Shower or Bathtub Leaks

5/20/2020 (Permalink)

We have been receiving quite a few calls concerning shower leaks, so we thought that sharing some information about how to identify a water leak around your shower or tub would be helpful.

• Water Stains: Water stains can show up around the walls of your tub and shower, but they may also make their appearance below your bathroom. If the bathroom is on the second floor, you can check for signs of a shower pan leak by looking at the ceiling under the bathroom. If it is on the first floor, you may need to go into the crawlspace or basement to look for signs of water stains.
• Grout Cracks: Tiled showers can show signs of a leak too. When the moisture gets trapped behind the tiles, it tries to come out wherever it can. This leads to cracked grout lines. Sometimes you may even notice cracks in your tiles.
•  Loose Flooring: A bathtub leak can cause damage with the flooring in your bathroom. Whether you have tile or vinyl floors, you may notice the building materials have become loose. If tiles wiggle when you step on them, it could be a sign there is a leak. Laminate flooring, on the other hand, may start to curl up when introduced to too much moisture. When water gets underneath laminate flooring there is not a way to dry the water and the flooring will need to be removed.
•  Peeling Paint: Look at the walls around the tub and shower. Do you notice peeling paint or falling down wallpaper? This could be a sign that there's moisture being released into the walls. 

You may be able to notice signs of a bathtub leak before the damage becomes detrimental to your home. Working with a residential water cleanup team can help you find water issues quickly. A shower or bathtub leak is something you want to catch as soon as possible or it can cause major damage to your walls, insulation and flooring. For more information please call us at SERVPRO of Conway & Faulkner Counties at 501-328-3301.