this post was submitted on 17 Mar 2024
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Home Improvement

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submitted 8 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) by Debs to c/[email protected]
 

We have a standing shower with a strange leak. It was built with a small tiled wall/step that the frame-less glass shower wall panel sits on. I noticed water pooling outside the door after a shower. At first I thought it was the door seal but upon closer inspection it is coming out of the grout. See pics (right where the arrow is pointing). The shower was already in the house when we bought it so I don't know anything about how it was constructed.

How should I proceed trying to fix this leak? Do I need to re-do the grout? Should I just use grout sealer? Any help appreciated.

Update #1: Thanks for the help everyone. Do ya'll have any thoughts on where the water could be entering from? The silicone caulking was recently redone. My thought was that I have a hairline crack along the grout somewhere that is allowing water to wick in and and along to the outside.

Update #2: It's Fixed! Thanks everyone for the suggestions and advice. My working theory was that water was wicking down under the bottom frame and finding its way into the frame attachment holes. This appears to be what was happening. I ended up pulling out all the caulk around the inside of the shower on that side and replaced it with fresh silicone. That seems to have done the trick. Bingo, no more water on the ground!

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 8 months ago

I am going to assume you have run the shower and watched the water leaking from that spot, eliminating any other possibility like water following the grout lines on the outside.

Redoing the grout may stop the leak from exiting, but the problem is water getting back there and coming out the grout. Closing off the exit just means the water will go elsewhere.

I would start with removing the glass and sealing the screw holes that may have compromised the waterproofing. You might as well seal the glass trim as well, both under and around. While you are at it remove and reseal the caulking around the shower pan. I would not reseal the grout unless the above resolved the leak.

If you have access below the shower, I would look there even if it means cutting a hole in the ceiling. That may give you a better idea of where water is actually entering behind the tile and if it is getting anywhere else. Doing a drywall patch is better than not knowing if water is getting elsewhere.

The best thing would be to remove the glass and tile to really understand the source of the problem. You may end up having to do that to fix the problem if resealing the screw holes and pan don't resolve it. Long-term you would want to redo it anyways because there has been a waterproofing failure and that should be properly fixed. If you end up ripping out the tile, you can use inset glass track that won't puncture the waterproofing and will likely need new glass made.