leak in bathroom (subfloor, drain, sink, ceiling)

[alpha_1976]

I really have no idea how water is leaking as can be seen in pics? I have caulked inside and outside really good. any ideas?

BTW - you need to rotate pictures clockwise by 90 degrees to visualize situation better.

[kab0906]

Are you sure it's not coming from behind the tub?

[alpha_1976]

I wonder about that too but how can it be - it's all caulked up real good.

[QIS]

Are the shower head and valve(s) on that wall? Are there water stains, damage on the wall behind the affected area? Are there any cracks in the grout joints?

[BirdieBelle]

If there is a leak from one of the pipes in the wall, the water will get through.

You need to call a plumber ASAP.

[j_k_k]

Caulking isn't going to fix a water leak. Caulking will keep spilled water from getting behind stuff, but if the water is already leaking from behind stuff, caulking could actually keep you from noticing it before it gets a lot worse.

I dealt with this one week before listing my house (argh). In my case it was the toilet ring. Here, I'm guessing the tub or piping to it. There is no way around it: they're going to have to cut their way to the leak, fix it, and then repair the wall and perhaps floor. Depending on how far the water has seeped, and what kind of climate you have, if you entomb wet subfloor under linoleum you may be creating a nice little mold factory. Brace yourself for plumbing costs, wall repairs, a period of time with fans on the area to dry it out, and perhaps even replacing the floor. If you have to do that, and your toilet is old, smart money is on having the plumber also replace that. He will have to put in a new toilet ring anyway, and the old toilet has a greater chance of leaking if it's put back, just due to the unavoidable jostling.

[kab0906]

Yep. If there is an issue in the wall caulking it in won't be useful. Sorry, but I think you might have an expensive problem.

What room is behind the tub and what is over it? Be certain the water is coming from the tub plumbing first.

[bande1102]

I can't really tell where the leak is. Is it a corner outside of the tub, on the floor? Is this a tub? Or a shower stall?

When does it leak? All the time? Only when the water is running? Did you check behind the access panel? Mine is just a piece of a wood in a closet next to the tub and I can take a flash light and look for signs of water around and behind my tub.

I've had several bathroom leaks and 9 times out of 10, they had to do with the kids and overflow. Latest example, I had an upstairs bathroom leak through downstairs ceiling. Freaked me out. I went upstairs and the only part of the floor wet was a corner by the tub. Even then, there was no standing water. I have an awesome plumber and, ultimately, it was all the result of one family member who doesn't seal the shower liner all the way when they shower. This all owed water to splash down the corner onto the floor and leak. We solved the issues with shower splash guards. Not pretty, but they do the trick.

I'd definitely call a plumber, but, hopefully, it's something simple.

[Nvrsummer]

I assume the caulking up both sides of the vertical metal piece on the wall is also new?

Before you start tearing apart the wall to get at the plumbing behind it, you can consider running a hose from the bathroom sink to the shower and selectively hose down different sections of the shower to see if you can see where the leak is. There are garden hose adapters for the sink to do this... unless you want to run the hose from an outside faucet

Or you can unscrew the shower head and run a hose used for handheld shower heads to the drain to keep water from spraying elsewhere to determine if it is the plumbing...

[Billy_J]

Tape up a dry paper towel from the floor on up in that leak area.

Take shower.

See where paper towel is wet! (If dry, then inside wall or floor problem.)