Leaking Shower to Crawl Space?

Question

The shower is leaking around the edges of tile....bad caulking and grout job. That being said, at what point should the subflooring be replaced? While under the house, the wood was soft as I located where it was dripping. Since that time, we have quit using the shower in hopes of it drying out some, but not sure if this is the best course of action. How soft is too soft, and if I replace the grout/caulk and don't replace the floor...how long should I wait to turn shower back on and go under house again to check for leaks while my wife is running the shower?

Thanks for any responses.

Answer 1

The shower leak doesn't have anything to do with the grout or the caulk or silicone. Grout is porous and is not water proof and water in a shower is constantly seeping through the grout and flowing into the second stage of the two stage drain from under the tile as designed and expected. The shower should be waterproof before the tile and grout is even installed! So if there is a leak through the floor under the shower there is a breach in the waterproofing membrane and the vapor barrier. There is absolutely no way to fix this problem without tearing out the tile. At this stage you probably have mold growing under and around the shower inside the walls. The tile needs to come out so you can find the leak in the liner so you might just as well start over and replace the sub floor. As the sub floor gets weaker, the mudset shower floor will begin to sag and crack along with the tiles and then you're dead in the water anyway. I can't say it loud enough with this keyboard but the shower is a loss and if you don't address the probable mold issue, your problem will be much larger in no time.

For your new shower you should consider the Schluter shower system. These are completely waterproof, vaporproof, and fully warrantied. www.schluter.com

Actually, go to this link and read about showers and grout and it should clear up your question! http://www.schluter.com/4625.aspx

Answer 2

The wall-to-floor joint should be caulked with a silicone rubber compound that will remain flexible. If there is actual grout in there, you'll need to dig it out so that you can get a decent bead of caulk in there. Wall-to-floor joints that are grouted are notorious for separating and cracking due to building movement.

How long it will take to dry (and hopefully solidify somewhat) will depend on the temp and humidity under there. A fan may help speed up the process.

If wall-to-wall joints are grouted and are also cracked, that can be another source of leakage, and those should also be cleaned and/or caulked.

It sounds like the moisture proofing wasn't done or was done inadequately prior to the tiling, and that can present an ongoing problem. However, if you check it occasionally, you might be able to get away without ripping the whole thing out and starting over. Best of luck!

Answer 3

If the subfloor and any joists under it have soft spots, you already have wood rot/damage. Plan on a sizeable repair job here. The only proper way to do the repair is to replace the damaged subfloor and repair all leaks. You MAY be able to handle the subfloor issue from the crawl space, such that you don't have to tear out the shower entirely to access the subfloor.