Aggie83
Well-Known Member
Looks like something Kohler would make
Yep. It was a Sterling
Are Shower drains supposed to be leak tight if the drain clogs?
- Thread starter ITTom80
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Yep. It was a Sterling
ITTom80
Member
Update for anyone curious: The builder rep stopped by with a moisture meter on Wednesday and determine that the baseboard was in fact damaged by water and still was retaining significant moisture.
He called a remediation company who arrive early the next day, and start their analysis. They turn on the shower and used a gadget to try to detect the water leak through the wall but determined there was none.
The builder rep arrives a short while later and the techs explain their findings. The builder rep then insisted they remove a portion of the wall to be absolutely positive. I observed the pipes in operation and at rest and can confirm that the pipes are not leaking:
They also removed the damaged baseboard and cut a chunk off the dryawall to expose the frame of the house. The shower has been running continuously for about an hour at this point, but even with the baseboard removed, there does not appear to be an active leak.
The techs did measure a significant amount of moisture in the wall:
So the remediation company theorized that there was probably some sort of water leaking outside the shower, onto the floor, and it was getting soaked up by the baseboard and/or there is some kind of hole in the caulking allowing water to get behind the marble.
They based this theory on the fact that the baseboard was observed as being more wet on the front vs. the back of the baseboard which was less damaged/less wet. Apologies I forgot to take a picture if the baseboard. However, I did observe it myself and I agree, it generally looked wetter from the front vs the back.
The techs then cut a gap in the drywall where the baseboard once was, remove some of the caulking in the shower, and loosen up another baseboard in a closet. They then place a large, very loud fan and aim it at the exposed wall frame:
At this point I am not fully convinced of the theory that the shower door or caulk is allowing water to leak water inside the wall and outside the shower. After all, my wife and I take great care to squeegee water off all the shower walls and door every time we shower- how could water be escaping when we open the door?
So I insist they call a plumber to come out and take a look, and he arrives early today (Friday) in the afternoon. He inspects the stall and of course immediately notices the missing caulk, which I explain was removed the day before by the remediation techs. He continues to examine the shower, looks at the piping, the fixtures, and the drain.
Then after a little while, he provides basically the same explanation for the water damage as the remediation techs, that water is escaping through gaps in the caulk and or shower, falling outside on the floor, and getting soaked up by the baseboard. He explains if it was the drain then other surrounding baseboards would show signs of water damage, which they do not.
I ask him how he came to that conclusion. He asks to borrow a cup, then fills it with water. He gets inside the shower and shuts the door. He then throws the water from the cup into the corner of the shower where the shower door hinge is, from a position similar to where I am standing in the pic below:
When the water hits the corner of the shower, to my surprise and amazement, a decent amount of water splashes outside the shower and beads up all over the exterior marble and floor- even while the shower door is completely shut.
The plumber then explains that water is probably more that could be done to seal up the shower door, and he says it will be up to the builder to figure that out. He says he will call the builder and report his findings, and I thank him before he leaves.
So I am starting to think that the water damage could be in fact due to loose caulking and gaps in the shower door. I am definitely happy that the wall was opened up and it is confirmed the pipes are not leaking.
However, there is still a small voice inside of me that still suspects the drain clog for the leak. Iām even thinking about testing it myself tomorrow using this method:
Am also going to figure out how to pop the strainer and inspect the gasket like Geofd suggested earlier in this thread.
The remediation company is coming back Monday to recheck the moisture. Assuming the moisture goal is reached, then the builder is already planning to come out next Wednsday to fix up the wall, carpet, basboards, and re-caulk the shower. I need to talk to the rep to see if they can do anything about making the seals around the shower door tighter as well.
Anyhow, thatās whatās going on. Didnāt want to leave you all hanging because I know youāre all losing sleep worrying about it like me haha j/k. Once again, appreciate all the help and suggestions from the replies in this thread.
He called a remediation company who arrive early the next day, and start their analysis. They turn on the shower and used a gadget to try to detect the water leak through the wall but determined there was none.
The builder rep arrives a short while later and the techs explain their findings. The builder rep then insisted they remove a portion of the wall to be absolutely positive. I observed the pipes in operation and at rest and can confirm that the pipes are not leaking:
They also removed the damaged baseboard and cut a chunk off the dryawall to expose the frame of the house. The shower has been running continuously for about an hour at this point, but even with the baseboard removed, there does not appear to be an active leak.
The techs did measure a significant amount of moisture in the wall:
So the remediation company theorized that there was probably some sort of water leaking outside the shower, onto the floor, and it was getting soaked up by the baseboard and/or there is some kind of hole in the caulking allowing water to get behind the marble.
They based this theory on the fact that the baseboard was observed as being more wet on the front vs. the back of the baseboard which was less damaged/less wet. Apologies I forgot to take a picture if the baseboard. However, I did observe it myself and I agree, it generally looked wetter from the front vs the back.
The techs then cut a gap in the drywall where the baseboard once was, remove some of the caulking in the shower, and loosen up another baseboard in a closet. They then place a large, very loud fan and aim it at the exposed wall frame:
At this point I am not fully convinced of the theory that the shower door or caulk is allowing water to leak water inside the wall and outside the shower. After all, my wife and I take great care to squeegee water off all the shower walls and door every time we shower- how could water be escaping when we open the door?
So I insist they call a plumber to come out and take a look, and he arrives early today (Friday) in the afternoon. He inspects the stall and of course immediately notices the missing caulk, which I explain was removed the day before by the remediation techs. He continues to examine the shower, looks at the piping, the fixtures, and the drain.
Then after a little while, he provides basically the same explanation for the water damage as the remediation techs, that water is escaping through gaps in the caulk and or shower, falling outside on the floor, and getting soaked up by the baseboard. He explains if it was the drain then other surrounding baseboards would show signs of water damage, which they do not.
I ask him how he came to that conclusion. He asks to borrow a cup, then fills it with water. He gets inside the shower and shuts the door. He then throws the water from the cup into the corner of the shower where the shower door hinge is, from a position similar to where I am standing in the pic below:
When the water hits the corner of the shower, to my surprise and amazement, a decent amount of water splashes outside the shower and beads up all over the exterior marble and floor- even while the shower door is completely shut.
The plumber then explains that water is probably more that could be done to seal up the shower door, and he says it will be up to the builder to figure that out. He says he will call the builder and report his findings, and I thank him before he leaves.
So I am starting to think that the water damage could be in fact due to loose caulking and gaps in the shower door. I am definitely happy that the wall was opened up and it is confirmed the pipes are not leaking.
However, there is still a small voice inside of me that still suspects the drain clog for the leak. Iām even thinking about testing it myself tomorrow using this method:
Am also going to figure out how to pop the strainer and inspect the gasket like Geofd suggested earlier in this thread.
The remediation company is coming back Monday to recheck the moisture. Assuming the moisture goal is reached, then the builder is already planning to come out next Wednsday to fix up the wall, carpet, basboards, and re-caulk the shower. I need to talk to the rep to see if they can do anything about making the seals around the shower door tighter as well.
Anyhow, thatās whatās going on. Didnāt want to leave you all hanging because I know youāre all losing sleep worrying about it like me haha j/k. Once again, appreciate all the help and suggestions from the replies in this thread.
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Is there a way to reverse the doors so that the door that leaks is fixed, and the one away from the shower valve slides, yes it would be more of a pain to turn on the shower but may solve the leaks, all you could do is ask t
No one popped the drain cover off ? 
Looking closer at your pics, it does appear to have a tiling flange. However, it looks like the installer pulled the base forward to fit the bench in. In that case if water leaks at the rear of the bench there is nothing to stop the water from going down the wall and under the base onto the subfloor. I believe that's your leak.
If I chose to cut a wall it wouldāve been where I could inspect the bench.
They couldāve remove the faucet trim to make sure the piping wasnāt leaking.
And from what Iāve read no one even popped the drain cover off.
They couldāve remove the faucet trim to make sure the piping wasnāt leaking.
And from what Iāve read no one even popped the drain cover off.
With the walls open have them dye test the drain, if they won't they are hiding something
Or they just don't know
Or they just don't know
ITTom80
Member
Do you mean reverse like have the shower door open inwards vs. outwards? I havenāt thought about that, but I was thinking of asking they swap the door to the other side of the shower.
I do kind of like the current configuration of the door and was think maybe the builder could just seal it up better.
That said, Iām still not buying the idea that my wife and I are spilling enough water through the gap in the door to cause that amount of damage. Maybe a few drops of water per shower might slip through the gap and thatās it. I still think either poor caulking somewhere or the drain is the real issue.
ITTom80
Member
No one popped the drain cover off ?
Right? I really get the feeling the builder is trying to sweep all this under a rug. Iām even considering just hiring another plumber myself to check everything properly, while the walls and baseboard are already opened up.
ITTom80
Member
You might be onto something here. When I look at the caulking on the bench from above, it looks ok. When I look at it at bench level height, there appear to be gaps. Left corner:
This gap in caulk about 1 ft away from left corner:
After I take showers, I tend to squeegee the water into that left corner of the bench, then onto the shower floor. In hindsight, I may be driving some of that water through these cracks!
Iāll show these pics to the builder and ask them to recaulk the whole shower for sure.
ITTom80
Member
Didnāt know about dye testing drain, but googled it and found this,
ā A 15 minute shower base dye flood test where we plug the shower drain, fill with water and test the shower base with dye looking for dye being drawn into any potential leak source.ā
Sounds intriguing! If I can convince the builder and their plumber to test the drain, I will ask them to dye test. More likely though Iāll have to either do it myself or ask a a third party plumber to do it.
Sorry for the posts, my phone is being interrupted by a storm. Anyway, the caulking has to be done by a pro. The way your bench is installed, the caulk is the only barrier you have to stop leaks. Not ideal, but doable. Your house is new, it will ' move' a little for the first few years. Keep an eye on the re- caulking if that's what you choose to do.
ITTom80
Member
Update 4/21/22: So about a month ago, my home builder- based on the assessment of the remediation company- attributed the water damage in my bathroom to a shower door leak. They fixed up the damage and told me to keep an eye on the shower door for signs of leakage. Things seemed ok for awhile but then last Friday about a month after the repair, I started to notice water damage again:
The builder brought in a specialist on Monday. The guy tested the drain but was unable to determine if the drain was the source. He told me to monitor the site of the damage for leaking for the next 24 hours but nothing ever materialized.
Today he came back and went right for the bench. He aimed the shower directly on top- which he also noticed was almost completely level to the ground and not angled like it probably should be- and lo and behold after about 20 minutes of running the shower, water began to leak out of the exposed wall at the baseboard:
@Twowaxhack your suspicion was correct- it was the bench leaking after all! Thank you for your input, I would have never suspected It.
Also thanks to everyone else who replied for all the helpful advice. It has definitely helped me understand many other potential points of failure in a shower stall. Hope this info will help others too!
The builder tells me theyāve already done chargebacks against the subcontractor for other similar plumbing issues in the neighborhood- I guess another neighbor did actually have a shower drain leak! I am going to work with him to hopefully have the subcontractor redo my entire shower without the bench. Not sure I trust the subcontractor to just recaulk the shower if it is already failing after less than 6 months after move in. Wish me luck!
The builder brought in a specialist on Monday. The guy tested the drain but was unable to determine if the drain was the source. He told me to monitor the site of the damage for leaking for the next 24 hours but nothing ever materialized.
Today he came back and went right for the bench. He aimed the shower directly on top- which he also noticed was almost completely level to the ground and not angled like it probably should be- and lo and behold after about 20 minutes of running the shower, water began to leak out of the exposed wall at the baseboard:
@Twowaxhack your suspicion was correct- it was the bench leaking after all! Thank you for your input, I would have never suspected It.
Also thanks to everyone else who replied for all the helpful advice. It has definitely helped me understand many other potential points of failure in a shower stall. Hope this info will help others too!
The builder tells me theyāve already done chargebacks against the subcontractor for other similar plumbing issues in the neighborhood- I guess another neighbor did actually have a shower drain leak! I am going to work with him to hopefully have the subcontractor redo my entire shower without the bench. Not sure I trust the subcontractor to just recaulk the shower if it is already failing after less than 6 months after move in. Wish me luck!
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