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The bathrooms in my house were renovated in 1990, so by now, there's issues here and there. My basement shower is leaking from under the frame after using the shower. It's not a big leak, and is something I can wipe up after I shower, but I can't quite figure out why it is leaking. When I first moved into this house in 2010, a handyman caulked all the seams. I did note that the weep holes on the bottom frame are not blocked. It isn't the prettiest of jobs as he just caulked over the prior falling apart caulk. And when I asked him about the seams in the enclosure, he says that water will flow there and into the drain. When I bought the house, it already had the brownish stains that I tried to clean off. Now that I take a better look, it seems it may have overflowed at some point? I notice the same brown stains on the tiles outside the shower on the same level.
So the questions I have now are:
Is this something where I just need to have someone redo the caulking job properly and it may fix the issue?
If not, can you just remove the door to fix and reinstall back without tearing apart the tiles next to the shower?
Or do I have to just save up money and get a brand new shower in the future?
Is there a reason why there'd be brown stains in the upper seams that the handyman tells me that water will just flow to the drain? It looks to be old and does not look to be leaking there?
I have 2 bathrooms, and rarely use the basement shower. Had to use it lately because upstairs jet tub was leaking around the jets into the tub. That TOO is 24 years old. That one I plan on replacing sometime next year, but it will put me in massive debt if I have redo both bathrooms. What do you guys think is the best possible solution to this issue?
1st have a plumber evaluate the problem areas. This shouldn't cost you anything for an estimate. It sounds like you have old leaking plumbing behind the wall/fixtures and will have to be replaced or repaired. This is what the plumber will evaluate. Caulking to prevent water seeping out is going to cost you a lot of headache/money with rot and molds.
First step is remove ALL the caulk and re caulk it correctly. The caulk may be seeping. If that is not the problem, have a plumber evaluate the plumbing for leaks under the shower stall. You may need to replace the unit.
Well.. part of it is probably a caulk problem, but I think I have more problems than just that. Took a shower tonight and decided to put some paper tissue on the stained tile area outside the shower. It is wet. Meaning, water is not going into the drain at all and is flowing outside along the seams. My shower looks to be comprised of 3 pieces that go together, so water seems to be leaking OUT via the seams of the 3 pieces. ARGH. I have no idea if this was always like this or things deteriorated since I bought my house 4 years ago since I rarely used the shower in the basement. It's one thing if water is just leaking slightly out the shower door, this I probably need to fix soon.
So, is it at all possible to have just the shower portion removed without damaging everything else in the bathroom? It is in it's own enclosed area. Everything else around works fine, so I would hope as little damage as possible.
I am also hoping for as little change as possible simply because I still have the french drain system that goes around the perimeter of the basement EXCEPT the bathroom. I'm terrified that any changes will result in water intrusion after. Right now, I get no water seeping in from the bathroom at all.
What a debacle. I was hoping to get the upstairs bath fixed, now it looks like this one might take priority.
The type of enclosure you have is referred to as a "knockdown enclosure". It designed in pieces so it will fit through doorways after-the-fact.
The seams are not your problem- it's the caulk!
K-D enclosure seams are designed in such a way that you would literally have to flood the enclosure (get the water level above the seam) for it to "leak".
The door kit needs to be removed- all the caulk needs to be removed. Clean the acrylic surface very well so new 100% silicone caulk will adhere. Reinstall the door kit (clean of any caulk). Once installed, it can be caulked on the inside- with a little extra attention where the frame covers the seam. Let cure for 48hrs- Done.
That is a very do-able DIY job. Be patient, take your time, check for YouTube videos on installations. Taking it out/uninstalling is just the opposite of installing.
However, if you're not the handy sort or have little confidence in your own abilities-
A glass company- one that does shower doors.
They maybe a little reluctant to do the job, but if you explain the situation I'm sure you will find a likely candidate for the job.
Unfortunately, it is the seam after all? Took a while to find a glass place that would redo the shower door, and he did a good job. Removed the door, cleaned up all the layers of caulk, reglued it back in place and used silicone caulk all over to seal it. The DOOR looks to be in good shape now. However, it looks like the water is going into the seam and flowing out behind the shower. I used a mug of water and poured it into the seam areas, one side is dry, but the other is leaking water immediately. At least I know it isn't the caulk now? Oh well.
Since this is in the basement and is a guest bath, I guess I'll just live with it for now. Would it be possible to seal up just the seams?
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That one I plan on replacing sometime next year, but it will put me in massive debt if I have redo both bathrooms. What do you guys think is the best possible solution to this issue?
