The moral of the story is . . . .

[randynavarro]

. . . to use your moisture meter regardless what you might think.

Had this "lucky" find yesterday.

4 year old home. Immaculately maintained. High-end builder (Burnstead for the local lurkers), except the home wasn't high-end -- it was cookie cutter stuff.

Breezing right through everything; it was the end of the day / end of the week and I was tired. I always meter most things around tubs and showers but I almost talked myself out of it on this one. "Heck, I says, there's not any problems here. Everything's caulked, no water coming out of the shower door. Grout and tile are clean. They're not loose. Why do I want to waste energy bending down and checking that floor?"

The meter pegged the entire area of the tiled floor right outside the shower door. I pulled back a corner of the carpet to find black and rotting ply. I don't have a clue from where the water's coming from.

I asked the clients if they'd give me a courtesy call once the guy reparing the stuff rips it apart to find the leak.

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[ozofprev]

There probably is no leak. The owners probably towel off over the tile. The water naturally flows to the wood carpet strip. That is a setup for failure.

Carpet is not a suitable bathroom surface in my opinion. The male splashings around the toilet can not be vacuumed. It also invites mold and germ collection in general.

[Home Pride]

Other than a leaking shower pan or poor installation , it's possible that the shower door dumps water on the floor when they open it up after showering. I see this problem in many homes, but we typically have ceramic tile set on concrete in most bathrooms.

Dom.

[randynavarro]

Originally posted by ozofprev

There probably is no leak. The owners probably towel off over the tile. The water naturally flows to the wood carpet strip. That is a setup for failure.

Carpet is not a suitable bathroom surface in my opinion. The male splashings around the toilet can not be vacuumed. It also invites mold and germ collection in general.

That white towel in the first photo is the bath mat. It was set right against the curb and was damp. It gets used and catches most if not all water outside the door.

The entire two-course tile surface was wet, not just the edges.

And, really, does that much water pour off your body when you step out of the shower?

[ozofprev]

I didn't say there is no leak - just that it is possible. Many owners keep a door open while the water heats up, they step out onto the floor and grab a towel, and yes enough water can drip off to cause a problem. And the owners don't really care because after all the floor is tile. The air in the bathroom is also damp which keeps the water from evaporating.

It's too bad you can't see the floor from a basement.(?)

[hausdok]

Hi Randy,

Did you look to see how that shower surround is caulked? Those have to be caulked down the sides and along the bottom on the outside and only on the sides on the inside. If they're caulked along the bottom, water can't get out and usually ends up getting forced into the adjacent wall and finds its way to the floor.

OT - OF!!!

M.

[Eric B]

Boy, Aren't those "gut" feelings dead on? I notice the rust stains on the underside of the carpet from the tack strip. After trying to confirm that the meter is not giving a false reading I report what I know - water stains and elevated moisture levels measured. If someone wants to assume that there's no leak it ain't goin to be me.

[ozofprev]

Originally posted by Eric B

If someone wants to assume that there's no leak it ain't goin to be me.

Yep, that would be a mistake. All you know is that there is a problem. The reason should not be assumed either way.

[randynavarro]

Originally posted by hausdok

Hi Randy,

Did you look to see how that shower surround is caulked? Those have to be caulked down the sides and along the bottom on the outside and only on the sides on the inside. If they're caulked along the bottom, water can't get out and usually ends up getting forced into the adjacent wall and finds its way to the floor.

OT - OF!!!

M.

Yes. All good. I was able to adjust the spray head to spray on the glass door and enclosure for a couple of minutes. Not a drop outside.

I suspect either a floor drain that's leaking under the pan ORat the glass wall opposite the showerhead is a tile ledge. That ledge catches a lot of water and is probably seeping.

[hausdok]

Hi,

I think you misunderstood me. I'm not talking about water striking the glass and then draining to the outside of the surround, I'm talking about water hitting the inside wall of the surround, draining into the channel that holds the glass, and then, because some dildo caulked the inside horizontal joint where the outside wall of the glass meets the pan, water backs up inside the channel and then seeps around the screws securing the window channel to the walls at either side. From there, it drains down onto the floor under the molded rim of the pan and outward under the tile.

Most of those manufacturers specify vertical and horizontal outside joints on the surround. Vertical and horizontal joints on the side and back walls of the inside of the shower, and then only the vertical inside corner joints where the side walls meet the glass and channel, leaving the horizontal inside joint free of caulk.

OT - OF!!!

M.

[randynavarro]

Yes, Mike. That sounds muy plausible. (A little Spanish lingo for our Hispanic brethren).