Leaking showers are bad news. If left unchecked, they can cause serious water damage to walls and ceilings, mould build-up and rotting timber or carpeting.
For these reasons, you should check your shower for signs of leaking regularly. But once you’ve identified a leak you’ll be asking yourself what is the best option for a leaking shower – rebuild or repair?
Before we answer this question let’s first address how you tell if your shower is leaking and what the causes of the leak could be.
.
Your shower leak will manifest in a range of unpleasant symptoms like a bad smell (which could be the timber shower base rotting), loose tiles and grout, and paint flaking off the walls and ceiling in the vicinity of the shower. Cracks in the walls are also an indication.
It’s possible your shower is leaking because of faulty internal plumbing and a plumber can test this for you easily, using a pressure test.
It’s far more likely though that the water is leaking from the shower after it’s come out of the pipes. This type of leak is most often the result of movement in the building structure which has caused tiles, grouting or sealants to crack or fall out. It essentially means your shower is no longer a waterproof container and that water is able to get behind the tiles, soak into the walls, floor or ceiling and generally create havoc.
The most common cause of shower leakage (compromised waterproofing) can be easily resolved IF THE PROBLEM IS PICKED UP EARLY. All that is required is a re-grout and re-seal. This will most often fix the problem.
However, if a shower has been leaking for a while, the water can cause significant structural damage. It can destroy timber joists, supports and beams meaning you could be looking at a
complete bathroom renovation. If you’ve lost a number of tiles as a result of the shower leaking, depending on the age of your bathroom you may need to retile the whole shower to ensure matching tiles!
For these reasons we strongly recommend you remain vigilant about shower leaks so that you get to opt for the much cheaper repairs option rather than being forced to pay for an unplanned rebuild.
For all your shower renovation needs, Brisbane, call us today.
