Mystery Leaking tiles - any advice?

[freddiemercurystwin]

If you were to fit a continuous sheet of plastic to the wall (think plastic dustsheet) sealed above shower head height down to the bath and sealed with tape at the bath edge do you still get the leak? If not then you can safely assume it is definitely the wall/tiles and not plumbing related. At this point I would have all the tiles removed and replaced including a suitable backer board/tanking system or fit plastic cladding, there are some quite nice ones around nowadays.

 

[Paris123]

Off-the-wall thought. Is the shower gravity fed, or mains pressure? If the former, perhaps raising the shower head creates just enough back pressure to cause a pipework joint to leak?

If you were to fit a continuous sheet of plastic to the wall (think plastic dustsheet) sealed above shower head height down to the bath and sealed with tape at the bath edge do you still get the leak? If not then you can safely assume it is definitely the wall/tiles and not plumbing related. At this point I would have all the tiles removed and replaced including a suitable backer board/tanking system or fit plastic cladding, there are some quite nice ones around nowadays.

Hi Alec and Fredimercurystwin,

Thanks for your thoughts!

But the system is mains fed and when the shower head is held high on the opposing shower screen there is no leak. It really is just that one area that has the leak.

I have just spoken with my builder and they are going to have another look this week. He says that he might be able remove the tiles from around the bath and above it. Remove the backing, which he believes is plaster. Put a water backing board and then retile using the original tiles from around the bath. Then replace the tiles around the bath with new ones.

The bathroom is completely tiled in the same tiles and is quite large so tiling the whole room will be costly and this way we can have an aesthetically pleasing solution.

But I have had this issue for years a So I am going to follow everyone's advice and get it done properly

Thanks again everyone

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

The plastic method eliminates any doubt, physics is a weird thing.

Anyway sometimes you have to cut your loses rather than just throwing good money after bad, I bet your builder won't guarantee he can fix it, it's no skin off his nose if it actually works or not. Do you have access to replacement tiles? Otherwise what happens if he breaks some/them when removing them?

 

[Paris123]

Thanks again Freddiemercurystwin!

I thought he was going to tile on top of the plastic, but it seems he plans to use the plastic only version. I am not sure about this as I think it may look cheap.

But I will see what he proposes.

My thought about the tiles was the he could do around the base of the bath in a different colour, which would leave him with some spares.

I am also taking a plumber around to double check the pipe work, just to be double sure...

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

I thought he was going to tile on top of the plastic

Tile on top of what plastic? You have tiled walls do you not? As mentioned the plastic sheet is a physical test that eliminates any doubt, no need for a plumber.

 

[Wayners]

I've seen and fixed a few showers where water gets through holes around shower fixings and mixer pipes then runs down the ridged adhesive behind tiles.

 

[Paris123]

Tile on top of what plastic? You have tiled walls do you not? As mentioned the plastic sheet is a physical test that eliminates any doubt, no need for a plumber.

I thought that we were talking about something like this tile backer:

Knauf AQUAPANEL® Board - 12.5 x 900 x 1200mm | Wickes.co.uk

Knauf AQUAPANEL® Board - 12.5 x 900 x 1200mm

www.wickes.co.uk

But it is an all in one decorative plastic they plan to install, like this:

Mermaid Brushed Steel Laminate Shower Wall Panel

Laminate shower panels designed to create a seamless watertight finish without the need for grouting. • High pressure laminate bonded to a plywood core with a balancing laminate bonded to the reverse• Can be easily cut to the required size

www.toolstation.com

So I thought they would take the tiles down. Hack the plaster off and replace with plastic tile backer and then tile.

But they are thinking literally going to take the tiles down and put the plastic decorative panels up...

I will be honest, the plumber is a friend of a friend I met down the pub and spoke to him about the case. He is in the area tomorrow and so said he could pop around.

I will meet him there and try the sheet method and let him have a sniff around as he seems intrigued

 

[Paris123]

I've seen and fixed a few showers where water gets through holes around shower fixings and mixer pipes then runs down the ridged adhesive behind tiles.

Thanks Wayners

There was an issue with the mixer in the past. So I will also inspect that area again more closely when I go tomorrow. But mainly the leak is coming from the corner of the shower. But it could be leaking down the ridges in the tiles

 

[yorksbuilder]

Aquapanel is cement, not plastic
If you take down tiles and put up a plastic shower panel you'll still have joints in it that need sealing

You should really do as Freddie suggests first

I will be honest, the plumber is a friend of a friend I met down the pub and spoke to him about the case. He is in the area tomorrow and so said he could pop around.

Good luck!

 

[Paris123]

Hi again guys,

Sorry for the delay updating the thread, I have not been around until now.

So I tested the system for leaks by using a large bucket above my head and repeatedly filling it. There was no leaks at all, but on the tiles instantly...

So I am certain it is the tiles...

I have had the tiler around and he has suggested to either tile over the current tiles or use the waterproof boards suggested above again over the old tiles.

The shower is part of a large wall that is tiled over so he is trying to avoid doing the hole wall.

Due to the layout it will be more cost effective to tile not use the boards, as a lot of boards will be wasted.

Is this an ok plan to tile over the old tiles?

They have started to pop off the wall, but only slightly...

I would rather sort this properly than bodge, but if it is ok then I will proceed