking under the tray first.... how about carefully removing a section at the upstand?

 

[Holly Thwaites]

We did think about that but unfortunately the mosaic tiles are against one of the wooden batons of the frame so we still wouldn't be able to see behind it. I think we may just have to bite the bullet and take the floor up.

 

[padtheplumber]

How about taking a tile off the front, drill a hole through the batton and use an inspection camera to have a nose around? If you don't know anyone with one you can get them pretty cheap from aldi now and again - might be a cheaper option to start with than a complete rip out.

 

[SJPurdy]

When I have fitted similar "insulation board" type shower tray formers the instructions stressed how important it is to make sure all the perimeter of the tray is supported by timber noggins and that the area around the waste outlet should also be supported by, at least, timber noggins. Maybe your board is a stronger type that doesn't need them or they were put in after the first picture. However if this was the problem then I think that you would have a reservoir of water trapped under the tray continually leaking rather than a leak that only occurs when using the shower.

When in use water can get into the shower door end channels/supports. For this reason it is often specified that the base of the shower door assembly is sealed on the outside but not on the inside; so that any water that gets into the door assembly can escape inwards towards the shower. If this area is the problem then it should b easier to check - with everything starting dry; use the shower with water splashing on to the door - an observer outside will be able to see water leaking through the door assembly.

 

[GAZ5518]

Agree with SJ Purdy... Silicon should only be applied externally as water that gets into wall profiles/Chanel's need to escape back into enclosure... Could be your problem..,

 

[Dhtiling]

That looks like a wedi shower tray. They really need to be supported well and the interface from the shower tray to the wall need extra attention to ensure it remains water tight. The littlest bit of movement over time can lead to issues.

 

[Meddler]

I also agree with Purdy and GAZ5518 that the shower enclosure frame may be the culprit.

Purdy’s suggestion may identify an obvious leak from the door / frame but also try using the shower without any water getting onto the door / frame. This may allow you to rule out any problems with the tiling / enclosure / drains etc. If the leak doesn’t show run the shower with the jet on the frame.

Frames should generally be sealed on the outside so that water can escape back into the shower enclosure. I cant see how your frame is sealed at the bottom but if you don't get an obvious dribble the water could be seeping from the bottom of the frame through the grout and collecting where the vertical surface meets the floor.

 

[mache]

A suggestion to rule out a leak in the waste would be to run a hose directly into the drain. No leak you know the waste is ok. You might then be able to try running the hose from different points on the floor. If you don't have the flow to high so the water just runs in the direction of the fall and doesn't over run other areas you might then prove if one area is suspect.

 

[mache]

Just to follow on if the floor proves ok then you might have problem through the wall tiles.