Dry wall next to shower on either side spongy(on ouside of shower doors), outside tiles discolored, swollen floor from moisture, mold on linoleum. Pan appears to be solid, shower sliding doors removed and no sign of leakage (rust) around screws holding it in place, some of tile removed as obviously wet on outside of shower but no evidence of pooling water behind tile inside shower. Holes cut in wall and plumbing appears to be okay ie dry. We have had our builder to the house twice in warranty period and they did nothing to solve problem and now we have a bigger problem ie swollen sub floor, water damage on wall and baseboards, swollen door jam obvious water marks. They have come back to try and help us solve source of leaking but plumber and tile contractors that came can not determine the source of leak. What would you do? I suggested to my husband ripping the whole thing out and re-doing it but we really can not afford this. We have already had a claim on house insurance due to slow leak in brand new fridge since we moved into house and had to have entire first floor laminate replaced and our undermounted sink fell off the granite in the second year of living in brand new house(which we also had to pay for). Any suggestions/advice appreciated. Thank you in advance.
Jodie
Although you gave a whole lot of information there, I'm still having a bit of trouble visualizing exactly where the wet areas are. Can you post some pictures of the appropriate areas (perhaps even photo edit them to point at the bad spots if its not obvious). How far away from the wall that has the plumbing is the wet area (or is it the wall with the plumbing)? This is a tough one to answer ...»
As an aside, you might consider having a third party professional come and look at it for you (not somebody associated with the original builder). I have experienced it in the past where the guys there for "warranty work" were not able to find any problems, though when I was called in (not associated with builder) the problem was obvious. We could probably never prove it, but we suspect the builder didn't want to fork out the money to have the problem fixed on their dime - thus "there is no problem here..."
From the sound of things with other problems you've had there, the builder may have cut some corners and now you have to live with the result.
From your comment it sounds like the drain to shower pan connection may be the source of the leak. If the liner is pinched in this area a small bit of water will leak out while you shower and travel down the side of the drain to sub floor. Can you see the drain from the basement or crawl space? It may show a bit of water stain or marks. ...»
Sounds as if the tile installer may be to blame. Only way to fix this is complete removal of the shower floor and pan.
Jodie
Yes it is very possible. I have seen showers leak in this area many times and never show from below.
If you have a plastic shower pan the issue is with the drain connection. There is a rubber gasket that gets secured tight around the pvc pipe drain by screwing a disk down from within the shower drain opening. If you remove the metal screen on the floor you will see a plastic ring with slots ...»
As far a water travel, yes water can move all sorts of ways.
Other reasons for leaks can be the shower faucets. If the packing on these leak water can spray back into the wall without showing any signs from within the shower itself.
Jodie
Condensation can oftentimes manifest its self behind shower and bath walls due to poor vapor barriers and poor insulation.
In any case you now have removed the damaged materials. Here is what you need to do next. ...»
Clean and lightly sand the exposed framing materials. Once that has been done purchase any good quality anti-microbial primer. Zinzer products come to mind here.
Paint the exposed framing up about 24 inches or so and put it on heavy. This will help assure that if any dampness gets behind wall again that the environment is less likely to support any future mold development.
Then you need to insulate the outside walls. I suggest that you foam any joints and or seams surrounding each cavity with any good quality spray foam in a can. This prevents any air leaks which carries moisture that can cause mold development. Seal pipe openings wires etc.
Then install Non-faced insulation. If you cannot find it, remove the craft paper off the stuff that is available. Then install this within the wall cavity. It should stick and fill each wall cavity and not fall down. Be sure to fill the wall. Do not push it into the wall as you want the surface of the insulation to come into direct contact with the vapor barrier your about to install.
Then install a 6 mill plastic vapor barrier on the wall. Try to do the wall in one piece and if need be tape any seams tightly to prevent any moisture from getting through.
Once your ready for the shower I suggest you look into Schluter systems to construct the shower. http://www.schluter.com/8_1_kerdi.aspx Their web site has videos and lots of helpful information that can assist you in getting that shower you always wanted.
Bob
Jodie
If this wall that shows the worst moisture problem is opposite the shower head so that it sprays against that wall, it is highly likely that the spray is driving moisture through the grout and the backing.
The way to build a showerwall is as follows; A VB such as heavy plastic, tarpaper, or other ...»
Then the tile backing should be a Hardiboard or other Cement based backing panel. A sheetrock or gysum bd is not appropriate for a damp location like this.
Finally the tiles are applied, preferably with thinset and now with mastic. After they are grouted and the grout cures, The corners should be caulked with a colour matching tile caulk. Finally a grout sealer should be applied.
When a shower door track is installed, a caulk like silicone or Geocel should be placed between the rail and the tile as it is set in place. then a fine bead of the same applied to the edge seam inside the shower stall.
My bet he ios that the builder applied tiles directly tio the sheetrock, and a permeable unsealed grout allowed the shower spray to drive water thru the assembly into the wall