So we have a leak in a walk in shower in a new build. They are coming out to fix it, but I want to make sure it is done right and everything is fixed - not just "We fixed the one issue and now we are going to cover it all back up". So I'm looking for any websites, videos, etc., so I can get an overview on the correct way to install and water proof a shower. I want to ask the right questions to make sure it is done properly. Any tips?

can you be more specific about what is leaking? The pipes, the shower pan, through the corner walls, etc...?

For my new shower, they came in and poured a concrete base, then once dry came in with some cloth/fiber material, and ran that up 6-8" along the shower wall frame and then poured some ridiculously caustic glue/liquid thing that cured into what eventually turned out to be a large square bowl of hard plaster/fiberglass stuff that covered the floor and 6-8" up the side of the shower framing. Then, cement board was put onto the framing that went on the shower side of the fiberglass, then red guard and tile.

Others can chime in on whether that was the "right" way or not, but that is how mine was done.

Uh... that's two layers of waterproofing there from the sound of it. Not a good thing, but not disastrous either as the OP's shower sounds like.

For the OP... Leaky showers tend to have to be redone. It sounds like the waterproofing wasn't done right, if at all, and you can't go back and mess with a small section to try and make up for that. If they try and tell you
Tile/grout
Cement board
Greenboard

is waterproof you know you're already being fed BS.

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two layers of waterproofing there from the sound of it. Not a good thing, but not disastrous either

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could you expand on that thought?

Have you seen Kerdi or any other version out there now of a waterproofing membrane? It looks like fuzzy wall paper. Did they use something like that on the pan before the fiberglass pour you described or was it the fiber mesh that you put down before pouring resin to make fiber glass? Something like this:

One side of the shower is against the outside wall. When the shower runs for 10 minutes, we can see the water leaking outside - between the brick and foundation.

Unfortunately, I have no idea what was used when it was initially put together. Which is why I want to make sure they do it correctly this time.

We are outside the city limits. I had a different post about wet grout in our master, and now that we've confirmed this is an issue, I'm concerned of problems with the other shower as well.

Location?

Very few people take the time to do a tile shower properly. It sounds like you have a failed shower pan if it is leaking that fast. The most common issues I see on leaking showers are lack of waterproofing, cuts and nails through the pan liner, and corners done improperly.

If this was my house I would get an independent inspector to look at the issues and make sure they are repaired properly.

Has the shower valve or pipe running from valve to shower head been ruled out?
Could be a crappy soldering job behind the waterproofing.

I guess you could somewhat test the leak by covering the drain and filling up the shower with 4-6 inches of water from another water source. wait for leak.. drain it, wait for leak, turn on shower valve ... wait for leak..

CapCity12thMan said:

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two layers of waterproofing there from the sound of it. Not a good thing, but not disastrous either

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could you expand on that thought?

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In a nutshell you have the potential for moisture to become trapped in the material between the two layers. It's not good practice.

I understand what you are saying...here is a pic of the poured pan and how far it went up the framing on the side and then ultimately how the cement board was done...then ultimately how the tile was done on top of it all. I believe there was a layer of cement/something put over the cement board and the lip of the pan to get things square and flush, and for the mud for the tiles to adhere to.



do these images change the likelihood of a problem in your mind?

It looks like they were on the right track. Do you have a picture of the shower after the Red Gard was applied but before the tile? In your second pic, it looks at little pink in the section at the bottom that hasn't been tiled yet, but I can't tell if it's just the lighting or if that's cured Red Gard. Did they put the Red Gard on all the cement board or just at the seams?

red guard was just at the seams

These pictures are helping me too, so thanks! Any recommendations for an inspector in BCS?

Others can chime in as I'm by no means the expert, just sharing what I have read/learned in going through our remodel process. If something I'm saying is off, please correct me as I am always trying to learn more.

I'm not sure why they did the skim coat over the cement board.

As far as just waterproofing the seams, my understanding is that the whole wall (all walls) should be waterproofed because the grout is porous. The thought is that if/when water seeps through the grout, it hits a waterproof layer before it reaches your studs. You don't have that protection except right where they applied the Red Gard. Now, in the real world, the total surface area that the grout comprises (the area available for water to penetrate into the wall cavity) is very small. So if you were to have a problem, it likely won't be until many years down the road, if ever. You can likely extend/prevent that timeline by making sure your grout is always good and sealed to stop the water penetration in the first place. It will be something you have to maintain.

What you have is a better job than many do, but still not 100% bullet-proof. A large bucket of Red Gard I believe runs around $70 and likely would have been all you needed to completely waterproof the whole thing (cover all cement board completely). I assume the reason that many installers do it this way is because Red Gard/Kerdi/etc. isn't cheap, so the cost in both material and time to the installer would add up over several jobs. The problem is, most people don't know they even need it so the installers take advantage of that ignorance.

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I'm not sure why they did the skim coat over the cement board.

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long story on some other threads as to some problems with non-plumb walls that caused a bit of headache. I believe the skim coat was just to 100% make things square. Now - SHOULD that have been necessary, no but I have too much frustration with how some things were done to go revisit at this point.

...and sorry to derail this thread, but hopefully at least some pics of the process I went through as well as comments from others can serve as good guidance.

...and for those wondering - yes the drain is off-center. This was a second story shower addition, and based on what I had to work with for layout, we had a floor joist in the way, as noted by the red line, hence why it is centered as you look into the shower, but the drain is closer to the wall with the niche than the curb. Something I just had to live with given the circumstances of the project.

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The hardi-backer should have overlapped the pan in my opinion

Also, everything YellAg2004 said!
It takes 2-3 coats of Redguard to get a completely waterproof coverage. It's a VERY important, ableit labor intensive step.

Here was my un-planned rebuild in 2015
https://texags.com/forums/61/topics/2648316

OlAg2001 said:

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These pictures are helping me too, so thanks! Any recommendations for an inspector in BCS?

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Andy will shoot you straight

http://www.bcsinspections.net/

CapCity12thMan said:

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red guard was just at the seams

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Redguard only on the seams? Say no more - the shower needs to be redone. Reasons why are already covered.

Next time the tilesetter needs to follow the manufacturer's instructions whether they use Kerdi, Redguard or something else.

If the leak shows up outside while you are taking a shower, you probably have a leak st the valve. That is where I would start.

If you think it might be a leak in the tile, take a water house and run it over the tile and see if it leaks on the outside.

I know most of the folks posting on your thread mean well, but be careful. Do the water hose first.

Shine a bright flashlight down the drain...you want to see pvc pipe and not gravel like my shower (pre-remodel) when I confirmed the builder never hooked up the drain.

I wanted to post a quick update. They tried numerous fixes in one of the showers, (including redoing the bottom two rows of tile, the bench and the floor from the studs/concrete) but it kept leaking. They will be ripping out everything to the studs and starting over. Both walk-in showers leaked and we just confirmed this weekend our shower/tub combo leaks as well. Thanks to everyone who responded. It helped me be targeted in my questions and not just accept some of the answers they gave.

That's sorta good news. It sucks that you're going to have to go through all that re-work, but at least it's being addressed completely and not via some half-ass attempt at a fix. Feel free to post pics along the way so we can follow along on the progress.

YellAg2004 said:

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That's sorta good news. It sucks that you're going to have to go through all that re-work, but at least it's being addressed completely and not via some half-ass attempt at a fix. Feel free to post pics along the way so we can CRITIQUE YOUR CONTRACTORS WORK.

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FIFY