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Jun
21
Help! My Shower Is Leaking…
  • Posted By : amy/
  • 0 comments /
  • Under : Common Signs, Leaking Shower, Shower Repairs, Uncategorised

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
22
The most common causes of leaking showers and balconies
  • Posted By : amy/
  • 0 comments /
  • Under : Common Signs, Waterproofing

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.

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  • Shower Repairs
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ABOUT LEAKY SHOWERS
  • 20 years experience repairing showers in QLD from Burleigh Heads to Bracken Ridge.
  • Fully trained leaky shower professionals.
  • Free pressure and moisture test with every quote.
  • Preferred shower repairer to many real estate and strata title agents.
  • Professional friendly service.
  • All work guaranteed.
  • Quotes arranged within 72 hours.
Recent Posts
  • Is It Better To Repair Or Replace Bathroom Tiles? August 22, 2019
  • Will All Showers Need To Be Resealed At Some Point? June 12, 2019
  • Dripping Shower Vs. Leaking shower April 5, 2019
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info@leakyshowers.com.au

PO Box 552 Ormeau QLD 4208

 

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