# Forum Home Renovation Tiling  Bathroom water leak through tiles

## gbx78

Hi all 
we bought a house which is double brick and probably 3 years old.. we noticed bubbling in the paint on the bottom floor on the ceiling which was obviously due to water from the Bathroom upstairs. Plumber came and said theres no water leaking from plumbing (not sure how he came to that conclusion).. the builder has gone bust so theres no help from him!! .. a company came out and said the water is leaking through the grout and seaping through etc.. because the grout has cracks and gaps ( flat squared tiles closely together with very thin grout) and we should regrout the whole bathroom. now if this IS the case that would tell me that theres no waterproofing behind the tiles in the first place in the wet areas? or perhaps the water gets past the cracked grout and hits the waterproofing and slowly creaping to non-waterproofed areas and making its way out through the concrete/brick walls etc.. if that makes sense . .all theories ..  
soo my question is .. will regrouting again with perhaps a grout sealant after possibly fix the issue .. or is this a waste of time if potentially theres no waterproofing (which cant be confirmed) .. in which case retile the hole bathroom which seems extreme being that its all relatively new and looks like with expensive tiles. 
any ideas, comments . suggestions? thanks in advance,, im heading towards a regrout and reseal the wet areas

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## an3_bolt

If it was me - I would: 
1. Verify that it is actually a water leak (and not possums pissing in the roof!!!)
2. If it is a water leak, then verify where the leak is coming from ie if it is a waste leaking, supply pipe leaking or seepage through the tiles, toilet or basin leak or a leak coming from somewhere else ie overflowing gutter etc. 
......and then take it from there.  
Home owners warranty insurance should cover any faulty workmanship (if that is the case) even if the builder is on "permanent holidays"- refer:  Home warranty insurance - NSW Fair Trading 
Never been through the warranty process - but I am sure someone else has..... 
A picture or 2 might help someone more knowledgeable diagnose a direction for trouble shooting and the best method to get at the problem (ie hoping not to have to cut a patch out of the ceiling....).

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## gbx78

hi there thanks for that. I will get some pictures and post them. This Home Warranty insurance you mention.. is this something we would have had to have taken out? we didnt build the home we bought it when it was already 2 years old. etc.. or is this warranty something that is provided by the government.?

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## an3_bolt

Builders are required to take out the insurance and it goes with the title of the property ie even if the property is transfered it remains with the property for the duration of the insurance. 
Wether or not it is of assistance may be proportional to the size of the problem and the fault of any workmanship. 
I would suggest step one is to determine exactly what the problem is and where it is coming from. It may be cheaper, quicker and easier on the stress level to simply get the job done yourself / or get someone into fix it. 
Not a huge big deal - not everything goes to plan.......you just need to work out what the problem is so you can come up with a new plan. :2thumbsup:

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## Master Splinter

With water damage, never assume anything. 
Grout is porous and won't stop the passage of water even when not cracked; and yes, there should be waterproofing behind the tiles, so the reseal company is just selling their reseal service.   
A proper regrouting means scraping out all the existing grout, not just rubbing a topping coat over it, so it is not a cheap an option, but don't do a thing till you have actually found out what the source of the water is.   
Since you now have water-affected plasterboard in the ceiling, you have the perfect excuse to cut out the damaged area and have a look around to see what direction the water is coming from.  Cutting a few holes in plasterboard is a cheap option compared to paying for sealing or other work that may not fix the problem. 
With the leak problem I had (which lead to the total re-tiling of the ensuite), the tiler installed the tiles in such a way that they bridged over the top of the waterproof membrane in the base of the shower, leading to a miniature under-tile waterfall effect when the shower was used.  Mind you, the builder didn't think this was the problem, and instead insisted on a different shower screen after the re-tiling.  The new tiles got laid in exactly the same way as before.  It still leaked.

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## gbx78

hi.. thanks, .. well the water damage is evident under the staircase which is on the ceiling of the bottom level.. its not plasterboard its all cement/brick.. even the ceiling is concrete or similar .. hard as a rock. The house is double brick and not just the walls. between floors is also bricked in (or similar).. there is also a similar leak from the balcony out the front and all the paint is bubbling and u can see water marks everywhere. its a duplex and the next door neighbor has the same issue (balcony outside leak). he called the builder etc and found he went bankrupt.. well i assume he wil pop up under another name no doubt..  
so who do u call to check where the problem is. cause a plumber said it wasnt from pipes and a construction company chick came (from my sis's employer) and se reckons its the crackd grout..

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## gbx78

ok, just thinking a bit. perhaps i need another more experienced plumber... do plumbers to water pressure testing to see if theres a leak somewhere from water pipes? i guess that would rule out a leak in the water supply pipes and then we can move onto the drainage or perhaps then it is coming from the cracked tiles. I did notice around the shower there is cracked grout so i would say water is getting through there everytime a shower occurrs..  
now just to side step theres bubbling on the other side of the wall (hallway) that the shower is on.. down the bottom.. this is the same section downstairs on the ceiling thats showing water damage.. so this leads me to think being its in the same section and the fact that the same wall in the shower cubicle shows obvious signs of cracks/gaps .. that this is more than likely the cause..  
i did not realise until now that its the same section that shows water damage downstairs and nowhere else. 
Water does or can pool up a bit in those corners before going down the drain. 
Perhaps as an interim we can seal it up with silicon down in the corners and then clean up the damage and see if there is more evidence of water damage. We have had the property for 1.5years and its only been evident for the last year or so .. and from what i can gather has been a slow process to get to this damaged state.. 
i will post some pics very soon when i get a camera.. so you can see what i mean 
i appreciate everyones time to type advice and suggestions. thank you.

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## Bedford

I would pull the tap handles and cover plates off, aim the shower head away from the taps, and turn the taps on (don't get burnt). What you are looking for here is a leak from the spindle of the tap down the inside of the wall, this won't show up on a pressure test but can leak when the tap is turned on.

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## gbx78

here are the pics, i didnt take them.  Pictures by gbx78 - Photobucket

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## njsamson

Hi, 
In all cases it is very hard to find leaks around tiles in bathrooms. If this is the case NJ Samson may be able to help you.  
We provide a service where we can seal the whole surface area tiles and grout as one where your problem is.  
What we do is remove the grout, regrout using a epoxy product which can be coloured. 
Then we apply our Penetrative seal on the whole surface which then sinks into the grout and tiles to a minimum of 9mm under the surface. This sealant once set creates a bond with the molecules in the grout and tiles and you are left with an impenetrable surface that allows no moisture through at all.  
We are so confident about our Sealant that we include a 20 year workmanship warranty with all work! 
For more info on our products or services email: leigh.weller@njsamson.com or Call on 0449824565 
Cheers!

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## gbx78

> I would pull the tap handles and cover plates off, aim the shower head away from the taps, and turn the taps on (don't get burnt). What you are looking for here is a leak from the spindle of the tap down the inside of the wall, this won't show up on a pressure test but can leak when the tap is turned on.

  Hi bedford.. thanks for that advice ( i didnt see it) .. ive tried that already and the taps and washers are new but the water damage was still evident prior to that change even. the water damage appears to be evident from the esuite also.. which is in a different location.. again same tiles and grout cracks evident etc also ..

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## gbx78

> Hi, 
> In all cases it is very hard to find leaks around tiles in bathrooms. If this is the case NJ Samson may be able to help you.  
> We provide a service where we can seal the whole surface area tiles and grout as one where your problem is.  
> What we do is remove the grout, regrout using a epoxy product which can be coloured. 
> Then we apply our Penetrative seal on the whole surface which then sinks into the grout and tiles to a minimum of 9mm under the surface. This sealant once set creates a bond with the molecules in the grout and tiles and you are left with an impenetrable surface that allows no moisture through at all.  
> We are so confident about our Sealant that we include a 20 year workmanship warranty with all work! 
> For more info on our products or services email: leigh.weller@njsamson.com or Call on 0449824565 
> Cheers!

  Hi njsamson.. thats what this other company advised aswell. Sounds like an expensive process.. can you pm me a rough idea of how much for a standard bathroom say 3x2m wall to wall tiles (large tiles rectangular tiles ..id have to confirm) unles you come out and do a free quote? thanks Syd southwest

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## Oldsaltoz

Ok, had a look at the pictures and can offer some advice. 
The exterior shot of the other (outer wall) or the shower is a very strong indication that the waterproofing (if any) has failed. 
I see one or two just like this every week thanks to tight fisted dodgy builders or slack a waterproofer, and some who are tilers with no qualifications.  
The other leak just outside the room indicates 2 problems, One-there is water travelling under the tiles indicating another leak. Two- The tiler has not installed or not sealed the 'water stop' that is fitted in the doorway. 
To confirm the leak in the shower do the following:
Remove the shower head at the wall and plug the pipe with an end cap available at any hardware shop. 
Now turn on both taps, the plug will prevent any water flowing, wait for at least 15 minutes and inspect both sides of the wall the saps are on. 
If you any water or an increase in the moisture on the wall / floor / ceiling below. The problem is in the plumbing. 
If no luck with this: get some cling film and lay it over the shower drian to block it, now using a hose, start filling the floor of the shower and keep cheacking all sides as it fills. 
Fill the shower base till the water is about to flow out of the door, this will increase the pressure on any small leaks and also check the screen is properly sealed and the cause of your problem. 
Let's know your findings. :Arrow Up:  :Arrow Right:  :Arrow Left:  :Arrow Down:

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## gbx78

> Ok, had a look at the pictures and can offer some advice. 
> The exterior shot of the other (outer wall) or the shower is a very strong indication that the waterproofing (if any) has failed. 
> I see one or two just like this every week thanks to tight fisted dodgy builders or slack a waterproofer, and some who are tilers with no qualifications.  
> The other leak just outside the room indicates 2 problems, One-there is water travelling under the tiles indicating another leak. Two- The tiler has not installed or not sealed the 'water stop' that is fitted in the doorway. 
> To confirm the leak in the shower do the following:
> Remove the shower head at the wall and plug the pipe with an end cap available at any hardware shop. 
> Now turn on both taps, the plug will prevent any water flowing, wait for at least 15 minutes and inspect both sides of the wall the saps are on. 
> If you any water or an increase in the moisture on the wall / floor / ceiling below. The problem is in the plumbing. 
> If no luck with this: get some cling film and lay it over the shower drian to block it, now using a hose, start filling the floor of the shower and keep cheacking all sides as it fills. 
> ...

  Hi there, thanks for taking the time to reply and offer advice.. i will do this over the weekend and let you know the findings.. after some advise with builders insurance we have checked our purchase contract and pursuing to contact the insurance company to come and inspect and fix.. but it would be good to try what you said so we know what we are up against too. will be in touch .. thanks again  :Biggrin:

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