JASON PETTINATO TILE HAS BEEN SELECTED AS A PARTICIPANT FOR UPDATING
THE:
2011 TILE (C54) CALIFORNIA STATE EXAM
Leaking Shower Pan
Leaking shower pans should be inspected by a licensed plumber and tile contractor. It could be a plumbing problem like a cracked pipe or mixer valve or a shower pan failure behind the tile. If you want to do a quick test get a rag and plug the shower drain. Now slowly turn on the shower or pour water into the pan. If you see water coming out under the walls onto the bathroom or hallway floor, then it's most likely a pan failure. If you can't see any water leaking then it could be a pipe failure. A thorough tile inspection includes possible mildew and or termite damage to wood studs.
Having the plumbing and tile checked out will be the way to go. Plan on having some tile removal work performed in an attempt to find the leak. Once the problem has been found and fixed, it's time to decide if you want the shower repaired or replaced. ceramictilepro will explain the differences between the two. A repair job is considered a "patch job" which is not the best looking alternative as you could imagine. especially if the tile is no longer available. You would have a two-tone shower with the patch work starting from the pan up to approx 2 feet.
Deciding to go with all new tile is the preferred way here. It's just very difficult to create a water tight shower with a patch job. There will be a weak point where the new and old mortar or backer board meets which can crack and leave an opening for water to get back behind the walls which may not be detected for a long time! Chances are that the shower pan has been around for a period of time and served it's purpose for many years. It would only make sense to replace with new in my opinion. This is where trying to save money may turn around and bite you in the long run. Check out How To Tile a Shower to get a more detailed idea of installing tile for showers.
Leaking shower pans can happen for many different reasons like noted above. The bottom line is that you can get the problem resolved fairly quickly and correctly with the approach that I mentioned. I work with a major plumbing company and do all their repair work. We can usually get you back and running in a reasonable amount of time.
