Leaking shower - How much to replace? Is it worth fixing?

[Halcyon]

Hi everyone,


Ive got a leaking shower and have worked out it's coming from underneath the shower tray.
The problem is it is all sealed in so to get to the under shower part to check plumbing is near impossible without causing damage.


So I'm wondering if it's worth the damage or if it is just worth replacing the whole shower?


Anyone been in a similar situaiton?
Thanks all.

[GrimUpNorth]

Possibly a silly question, but are you sure the leak is in the plumbing and not an issue with the seal around the shower tray?

Yes, I’d say the most likely cause is failed sealant around the shower tray. It’s far less common for pipes to just spring a leak. Even if the sealant looks fine when you kneel down to inspect it, the weight of someone standing on the tray to use the shower may open a gap. Better to spend £10 on a cartridge of bathroom silicone sealant and re-do the bead betweeen the tray and the wall first. See if that stops it before planning to do more destructive and expensive work.

It’s also worth checking if water runs outside the tray at all while the shower is in use. A bit of water on the bathroom floor isn’t going to cause a problem if it’s appropriately covered, but the shower tray should have silicone beads where it meets the wall and the floor outside of the shower cubicle as well.

[spiderplant]

Originally Posted by Halcyon

Anyone been in a similar situaiton?

All too often, but I'm afraid I have no simple solution. As Grim says, it's usually a sealant or grout leak rather than the plumbing. We have had to resort to cutting a hole in the ceiling below and through the wall from a neighbouring bedroom to find where the water was coming from - turns out it's very good at running along joists.

My lesson learned is not to get a wet room again.

[Halcyon]

Originally Posted by GrimUpNorth

Possibly a silly question, but are you sure the leak is in the plumbing and not an issue with the seal around the shower tray?

So it started with water leaking through the ceiling into the lounge.
I feared it was a pipe under the floor boards but when I went to check the airing cupboard which is right above, the water is at floor level and then seeping down. So that eliminated the under floor pipes.


So since the floor was wet, I began to see water coming through under the skirting board. The shower is directly behind this wall.


Leak only happens when shower is run and none of the showers water supply piping is wet. Have traced those completly. No issue.


Looking around shower the seals all look fine, have checked it out.


The shower was only being used about 20 minutes so thats why I'm thinking waste water pipe or somewhere along there.

[Taf]

Pour a bucketful of water into the tray.

If it drains quickly, no problem, but if it's sluggish it could be blocked by hair and ****.

The seal around the drain can fail. Unscrew the retaining screw and either replace the top gasket or apply a bead of silicone before refitting the cover.

Check the silicone around the edges. It only takes a tiny crack to allow water to pass. If it has failed, remove it all and apply silicone using a Cramer Fugi Profiling Tool (or similar) NOT your finger.

[Halcyon]

Thanks Taf. Will take a look after work tonight.