Damp walls, flooded bathroom floor or shower floor and patchy ceilings are never a good sign.
When such issues in the bathroom or your shower recess become apparent, we know there could be many reasons for this. But, sometimes, the problem could be a deep-rooted one that is building up in the walls for a while. In such cases, it would help to know the signs of hidden leakages to prevent a leaking shower before it gets serious.
Firstly, try to eliminate all other causes and ensure the shower leak is from the walls. To do this, here are a few ways to tell if the leak originates from the wall…
6 Ways To Know If The Shower Wall Is Leaking
1. Damaged Or Peeling Wallpaper
Observing bubbles or stains on the wallpaper of your bathrooms is usually not a good sign. The walls may leak if you see the wallpaper tearing into bits and peeling out. Generally, the steam generated from hot water showers is insufficient to distort the wallpaper and cause it to wrinkle.
This can only occur when the walls have internal damage and puffiness. Also, the excess moisture in walls can reduce the stickiness of the wallpaper to the wall and paint. In extreme cases, parts of thin wallpaper will fall off at the slightest touch.
2. Presence Of Mould Or Mildew On Walls
You may already know this, but mould and mildew cannot survive without abundant moisture. It thrives explicitly in damp and dark places, and it is not unusual to find mould and mildew in the kitchen, bathrooms, and leaking showers. Typically, the underground pipes provide a perfect environment for mould to propagate, which means it could be hidden behind the shower walls.
In any case, sometimes, you can see the mould in patches. But other times, you can make out their presence due to increased allergic reactions in the skin and respiratory system. Such a situation confirms the presence of mould, which means you might have a leaky shower and water leaks behind the wall.
3. Musty Smell In The Shower
Does cleaning the shower not reduce the musty smell lingering in the bathroom? Many people complain of an earthy or musty smell in the bathroom that refuses to leave even after intensive cleaning sessions. Even though it may seem harmless, little do people know that a continuous smell hanging around is linked with water leakages.
And, if you have been noticing the musty smell frequently, applying generous amounts of air fresheners will not do the trick. Instead, you may have to investigate beneath the walls to see if a leak exists.
4. Damaged Floors
While tidying the bathrooms, the floors are something you get to clean first and foremost. It should be pretty easy to notice any visible changes to the floor’s integrity or your bathroom tiles. If apparent stains are developing, there is missing wall grout or cracked tiles, it may indicate a deeper issue. When water penetrates through the tile grout, it can destroy the bond and lead to the shower wall swelling, causing loose or cracked tiles.
They are cracking or buckling the floor when no recent flooding could mean a leak penetrating it. The moisture probably arrived from a nearby pipe that leaks or has burst, but don’t rule out another origin point for the leak. Regular shower floors do not feel soft or spongy, with the shower tiles coming right up if you move them.
Mostly, you can assume it to be a piping issue, and it’s imperative to get down to the crux of the problem to prevent further damage.
Aside from damaged floors and cracked tiles, check your bathroom door. A loose hinge on the bathroom door may indicate too much moisture behind a wall caused by a shower leak.
5. Ceiling Stains
Take a close look at the ceilings for stains and water patches. If you can spot them without a second glance, the leakage situation could already be widespread. And with ceilings, it does not have to mean that the exact spot of patches has a leaking pipe behind it. But it’s likely a leaky upstairs bathroom.
From what we know about water, it is clear that the seepage can travel quite a distance and manifest in another part of the ceiling. If the stain appears dark or the ceiling seems puffy and soggy, you’ll have to investigate the matter to fix it.
6. Wet Cabinets
After you open the bathroom cabinets to grab toiletries or paper, the last thing greeting you should be moist interiors. It may seem far-fetched to conclude that water in the cabinets could have anything to do with shower leaks. But water in the walls can travel short distances and find an outlet anywhere, even in your cupboards.
Is Your Shower Leaking?
Showers leak, and apart from the signs mentioned above, you can also determine the state of the walls by checking the faucets. If the faucets are loosening and require caulk application before resisting water again, you could have a persistent leak issue.
Once the leak’s location is identified, you can take a call on the course of action required based on how extensive the damage is. Remember, replacing the piping is more straightforward, but fixing long-standing damage from mould, mildew, and water may take time.
Finally, if you are unsure how to deal with the issue, do not hesitate to call our professional Sydney plumbers to help you fix the damage.
