Testing For a Leaky Shower Pan
(without using a hammer)
Checking for cracked or missing grout
Finding moldy and/or broken grout at the bottom of your shower is a tell tale sign of leakage.
Visually inspect the lower part of your shower where the wall tile meets the floor tile. Pay attention to any moldy caulking, moldy and/or missing grout, fine or pronounced cracks in the grout especially where the wall and floor join.
Be sure to check where the step area (curb, ledge) meets the wall and floor. This is a common area where water can get inside.
Another area that can crack is where the horizontal tile on the step (curb, ledge) meets the vertical tile inside the shower. It’s not unusual to see this area swell up, especially on concrete backer board based showers.
Do not forget the lower corners of the shower where 2 walls and the floor come together. Mold is a sure sign of leakage. As water absorbs under the floor tile through cracks and missing grout, it absorbs in the concrete (referred to as mud) like a sponge and can cause topical caulking to mold and mildew.
While you are checking for cracks, check around the drain to make sure the grout has not cracked or washed away. Another sign to look for is a crack that either runs through a grout line or through a tile that either extends from the drain to one wall or extends from each side of the drain in 2 directions. This is a sign the concrete (mud) beneath the tile is cracked. This is a common problem in larger showers, yet still happens in the smaller ones. The repair solution is workable and does not involve ripping out your shower or the tiles.
Check the first 3 bottom rows of both the horizontal and vertical wall tilegrout lines for any signs of cracking and/or separation.
Visually checking the faucets for plumbing problems
If you have a one handle faucet handle I will want you to remove the handle and the silver face plate. Usually the handle is made of plastic and the front of the handle there is an insignia cap that will pop off if you wedge a knife between it. Once that pops off you will see a Phillips screw inside that you must unscrew. Carefully wiggle the plastic handle out.
Next remove the 2 screws from the face plate; then again you might need a knife to break the seal of the plate from the wall. Once you have the plate off, inspect the plumbing for any leaks. If you have a 2 handle system, obviously you can not do this.
Physically testing the faucets for leaks
On rare occasions the pipe that goes from the shower body to the shower head might be broken.
Test the taps by removing the shower head and screw on a ½" end cap plastic or metal in place of the showerhead. Besure to wrap some teflon tape around the threads of the pipe to insure a good seal. The cap can be purchased for under a dollar wherever plumbing supplies are sold, such as Home Depot or Lowes.
Once you have the cap on you are now ready to turn on first the cold water, then the hot. This test will pressurize the pipes going up to the shower head. If you see no new water, your faucets and water supply pipes to the shower head are fine.
On a one handle shower faucet it is very easy to see if anything leaks since you will have the plate off. On a 2 handle system it can be a little trickier. If you have a leak from the pipe that leads to the shower head, it might show up where ever your outside shower leak is manifesting.
Sometimes on a 2 handle system you might see water dripping from the faucet stems. The compression nut might need tightening, or the washers at the end of the stem that goes into the shower body might need changing.In some instances the entire shower body might need replacing.
Pipes that lead to the shower body are always pressurized. If you have a leak that never stops dripping outside the shower, it’s possible you have a broken pipe somewhere in the lines.
Checking for loose floor tile
Another indication that shows a leaky shower is the fact that the floor tiles might loosen up. This means that water is going between the tile and the mud.
Using a screw driver with one hand, tap the tiles around the perimeter of the shower, working your way to the center of the shower. Place your opposite handpalm down on the tiles approximately 6"-10" from where you are tapping. One hand is now tapping while the other hand is palm down. If you feel vibration in your hand while tapping, it’s an indication that the floor tiles are loose. Another sign of loose tiles is a hollow type of sound. The sound will feel as if the tiles are bouncing as you tap.
For a comparison of sound, tap the step area, then tap any random tile on the floor. Most of the time the step tapping sound is very solid, yet different from the floor and /or the walls. What we are looking for is consistency of sound on the floor. Hopefully that means solid sounding without vibration.
Checking for movement between the wall & floor tile
What we are going to do is check for movement between the wall tile and the floor tile. Place 2 or 3 fingers between the wall and the floor where they meet at a right angle. With you foot pound the floor and /or the wall nearest your fingers. Do this on multiple locations on each wall. You will find that most areas will feel pretty solid while some areas you might feel a vibration. If you feel a vibration on more than ¼ of you shower, it’s possible you probably have some hair line split in the grout or cracked and missing grout, indicating that this might be a location where water is seeping into.
Testing the drain for leaks
95% of all leaks come from leaking shower pans.
The best way to test the drain is by using a garden hose. If you can somehow manage to snake a garden hose into your shower that would be excellent. They do sell an adapter in the plumbing section of Home Depot that fits on one end where the shower head goes and the other end attaches to a garden hose. They also make an adapter that fits on the sink faucet that also allows you to screw a garden hose onto it.
The idea is to isolate where the water is going. In this case we want the water to strictly go down the drain without flooding the floor or spraying on the walls.
Lower a garden hose about aninch into the drain; turn on the hose, letting the water create a swirling effect on the top section of the drain as opposed to just sticking the hose straight into the drain. Be sure not to let the water flood all of the floor tiles. If your drain proves to be free of leakage, you have a shower pan problem.
You can also clog the drain and let the water fill up to the step. I usually cover the entire drain by crossing several layers of duct tape in different directions. Do this test when you are home for several hours. Some leaks will appear in a matter of minutes while other leaks may take a couple of hours.
Suppose you see nothing leaking after a few hours, then just letthe water sit overnight and in the morning if you still have no leakage, remove the duct tape. Check for leaks as the water goes down the drain. If it leaks, you most likely have a drain issue…or not. Read on!
Since 95% of all leaks come from leaky shower pans, doing a drain clog test only compounds a leaky pan problem. Then again it’s already leaking and this test will also confirm a leaky shower pan.
Checking a particular area that 99% of all plumbers never check – or mislead you into thinking you need a new drain.
Most older metaldrains, all newer PVC (white), ABS (black) drains have an area where water can seep through and cause leaks.
If the water takes a long time to fully go down the drain, hair buildup may be contributing to your leak problem. Remove the metal plate that is screwed onto the top of the drain. Next, take a metal coat hanger and slightly bend one end.Place the bent end into the drain and start fishing for hair. It’s not unusual to pull out large moldy clumps of hair.
Now, here is the part that plumbers miss. You have the drain cover off, place 2 fingers into the drain about an one and a half inches down feeling the side of the drain. You will feel a grooved out section. Since the drain is a multi part mechanism, what you are feeling is where the top visual part of the drain screws into the larger section of the drain. The larger section of the drain is actually divided into 2 section that sandwich the pan and where the weep holes are located.
Water can actually back into the part you have felt with your fingers, then travel into the drain mechanism eventually coming out where the drain sandwiches the pan. This will give the impression of a leaking drain. If you have access under your shower to see your pipes, you will notice water stains around the sub-floor near the pipes. The stains can be either from what I just described or water that migrates to where the pipe sandwiches the pan.
The water swirling from the hose test will usually pick up on this problem. Fixing this problem is easy enough. This usually involves cleaning the hair from the drain and clogging that gap you felt with your fingers with a quick dry concrete patch that is then coated with epoxy.
Confirming the leak by applying a very simple temporary way to stop it
Duct tape. This is the most amazing thing ever to be invented. Before I travel anywhere outside my state, I first must locate the leak and then solve it. I solve it by having the customer duct tape all the prime leaking areas.
What you are going to do is duct tape all the right angles on the lower part of the shower. This includes where the wall meets the floor, horizontal to vertical area on the step, corners, where the step meets the wall and floor, where the shower door tracks meet the tile(if needed).
In order for the duct tape to properly stick, you will want to clean the area’s with some “Fast Orange Hand Cleaner” purchased at any auto parts store. This is a waterless hand cleaner that acts as the world’s best tile and grout cleaner. After you used the FO cleaner, wipe the area clean with either denatured alcohol or rubbing alcohol.
Make sure you work the duct tape into all the grout line grooves so water does not pass through. Sometimes by using a hair drier on the duct tape, you will increase the adhesion of the tape to the tiles.