Water damage from shower


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Old 05-06-14, 03:21 PM
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Water damage from shower

Hi everyone, I'm new here. I'm also new to home owning and know relatively little about home improvement. Next to nothing about plumbing.

We bought a house a few months ago. Three weeks after we moved in, I discovered a water leak in our downstairs bathroom. Our home is under warranty, and the plumber determined it was coming from the shower. He took the plate of the shower handle and it was dripping on the hot water side next to the handle connection. He said the plumber who installed the shower never clamped the pipe (we bought a flipped house and the shower is a new build).

The back of the shower is a short wall with a wall running perpendicular into it. On both sides of the perpendicular wall, there are built in shelves. One side in the bathroom and one side in a bedroom. The bedroom appeared to receive the most water damage as the baseboards got really warped, carpet got wet, and drywall got wet. I cut the drywall at the bottom of the shelves out, maybe about a foot tall worth of drywall to expose the back of the shower (well, half of it anyway). The wall in the bathroom appeared to not have much water damage so I took the baseboards off and left it alone to dry.

So only part of the studs behind the shower are exposed which are the ones in the bedroom. We've let it air out for what has been over a month now. We've purchased a moisture reader to make sure the wall and the studs are drying out. The corner directly over the shower drip was in the 16% moisture range about a month ago. With some fans and open windows, we were able to get the number down to 8%. We do not use this shower frequently. After we do use it, the moisture in the stud behind the shower has gone up to 10-12%. Now this has me worried there is still some sort of leak, and I'm afraid to patch the hole in the wall because I don't know if there are further problems.

So is increased moisture behind a shower wall normal after a shower or is there a leak of some sort? What is an acceptable level of moisture reading to start to rebuild? We live in Utah, so it is a relatively dry climate. I would love any help or info. Thank you!!
 
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Old 05-06-14, 03:25 PM
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I will be glad to post pictures if I need to.
 
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Old 05-06-14, 04:19 PM
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If you suspect a leak somewhere keep looking until you are 100% satisfied there is no leak before closing the wall. When in doubt I first go for a really good, bright light and take a very close look at everything in the suspect area. You can also use a small paint brush and dust connection points, pipes and castings with baby powder or copier toner.

Also, don't forget to investigate the drain. It may be leaking and wicking back to under the faucet area.
 
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Old 05-06-14, 05:05 PM
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Thank you for the reply! The only plumbing I would have access to seeing is the pipe directly behind the handle. The portion of the wall that I have removed is at the bottom of the wall so all I see are studs and the drywall on the back of the shower. Is there another way I can view the pipes? Also, how do I check the drain? I'm a total newbie with this stuff.
 
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Old 05-06-14, 05:20 PM
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Hi, Stuff newspaper behind and under pipes. If the pipe leaks the paper will get wet and show up easily. Any chance you are getting water on the floor when you shower?
Good Luck Woodbutcher
 
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Old 05-06-14, 05:31 PM
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Thank you Woodbutcher! If we are getting water on the floor, it is minimal. The area that I am testing with the studs is on the other side of the perpendicular wall in our bedroom. I hope I am making sense, so I'm sorry if I'm not!

With the area of drywall that I have torn out, I'm not able to see any piping so I'm not sure where to stuff the newspaper. Would it help if I took pictures?
 
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Old 05-06-14, 05:34 PM
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Would an increased moisture reading definitely mean a leak, or is it normal to have some condensation, moisture, etc?
 
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Old 05-07-14, 03:51 AM
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Using water [especially a shower] will increase the humidity in the room. I doubt there is any good way to determine if there is a leak other than visual inspection! I have used a flashlight and small mirror to aid in inspecting hard to reach areas. They also sell remote cameras that aren't overly expensive.
 
 

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