Msupsic
Marc S.
- Joined
- Jun 24, 2010
- Messages
- 80
- Reaction score
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Hi Friends, wondering if you can help me solve a mystery.
I live in a 70 year-old contemporary with exposed beams on the first floor. For that reason, the second floor bathroom is raised up on a platform to accommodate the plumbing (see diagram)
We’ve been getting a slow, steady drip from underneath the upstairs tub, down through the floor into the living room. It only happens when we use the shower, which leads me to believe that it’s not a steady leak.
The drip does not happen on every instance. It typically happens after longer showers or when my wife and I are in there together. It begins about ten minutes into the shower and continues for a few minutes after the water has been shut off.
My first thought was that it was the plumbing. I replaced the gaskets, put in fresh putty and tightened all compression joints. I’ve checked for leaks, even checked that old-school trap and everything is clear and dry.
To make sure it wasn't the drain or overflow, I turned on the tub spigot and let it run straight into the drain for about ten minutes. No drips that way. So, it’s only when we take a shower.
After a few weeks monitoring the situation, I learned that the water is coming off of the front corner of the tub, INSIDE the wall.
There is a slight amount of deflection when someone stands in the tub, even more so when two are in it. My suspicion is that the caulk around the tub is failing and when one or two of us gets in the tub, we pull the seal apart and let water in along the edge of the tub. It gets behind the wall and runs along the lip of the tub and down to the lowest corner, into the interior cavity.
The duct tape in the photo was an experiment to see if the leak was along the faucet side wall. It did slow the drip down, but not completely.
Any ideas what is going on here?
I live in a 70 year-old contemporary with exposed beams on the first floor. For that reason, the second floor bathroom is raised up on a platform to accommodate the plumbing (see diagram)
We’ve been getting a slow, steady drip from underneath the upstairs tub, down through the floor into the living room. It only happens when we use the shower, which leads me to believe that it’s not a steady leak.
The drip does not happen on every instance. It typically happens after longer showers or when my wife and I are in there together. It begins about ten minutes into the shower and continues for a few minutes after the water has been shut off.
My first thought was that it was the plumbing. I replaced the gaskets, put in fresh putty and tightened all compression joints. I’ve checked for leaks, even checked that old-school trap and everything is clear and dry.
To make sure it wasn't the drain or overflow, I turned on the tub spigot and let it run straight into the drain for about ten minutes. No drips that way. So, it’s only when we take a shower.
After a few weeks monitoring the situation, I learned that the water is coming off of the front corner of the tub, INSIDE the wall.
There is a slight amount of deflection when someone stands in the tub, even more so when two are in it. My suspicion is that the caulk around the tub is failing and when one or two of us gets in the tub, we pull the seal apart and let water in along the edge of the tub. It gets behind the wall and runs along the lip of the tub and down to the lowest corner, into the interior cavity.
The duct tape in the photo was an experiment to see if the leak was along the faucet side wall. It did slow the drip down, but not completely.
Any ideas what is going on here?
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