Shower floor installation leak...What went wrong?

[darrylb]

Hello everyone,

I have another post which more or less helped determine there is a leak in my shower floor: http://www.plumbingforums.com/forum/f9/yet-another-shower-drain-leak-3629/

After looking, I found the original pictures I took of each step of the shower floor build, but cant see any problem. Based on the pictures below, do you see anything obviously wrong? The reason I am primarily asking, is I will probably have to get this shower floor removed and rebuilt and am trying to learn what was done incorrectly.

Order of what was done:

1. Built frame/pony wall, and ledge for entry.
2. Layed down tar paper to seperate cement from wood
3. Put in 'dry-packed' cement with appropriate slope
4. Put down Oatey Liner
5. Put down Concrete Board
6. Tiled/Grouted

Oh, and any ballpark on how much its going to cost me to redo this, would be appreciated. Luckily, I still have matching tile (adequate enough) to rebuild just the shower area.

Thanks!

 

[johnjh2o]

How did you fold the corners on the pan liner? They don't look right to me. It could be the picture. Take a look at the first method in this video.
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXQsPVYekBE[/ame]
John

 

[darrylb]

Ill check the video and try to compare to what I remember.

I didn't do the corners but hired a licensed plumber and handyman to do the shower pan as I was trying to avoid leaks... that worked out (or not...).

If that's the problem, atleast I might not need to redo the concrete...

 

[havasu]

Those corners on the liner look pretty deformed to me and they may have been punctured when the concrete backer board was installed.

 

[darrylb]

Thanks guys. I now am leaning towards to my problem being related to the liner. I dont recall us using the caulking they used in that video. I also know that he used a lot of nails, and the folds were definately not as 'crisp' as that video showed. I am thinking the leak might be around the pony wall, as thats where I see the water coming from and getting to under the bathtub. The good news is this might mean that if we do proper demo, we only will need to redo the liner assuming no damage to the concrete slab.

What am I looking for at cost to remove and repair? I am not asking exact, but is there any ballpark range someone can give me? (assuming the slab is fine)

 

[havasu]

Has the tile been installed yet? I would begin with the easiest and re-install your drain using sealant and again check for leaks.

 

[eergie]

I'd recommend using the pan all the way up the pony wall or you will eventually have water issue's there too.

 

[darrylb]

Good evening everyone,

I began getting quotes, and ran into a bit of a problem in my understanding...

My last quote, came with a "step by step breakdown". This latest guy wants to put in a sand-mix AFTER installing the liner. So the liner would be put down directly on top of the subfloor, and then a sand-mix after, then then tile to that. My concern is, when I was doing the initial build, my inspector made me have the concrete slab first, then put the liner down, then the tile.

How do I know which needs to occur? I realize that I dont need a permit to do a repair like this, but I tend to wonder why the Orlando inspector would do it one way, but two seperate companies havnt heard of his way, and want to put the liner down first, then a mortar or sand mix?

Thanks.

 

[phishfood]

It is required by code that the flooring underneath the liner be sloped to the drain so that any water that makes it through the tile has gravity assisting it to the drain. Then another layer of sand mix or what have you to actually set the tile to. If the installer has never heard of presloping the floors, then they have not been getting inspections from Orlando or Orange County inspectors on their installations.

 

[darrylb]

Thanks. I will use that as a factor determining if the contractor I use knows what they are doing.

Still wish you were in orlando

 

[phishfood]

I am in Orlando almost daily.

 

[darrylb]

Hah, fair enough--wasnt sure if you were limited to lake county .

Would you be interested in bidding on this job? Im looking for bids for the full job if at all possible, though I can do demo and glass removal.

 

[phishfood]

No, I am not much of a tile, drywall, etc guy. I stick to plumbing, it is what I know how to do without having to wonder if i did it properly, or gave the customer a good job.

 

[bentley06]

Thanks for sharing. No offense, but your post confirms my decision to sub contract a custom shower pan install on a project I will be taking on next week. Your work and pics look great and I wouldn't have a clue where you went wrong. Having very little experience with pouring shower pans, I'm not willing to take the risk and I will let the expert do the job.

 

[darrylb]

bentley06: Completely hear you there. Definately support having this part done by a pro.

I just found a contractor, who I met at my Floor and Decor, whom I later found was a Lowes contractor. He was not aware of the sloping code changes, but researched them and confirmed them for Orlando and is going to make sure to take care of it accordingly. Also, he is taking care of the full demolition, glass removal and reinstall, for what ended up being the best offer I had received. Top that off with he being licensed and insured, he was the most qualified, most experienced, and the best price. Cant ask for much better than that!

Now that I am also more aware of the process, I can be home and glance at it a bit occasionally as well

Darryl