How to fix leak from wall adjacent to shower?

[vinguyen236]

I have a fully contained shower behind the wall. The grout in the shower is brand new, and the wall where the shower is mounted on shows no sign of water damage. Recently (the last 2 days) have seen water leakage from the foot of the wall pictured above, where the shower is behind that wall. Where the cracks are on the frame is also where the water leaks out onto the floor - the water looks clean (not dirty shower water). 

I had some plumber coming over for a quote and they have quoted a replacement of the whole shower unit - which I think is excessive as the shower looks brand new. My property has only been 7-8 years old. 

Could I have some opinion on the issue I might have causing this leakage?

[EricL]

Hello @vinguyen236 

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's sensational to have you join us, and thanks for sharing your question about your shower leaking.

If the grout lines are new, did your handyperson change the silicone seals at the side and did they seal the shower grout and tiles? If they did not, I suggest changing the silicone seals and using CPC 220ml Shower Plug Sealant to seal the tiles and grout.

However, if after these repairs you still get a leak, odds are your tiled floor has been compromised, this means that the shower and tiles will need to be removed. The waterproofing will need to be re-applied and your shower reassembled.

If you need further assistance, please let me know.

Eric

[vinguyen236]

Hi Eric, thank you for your response. I have checked and I don't think the silicon seal has been damage as there is no water leaking directly from the shower. There is only water leaking from behind the wall outside the bathroom, from the bottom of the wall. Would you know what might cause this?

[EricL]

Hello @vinguyen236 

There are only two possible sources of water coming from your shower. It is either a plumbing leak or a shower leak. If it is a plumbing leak water will continuously come out of your wall. If it is a shower leak it will only come out when someone is in the shower, that's why I suggested to refresh your silicone seals and seal your shower. 

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric

[vinguyen236]

Hi Eric - I have resealed the bathroom as you mentioned above, I’ll wait a couple of days for it to dry before using the shower to see if the leak is still there. 

However I noticed that the shower handle plate comes off, could this be why it there was leaking also behind the wall? 
There is no screws behind the plate, how can stick it back on?

Thank you

Vi

[JacobZ]

Hi @vinguyen236,

It's certainly possible that water can get in behind a loose cover plate on your shower handle.

Without seeing it, I could only hazard a guess as to how it can be stuck back on. You'll have to upload photos of the shower plate so I can assist.

Once you've uploaded your photos, I will be happy to assist further.

Jacob

[vinguyen236]

Thanks for responding Jacob. Please see some more photos of the shower plate and behind it. 
Please let me know if this gives you an idea or happy to provide more photos 

Vi

 

 

[JacobZ]

Hi @vinguyen236,

It's obviously difficult to take a photo of the back of the plate, but can you feel a raised ring on the back of the plate? Something like this?

Cover plates like this often friction fit over a piece at the base of the tap handle. From your photos, it looks like there may be a piece that is partially concealed by the silicone that the plate would press onto. 

If you can feel a ring on the back of the cover plate, you may be able to tidy up the silicone a bit so you can press the plate onto the base. 

With this being said, you will still need to use silicone such as this Selleys 300g Clear Wet Area Waterproof Silicone Sealant to stick the plate in place and provide additional protection from the water, but if you can utilise the ring properly, this would be ideal.

Let me know what you find. Once you've gotten back to me I will be happy to assist further.

Jacob

[vinguyen236]

Hi Jacob yes I did find a raised ring on the back of the plate. There’s a black silicone ring as you can see from the photo also.

I can try cleaning up the silicone to see if the plate can be placed onto the base. 

I have some Liquid Nails at home also do you think I can use that to stick the plate back, then seal the outline with waterproof silicone? 

Vi

[JacobZ]

Hi @vinguyen236,

Ideally, if you can clean up the silicone, you won't need to use anything to stick the plate on.

If you do need to, I wouldn't use liquid nails as it will make it incredibly difficult to remove to service the tap.

If you must use something to stick it in place, just use silicone.

Let me know if you have any further questions.

Jacob