Help with a leak!

[bambi]

I have tiled my shower and it now appears that there is a small leak somewhere.

I have done the checks - the base have been sealed and the pipe work was checked for weeks before tiling.

This leads me to believe there is a leak somewhere in the grout/tiles, I have been told that there is a product out there somewhere that I can paint over the tiles and grout to give it a seal. Does anyone know what this product is???

Any help would be appreciated

Thanks

[sstilingservice]

why don't you bite the bullet and strip of the tiles put a TANKING KIT on then re-tile otherwise you are going to be pulling your hair out again in a few months. Nightmare I know but sometimes we all have to do these things. Just take it as a big learning curve Good luck Bambi

[365drills]

Never heard of that product.

But any water leaking at this early stage is not good. It may well be tile removal to investigate. Painful but a fact. Its really just a process of elimination and going through the usual suspects.

Doubt if photos will even help

[pjtiler]

have you checked the obverse 1st
shower outlet, shower control and cover plate

[uug197h]

turn the shower on and spray a small area then check for leaks (start on the tray only then work your way up the walls) leave 1/2 hour between sections, when you test the tray only check the shower itself this way you can eliminate both at once.

[wetdec]

At a pure guess its not your tiles takes ages to show a penetration leak, check your tile & base to shower frame seals.

tiler

..

[365drills]

Hiding behind all tiles is a multiple array of pipes and water delivery systems.

You need to eliminate causes of water systematically.
1) Is the water ingress continuous and permanent? (Causes will be the pre-feed to shower pump, shower valve, or radiator pipes).

2) Is the water ingress intermittent. IE does it appear after a shower, (causes will be the shower supply pipes to the rose / body jets)

In this shot below of the shower you can see the back pipes, or feeds on open display.



As you can see from the simple appearance at the front of the tiles (left) there is a lot going on at the back to supply (right) and a whole hornets nest of things to go wrong.
1) Welded copper pipe
2) Quickfit fittings (in grey)
3) compression joints.
4) PVA tape in white.

Any slight disturbance can cause leaks. Guess what. There were leaks. But because we had access to the back panel we were able to see visually where the offending pipes were located. Turned out the compression fitting was over tightened and so the olive was removed and replaced. Easy with full access. Nightmare if the area is sealed with tiles and no access.

Could even be something stupid like a screw through a pipe for a fixture and fitting. The screw would hold back most of the water pressure. Allowing the pipe to weep its content over time.


Did you fit a shower rose bar and hit a pipe? Soap dish? (Easy answer is to remove fixtures and watch for a jet of water! - You will know if you have...)

[Oli]

Did you fit a shower rose bar and hit a pipe? Soap dish? (Easy answer is to remove fixtures and watch for a jet of water! - You will know if you have...)

LMAO........

Have the screwdriver handy to get the screw back in quick when the water shoots out too

[bambi]

Thanks for the responses - I have checked shower base and pipes, waste is fine. The shower was in use for over 3 months before noticed there was a leak, which why it is hard to find because it is a very slow one
very frustrating!!!!

Never mind back to the drawing board

Thanks

Bambi

[whitebeam]

I had a nail put into a copper pipe in my house, Only slightly puncturing the pipe but it took a couple of years to leak and thats because the nail corroded

[GazTech]

I had a nail put into a copper pipe in my house, Only slightly puncturing the pipe but it took a couple of years to leak and thats because the nail corroded

always use stainless steel,japanned,ceramic plated or galvanized nails ....lol