Shower leaks are slow and hidden. Water finds its way under the tile through a failed pan, a loose drain or a seal that no longer holds, and the first sign is often a soft floor, a stain or a musty smell nearby.
Where the water travels
Water from a shower runs under the tile into the subfloor and the framing, then spreads toward the nearest wall. About 2,213 La Verne homes sit in multi-unit buildings, so a ceiling stain in one home can trace to a shower above it.
That makes the room below part of the inspection, and in a stacked building it also makes the neighbor part of the conversation.
What gets opened
The crew opens only as much as the readings call for:
- Tile or flooring around the shower, only where it reads wet
- Wet subfloor sections
- Wall bottoms behind the tub
- The ceiling below if it reads wet
Repair and drying go together
A plumber or tile setter repairs the pan, valve or seal, and the crew dries the framing so the repair is not built over wet wood. Dry readings come first, then new waterproofing and tile, so the repair lasts. A stain that already reached the ceiling below is covered under ceiling leak water damage, and an overflow from the toilet next to the shower follows toilet overflow cleanup.