Swampnuts Posted August 5, 2010 Share Posted August 5, 2010 Big crisis here...have been smelling mildew in my upstairs bathroom for about 5 days. Went searching tonight and found a wet spot under my shower pan. About 3 inches vertical of drywall damage and about a square foot of wet subfloor under the vinyl flooring. Can't inspect under the pan, but I'm definately scared. I found a small seam by the shower door that wasn't caulked, so i hope it's that simple to stop the leak. I'm having my neighbor ( a plumber ) come look at it tomorrow. I'm afraid to contact my insurance company for fear of denial and non-renewall of my coverage. Anyone have a similar incident or claim with insurance? I know they will deny if they deem it to be poor maintenance. Any help appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sox Posted August 5, 2010 Share Posted August 5, 2010 Big crisis here...have been smelling mildew in my upstairs bathroom for about 5 days. Went searching tonight and found a wet spot under my shower pan. About 3 inches vertical of drywall damage and about a square foot of wet subfloor under the vinyl flooring. Can't inspect under the pan, but I'm definately scared. I found a small seam by the shower door that wasn't caulked, so i hope it's that simple to stop the leak. I'm having my neighbor ( a plumber ) come look at it tomorrow. I'm afraid to contact my insurance company for fear of denial and non-renewall of my coverage. Anyone have a similar incident or claim with insurance? I know they will deny if they deem it to be poor maintenance. Any help appreciated. There could be sub flooring that has been rotting for some time now.No way I can tell without visually inspecting it.I doubt your insurance would cover this.You can caulk the leak,but the damage may have already been done.If the sub flooring has started to rot,you'll need to cut out the rotted section and replace it.If you've been thinking about laying tile or marble,now's the time to start shopping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Double Agent Posted August 5, 2010 Share Posted August 5, 2010 Contact your agent and see if it's covered before filing a claim. Some policies cover shower pan leaks...some don't. You won't be dropped over one water claim. I'd probably get an estimate before filing a claim if it is covered. No reason to file if the damage is close to your deductible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scooby's Hubby Posted August 5, 2010 Share Posted August 5, 2010 (edited) There could be sub flooring that has been rotting for some time now.No way I can tell without visually inspecting it.I doubt your insurance would cover this.You can caulk the leak,but the damage may have already been done.If the sub flooring has started to rot,you'll need to cut out the rotted section and replace it.If you've been thinking about laying tile or marble,now's the time to start shopping. +1 get you some tile. Contact your agent and see if it's covered before filing a claim. Some policies cover shower pan leaks...some don't. You won't be dropped over one water claim. I'd probably get an estimate before filing a claim if it is covered. No reason to file if the damage is close to your deductible. your deductable will (most likely) be higher or equal to the cost of damage so I wouldn't even mess with your insurance company. I just went through kinda the same thing with a busted water heater. Edited August 5, 2010 by Scooby's Hubby Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Dick Posted August 5, 2010 Share Posted August 5, 2010 If you have a plastic pan you may have some hairline cracks in that. Over time they can wear out, especially if they don't sit exactly level. If that's the case, you are tearing out tile and the pan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Footballjoe Posted August 5, 2010 Share Posted August 5, 2010 If the bathrom is upstair I would cut a small hole in the ceiling to get a better look at the situation. The leak could be coming from a crack(s) in the shower pan if it is plastic. I had one that would only leak when someone was actually standing in the shower. drove me You can also check the connection of the drain pipes by cutting an access. Be sure to check the connection at the pan, sometimes the rubber gasket needs replacing or the fitting comes loose. The faucet needs to be checked well also. Sometimes water leaks around the stem and drains back into the wall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swampnuts Posted August 5, 2010 Author Share Posted August 5, 2010 Feeling a bit better today. Plumber friend of mine came and checked it out. I had removed the vinyl flooring @ the site and exposed the entire area. The leak looks to have come from the uncaulked seam that I noticed last night. The pattern of the damage suggests that water has slowly been leaking there @ the corner of the shower door. I removed all the caulk around the area and dried everything well with a hair dryer. The only area of the subfloor that got moderately saturated is about as big as the circle of your thumb / forefinger. I'm going to let everything dry out and recaulk the shower / door. Then we'll see if she still leaks before I replace the drywall / backerboard and address the flooring. There is a space by my toilet that I could cut into the drywall to see behind the shower itself. Thinking of doing that to see if anything spread that direction. I've decided not to even mess with State Farm. I don't want to start a nighmare scenario with them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Double Agent Posted August 5, 2010 Share Posted August 5, 2010 May not hurt to spray something in there to kill any chance of mold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteelBunz Posted August 5, 2010 Share Posted August 5, 2010 Feeling a bit better today. Plumber friend of mine came and checked it out. I had removed the vinyl flooring @ the site and exposed the entire area. The leak looks to have come from the uncaulked seam that I noticed last night. The pattern of the damage suggests that water has slowly been leaking there @ the corner of the shower door. I removed all the caulk around the area and dried everything well with a hair dryer. The only area of the subfloor that got moderately saturated is about as big as the circle of your thumb / forefinger. I'm going to let everything dry out and recaulk the shower / door. Then we'll see if she still leaks before I replace the drywall / backerboard and address the flooring. There is a space by my toilet that I could cut into the drywall to see behind the shower itself. Thinking of doing that to see if anything spread that direction. I've decided not to even mess with State Farm. I don't want to start a nighmare scenario with them. Swamp...for a wet area, make sure you use the 100% silicone caulk. It'll say waterproof and/or shower/tub on it. It may say "silicone latex"...but do not use latex only and do not use anything that says 'adhesive caulk'. The newer GE 3hr silicone is nice. Pricey....but the dry time is worth it. Tape off both sides with blue painter's tape. This is NOT the caulk that wipes off or smooths out with water...lol. Your finger is the best tool...the tape will keep the caulk straight and not all over stuff you don't want it on. You can either use mineral spirits or rubbing alcohol to give it a final, smooth finish. You have to work sort of quickly or it will skim over before you can give it a final smoothing. Apply the caulk...first tooling to even it out and get excess off....remove tape and make sure your fingers are cleaned off at this point. Then dip your finger in the solvent and give the caulk a final light smoothing. This will seal down the edges from where it built up next to the tape. Only one pass if you can help it. At this point, the more you fool with it, the sloppier it will turn out. Caulking sounds easy enough...and it can be. But it does take a little patience to make it look good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Dick Posted August 5, 2010 Share Posted August 5, 2010 Your finger is the best tool... So is my caulk gun.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteelBunz Posted August 5, 2010 Share Posted August 5, 2010 So is my caulk gun.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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