Obviously without seeing the situation one cannot put a probable price on it but commonly this type job runs 500 1000 bare minimum more if fancy valve is used rather than normal 100 150 variety and if there is wall or floor rot morelike in the several thousand to as much as 5 10 000 range if the water damage extends past the bathroom or there is extensive floor structure rot so it becomes essentially a total bathroom rebuild. Turn on the shower and let the water level in the pan rise to about an inch. As always, I am available to answer any questions you may have via comment, the contact page or our plumbing forum. 10. Mark off the affected portion of your ceiling and remove it to get a better look at your leak. The water can run outside of the shower door area onto the floor of the bathroom and leak between the shower and the floor area. /* 468x15, created 8/21/10 */ It could be a cracked pipe, a bad seal around the tub or shower drain, or a crack in the shower pan. this site useful, please spread the word! Sounds reasonable, right? the ceiling along the pipe until you detect the source of the leak. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. This will make it easier to hear if water is dripping onto the sheetrock. If you see any drips, the strainer probably needs to be tightened or reset. 8. Inspect the backside of the damaged drywall for water damage. Please also read our Privacy Notice and Terms of Use, which became effective December 20, 2019. That is a set of interesting circumstances. Finish the drywall patch with joint compound and joint tape. Some may argue that the sheetrock is bad and needs to be replaced anyway. are unfortunately a lot of possibilities. Copyright © 2020 This Old House Ventures, LLC. We think you're in zip code Tightening these bolts or replacing the washers will stop such leaking. Even if the floor around the Usually there is ceiling space between the upstairs bathroom and the lower ceiling. It’s the wrong answer! You may end up having to cut through If they're coming from the drain, the drain seal needs to be tightened or replaced. easy-to-find leak sources, as outlined in the San Francisco Chronicle, include the sink trap, the Like I said… it’s hard to tell from over here, but yes… an experienced plumber sounds like the correct course of action here. While you wait for the plumber, you may want to try to identify where the leak is coming from. If that doesn't work, disassemble the P-trap and replace the plastic flange on the leaking connector or, if necessary. These rarely produce standing water, and you notice them only because of seemingly unrelated problems, such as lifting floor tiles or a rocking toilet. The guy tested the caulking and the water was going through the caulk to the other side and i guess it was dripping onto the floor. We show you how to use silicone weatherstripping to fill gaps in your door. The small dial (usually round or triangle) should be turning visibly. If you find the information on Of course, you cannot start fixing a leak until you know where it’s There may even have an access panel behind the shower wall. If you still have no results, it is time to start splashing around some water. replacing damaged, soggy drywall can be a messy, tedious chore, 2 to 6 hours, depending on the severity of the leak. and bath are under the floor, you may have to cut a hole in the ceiling Before you move on to fixing the leak, the first thing you’ll have to figure out is what’s causing the leak. Leaks in the upstairs bathroom can be more troublesome than leaks downstairs because there s a possibility the leak will cause damage to the ceiling and. We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from. That’s telling you a lot about the problem right there. Plug the tub drain, fill up a 5 gallon bucket (from a different source or water) and pour it into the tub, being careful not to splash. Another possibility is continuous dripping of water. So how do we diagnose this type of leak? Watch the strainer from underneath the sink. Check areas around the tub, tub drain, tub overflow, shower door and toilet. This might mean plugging a work light into an extension cord to provide light. What is the best way to approach this? 4. Commonly houses with more than one floor always make the downstair bathroom parallel to the upstair bathroom. The easiest thing to do now, is to take off the shower handle(s) and trim and see if you can see anything happening in the wall.