Common Signs Archives - Leaky Showers | Shower Repairs Brisbane

Feb

A Guide to Expert Waterproofing

Waterproofing balconies and bathrooms are essential to keeping any home safe from water damage – but it’s also necessary to work with experts like Leaky Showers to get the job done right! This article will review the basics of waterproofing, why it is important, and where to find the best waterproofing repairs in South Brisbane.

The Basics of Waterproofing
Waterproofing repairs on leaking showers and balconies prevent moisture from passing through them causing structural damage to the internal frame of your home. In simple terms, a waterproof membrane is applied in a thick layer that keeps all moisture from leaching into areas of your home that are vulnerable to water.
For example, it could be dangerous if your shower leaks into the floors causing the wood to rot or deteriorate. This is extremely dangerous (and expensive!) if your shower is on the second story of your home. However, there will inevitably be water in your shower, so you must apply waterproofing materials to keep it contained. In industry terms, this process is a part of shower resealing.
According to the Australian building code, waterproofing is required anywhere in your home that has a water outlet. This includes your shower, laundry room, bathrooms, and other areas.
Your shower floors and walls must be waterproofed, in addition to your bathroom walls. Interestingly, if your shower is on the second story, you are required to waterproof the entire room – especially if the flooring is made out of wood!

Why Is Waterproofing Important?
So, why is working with an expert in waterproofing essential?
Well, as you might be aware, water is a very corrosive substance and can do a lot of damage to your home. If water seeps through your floors or walls and goes undetected, it can cause numerous problems. Wet or rotting wood will also attract termites that can cause extensive damage as they eat their way through the timber frame of your home.

Jan

Leaking Balcony Repairs – Brisbane

If you notice that water is leaking from your balcony, then it’s time to call in the experts at Leaky Showers. Balcony waterproofing is an essential aspect of keeping your home safe and in good condition. If you have a leaking balcony, then keep reading to learn why you shouldn’t delay in getting it repaired!

Don’t Wait to Repair Your Leaking Balcony
Your balcony is one of the most unique aspects of your home, especially if you live in an apartment. It’s a great outdoor space designed to entertain guests on or relax and enjoy the view from. However, this space can become problematic if there are water leaks that result in damage to your property.

Think about this – your balcony really is exposed to every weather condition imaginable. For example, sudden drops or increases in temperature, light rain or even hail. These sudden shifts in temperature can result in the materials on your balcony deteriorating leading to water leaking into the structure of your balcony and in the worst-case scenario, your home. Cracked grout, degraded tiles and eroded waterproof membrane can all be factors that can lead to balcony leaks not to mention costly repair bills.

Regardless of what’s causing the leak, it needs to be repaired sooner rather than later if you’re to prevent the water damage from entering the internal structure of your apartment or home. If you find water pooling on your balcony or water damage to your internal walls or ceiling, then you need to invest in repairing your leaking balcony ASAP!

Avoid Further Water Damage
One of the best ways to avoid water damage in the future is to invest in balcony waterproofing. Waterproofing your balcony needs to be done by a professional waterproofer and it needs to adhere to Australian standards. Using the wrong type of waterproof product or incorrectly applying it may result in your balcony leaking again. This can lead to another costly fix and the potential for the water to cause more damage in and around your home. If you want to avoid further water damage in the future it’s important to make sure your repairer is skilled in the art of waterproofing before you hire them to complete your repairs.

Avoid Health Concerns
An area that’s continuously wet can lead to the growth of fungus and mould which can lead to some real health concerns. Allergies and respiratory issues can both result from the inhalation of certain types of fungus and mould. People who are sensitive to the tiny air born spores from fungus and mould may display symptoms like a runny nose, cough or red and itchy eyes. Whilst these symptoms may not be life-threatening they really are unpleasant to have to live with on a daily basis. If you want to avoid health concerns in your home or apartment, have you leaking balcony serviced by a professional repairer as soon as you notice any water leaks.

Contact Leaky Showers Today
If you need a leaking balcony repair in Brisbane, then contact the experts at Leaky Showers today!

We understand the importance of protecting your greatest asset, and we have 20 years of experience with waterproofing in Queensland, from Burleigh Heads to Bracken Ridge. Our highly trained technicians will provide a free moisture and pressure test with every quote, and all of our work is guaranteed to give you peace of mind when you hire us.

We can provide a quote within 72 hours, and we pride ourselves on professional and friendly service. As the top company for leaking balcony repairs in Brisbane, many real estate and title agents come to us first for waterproofing needs.

As you can see, a leaking balcony can cause a wide variety of issues, so don’t take the chance that the damage can progress – call us today so we can begin your repairs ASAP!

Jan

Is It Time You Got Your Shower Repaired By An Expert?

If you have a leaking shower or notice water pooling around your bathroom, you may need to invest in the experts in Brisbane shower repairs. Keep reading to learn if it’s time you got your shower repaired!

Avoid Further Water Damage
Perhaps the most obvious way to know that it’s time to repair your shower is if you find water leaks in your bathroom. Water is one of the most damaging substances your home may encounter and a leaking shower can cause extensive water damage not just in your bathroom but also throughout your home leaving you with a hefty repair bill.

If you’ve noticed pooling water or water spots around your shower then it may be time to get your shower repaired.

To prevent any further water damage, contact the Brisbane shower experts and we’ll quickly repair your shower leak to prevent the issue from getting worse!

Protect Your Biggest Asset
Your home is your biggest asset, and you should, therefore, be trying to protect it as much as you can so it maintains resale value. Water leaks in your bathroom are a pain, but more importantly, they can damage the home that you’ve worked so hard to acquire. A leaking shower may seem like a small thing but it really can lead to catastrophic results. For example, water leaking from your shower can damage plaster, flooring, and even the timber joists in your floors and walls. Water can even leach into the framework of your bathroom door causing the timber to bow and the door to no longer close properly.

However, if you invest in the experts in Brisbane shower repairs early on, you can safeguard your largest asset and prevent the leaking shower from reducing the value of your home.

Dec

Leaking Shower? Call in the Brisbane Shower Experts!

If your shower is leaking, it may be time to call in the Brisbane shower experts. This guide will give you some insights into the common causes of water leaks in the bathroom – and when it is time to seek professional help.

Your Tiles Are Not Waterproof
When the tiles in your shower are not sealed properly, they will not be waterproof. Lack of sealant will cause the water that sits at the base of your shower to seep through your flooring. This water flow can cause an incredible amount of water damage throughout the rest of your bathroom.

Well, this may not be a terrible problem if your shower is on the 1st floor, but a second-story bathroom with a leaking shower could result in water coming through your ceilings, mould build up or the need to repair extensive areas of your walls.

Don’t wait to get this problem resolved before it gets worse – contact leaking shower experts who can reseal your tiles and prevent any further damage.

Dec

How To Stop A Leaking Shower Without Removing Tiles

A leaking shower is one of the most frustrating issues to happen in your home. Not only are they difficult to resolve, but it can be hard to detect if they’re even leaking at all!

How Do You Know if You Have a Leak?

There are a few ways to identify a leaky shower. One of the most common signs is finding water leaks in the bathroom. These may be on the ceiling or directly below the shower, the key is to notice a water stain and then try to trace it back to the cause.

Nov

HELP! My Shower Is Leaking

A leaking shower is an unpleasant plumbing problem to have. If you’re finding yourself faced with this issue, the thought that’s most likely running through your head right now is why it’s happening.
These common causes can give you a clue.

Causes of Leaking Shower

Jun

Help! My Shower Is Leaking…

Why do showers leak? Aren’t they supposed to be waterproof?

Having everything function in your home the way it was intended to is a beautiful thing. Irrespective of how perfect we want our homes to be, it is unfortunately not always the case. Shower screens, taps, bathtubs or even electrical appliances usually develop one fault or another at some point in the life of the product. Of all the faults that can come up in our homes, a leaking shower stands above the others in how it can affect the running of a home. Think about this for a second, walking downstairs or even into the kids rooms on a Monday morning only to discover a wet patch on the floor along with bubbling paint and damaged walls.

It brings a truly horrid sinking feeling in your stomach that makes you wonder “Aren’t showers supposed to be waterproof…how on earth can it just suddenly start leaking”?

You don’t need to get yourself stressed out about whether your shower is properly waterproofed or not. The truth is, leaking showers are a frequent occurrence in homes all around Brisbane and the Gold Coast (especially upstairs where there is likely to be more movement) and they can happen anytime to anyone.

Leaking showers can cause major problems such as mould, weakening of building structures, cracks to walls, loose tiles and a whole lot of other issues. It is important all homeowners understand why showers leak in the first place and what the major causes can be…Let’s take a look.

Why do showers leak?

There are a whole lot of reasons why showers leak, moving of your slab under the house, movement in earthworks and house footings, poor tiling and even poorly fitted shower screens can cause your shower to suddenly start leaking. This is the case with the below

The shower pictured below was recently re-tiled and it was very well done, as far as tiling goes. It was neat and lined up and at first glance, you couldn’t tell what the actual cause of the leak was. The problem it turns out was that the shower screen was not removed when it was re-tiled, This in turn allowed water to get in behind the tiles which caused a host of issues. The tiles had been fixed with silicon on the inside of the hob and they started to fall off.

What are the limitations in waterproofing?

In answering the question “Aren’t showers supposed to be waterproof?” Well, the simple answer is…yes!

But wait there is a small catch, only a small portion of the shower is actually waterproof and this is called the waterproof membrane. Every other part of your shower is susceptible to water damage. If the shower membrane is poorly installed or develops holes or becomes frail, shower leakages are bound to occur and will only be a matter of time.

See below: This hob at the end of the bath, its little wonder why it was leaking every time the kids had a bath! Water just poured through the deteriorated grout and underneath the tiles there was just no waterproofing at all.

May

The most common causes of leaking showers and balconies

Has your balcony or shower started leaking?

If you’re like most people when this happens you want answers. There are so many different reasons for a shower or balcony to start leaking that it would be easier if we split the two up. Let’s discuss a leaking shower first. There are only two reasons why your shower is leaking through to downstairs or adjacent rooms. Reason number one is the pipes or taps are leaking behind the walls. The picture below shows the damage that your leaking shower causes when left to long before being repaired:

When a pipe leaks, the water will be bound by gravity and the path of least resistance causing it to end up behind bathroom walls and the waterproof membrane. When leaking pipes are the cause of your problems, the repair bill can range from very small or quite expensive depending on where the leak is.

When we provide a quote on repairing a leaking shower the very first thing we do is a pressure test. This allows us to determine if leaking pipes is the problem. This is very important because there is no point in resealing a shower properly if the pipes are leaking behind the shower walls. This picture (below right) shows a pressure test being done on the pipes.

We see leaking showers every single day and the symptoms are always the same – water making its way through the walls or floor to the downstairs or adjacent rooms. After talking to hundreds of people about their leaking showers and listening to all different diagnoses it is evident that on the surface there looks to be a host of potential reasons for water damage but the problem is actually beneath the surface.

The second common reason for a leaking shower is related to the waterproofing. Before tiling, a shower must be waterproofed correctly to ensure any water that happens to get through the grout still finds its way to the waste. Unfortunately, many showers have not been waterproofed correctly if at all.

If waterproofing has been done correctly years of use and shifting of the home over time can cause a waterproof membrane to fail. If this happens you have 2 options. Option 1 is to re-seal the shower. This can be done if the leaking has not been left too long causing damage to the walls and floor. By this stage, it really is quite impossible to reseal a shower properly. Option 2 is to rebuild the shower which is often the best way forward if you want to update your shower or bathroom.

Leaking tiled balconies differ from showers in that there are no taps, shower heads or pipework that can cause leaks. Below is a picture of pipework that has been fixed for a shower.

Balconies also leak due to poor waterproofing or no waterproofing at all. Balconies are exposed to the elements and therefore much harsher conditions than internal bathrooms. This means the floor joints and substructure must be of high quality to withstand this exposure. (Below Right) is a picture of the floor joints being fixed on a balcony. Balconies must also be able to withstand a lot more weight and movement. If not, the chances of the waterproof membrane failing under the balcony increases. Balconies also have sliding doors or windows which add to potential areas for water penetration and therefore leaking. If the balcony is leaking the problem can usually be fixed by re-sealing the entire area without having to remove all the tiles or spending thousands.