2 July 2020

Bathroom leaking fix recommendations in Canberra?

| mucyx2007
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Hi guys, just need the right direction for fixing a leaking bathroom.

Previously the water was leaking from the tiles away from the shower, I have got bathroom resealed, it has stopped the leaking from the original spot, however water start slowly leaching from the grout line in between tiles which are just out side of the shower.

At this stage I am not sure where to look and who to contact?

A plumber or a tiler or a handyman or bathroom renovation? What could be the problem? Any suggestions or recommendations?

There is no water damage sign so far for downstair ceiling, and I’s like to avoid that so need some help asap!

Really appriciate any ideas!

If you’re also looking for a tiler, plumber or bathroom renovator, check out our recently updated articles on the best tilers, the best plumbers and the best bathroom renovation companies in Canberra.

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Platinum Seal6:12 pm 24 Jun 20

G’day! If you have a leaking shower or balcony in Canberra – contact us at http://www.platinumseal.com.au . I look forward to hearing from you – I’m happy to answer all individual queries.

warm regards
tom adams, platinum seal

Try Nick at GroutPro. I rang three places – no visible leak but grout was coming away in places and I have poor ventilation in bathroom. Also mould I couldn’t get rid of. Price quote over phone for the other two major providers was similar (without even looking at the problem which was a concern for me) but he was the only one who came out to have a look and advise with quote. Outstanding customer service. Professional, personable, followed through. The job took longer than he expected but didn’t charge me more. It looks great. All re protected. Highly recommended. Thanks Nick if you’re reading this.

Hi
I am writing this post to save the Canbarreans from the pain I have gone through with the business called S.O.S showers which stands for saving our showers should be more like losing our showers. First the job just kept growing bigger and bigger at the very last minute near completion. Then after paying this man thousands of dollars not only the whole shower was flooding. I now have to get the plumber to refit toilets and the tiler will have to start the whole job again. Beware all send me a message as I am happy to share pictures of his shoddy work. Very unprofessional and rude Individual.

I have had the same experience with this person. Initial quote of $650 went up to almost $5k. On top of that, he left the job pending for several weeks without any advise of when he will return and finish the job. When I paid for the initial part of the job, he charged my credit card to a cosmetic company and then he was uncontactable for weeks leaving us with continuous loss of rental income and the tenants with an unusable shower. Totally unreliable and refuses to provide paperwork for his job. In the end, the shower was still leaking. We are filing a complaint to Fair Trade.

Hi Mucyx2007,

You definitely need a licensed plumber to investigate the cause of the leak. There are 9 main causes of shower leaks, and a plumber is the only person legally allowed to test all of the points.

Unfortunately, some plumbers have probably never been trained in properly testing a shower for leaks so make sure you are getting a professional that can supply you with a detailed report at the end with his invoice.

JC is correct in that resealing is not fixing the underlying problem, however I have just used Daniel from Reseal to seal mine after I thoroughly tested it as I plan on renovating in 5 years and didn’t want the full expenses of retiling the shower just yet.

For more information or to book a professional (me) see the below blog post I recently wrote.
http://watertightcanberra.com.au/leaking-shower-canberra/

Do not use custom sealing services

heavenandhell said :

Try the guys from custom sealing services they are bathroom renovators but they also do resealing and offer a 10 yr warrenty on the reseal it does work we got him around to look at our shower i did think it needed to be gutted but he sore that we were not in the best way with money so he resealed the shower for half the price other people wanted it did leek a bit after but as soon as i called him he came around and fixed the little bit of silicone now it has not leaked for 2 yrs.
I will rip it out when i get the money but it has solved my headache.
His phone number is 0407262851 http://www.customsealingservices.net

Would not recommend this business. Custom sealing services had done a bathroom for a friend and workmanship was very poor. Towel rails are falling off and starting to get mould in shower, grout is falling out and tiles layed uneven. Complete mess of a bathroom and its only 18 months old. Be aware

heavenandhell said :

Try the guys from custom sealing services they are bathroom renovators but they also do resealing and offer a 10 yr warrenty on the reseal it does work we got him around to look at our shower i did think it needed to be gutted but he sore that we were not in the best way with money so he resealed the shower for half the price other people wanted it did leek a bit after but as soon as i called him he came around and fixed the little bit of silicone now it has not leaked for 2 yrs.
I will rip it out when i get the money but it has solved my headache.
His phone number is 0407262851 http://www.customsealingservices.net

This is a bandaid solution only. The leaking continues under the tiling, just leaks out through different areas. Also their so called 10 year warrantee is incorrect, when a problem persists they state that they will do nothing about it.

heavenandhell11:25 pm 26 Mar 12

Try the guys from custom sealing services they are bathroom renovators but they also do resealing and offer a 10 yr warrenty on the reseal it does work we got him around to look at our shower i did think it needed to be gutted but he sore that we were not in the best way with money so he resealed the shower for half the price other people wanted it did leek a bit after but as soon as i called him he came around and fixed the little bit of silicone now it has not leaked for 2 yrs.
I will rip it out when i get the money but it has solved my headache.
His phone number is 0407262851 http://www.customsealingservices.net

my update is it is still wet :(.
but good thing is my research shows the water is from underground :).

The drainage in the backyard is not very well, so rain water contributes to the ground water table. The water or dampness comming from the ground in the crawl space, makes the bricks wet.

My knowledge is in Canberra many bathrooms got leaking problem, so make sure it is BATHROOM LEAKING before you seal your bathroom.

I will update after I get my new drainage plan done and see if it is still wet.

I got the same problem, having water mark on the external wall of the bathroom/toilet. Two plumbers and two re-sealers came to look at it. I am trying my luck to have the shower box resealed today. Will wait for two weeks to see if it is still wet.

The problem is I bought this house 1.5 years ago, there was not mentioned at all on the property report. It is a long term problem.I got told that they may have avoid using water weeks before inspection. If this is true, whose responsibility ? Where is no court to make judgement on this.
Or I am wrong ?

If it is a timber house renovate it properly or the floor will rot, If it is on a concrete floor then water will run along the concrete into cupboards and ruin carpets. There are no quick fixes for this sort of problem as anyone that does work in the bathroom needs to meet the waterproofing standards, which really means that the bathroom will need to be gutted. There are no quick fixes. You don’t really know how bad the leak or what damage is being done until you rip the tiles off. It is part of a full reno to replace the floor.

I was once asked to fix a bathroom in Palmerston where a guy stepped out of his shower and landed on the Table in the lounge below infront of guests. He didn’t think that a shower leak was too big a problem until spread-eagle nude infront of his wifes friends. Only his ego was hurt

Mark
Happy to answer any further questions
markshep@tpg.com.au

What JC said is spot on. However, you can make a judgement call depending on your financial situation and the state of the bathroom. SOS in Deakin (6161 0871) sealed two of our showers. Depending on the condition of the area, can offer a 7 year warranty on their work. If it leaks again, they come back and reseal. In the case of one of our showers he’s given us the full warranty – and this will see us through until such a time that we’re happy to shell out big $$ on proper membrane water sealing (via a renovation). On the other shower he’s recommended a renovation based on the long term damage to the antiquated copper plating protector and interior of the wall. As for the situation mentioned by the OP basic (and temporary) sealing might not be adequate, but at least SOS can advise.

Resealing is a bandaid solution, not a fix. See waterproofing is actually under the tiles, not on top and a small amount of water is meant to get through grout and tiles (sealing companies will tell you otherwise). So the propper fix is to rip the tiles up fix the seal and retile. Using a sealing company (tiles are not normally sealed when new) is as I said is just like applying a bandaid so needs to be done over and over.

Im sorry to say that I have exactly the same issue. Ive had the shower resealed, 4 different plumbers come and have a look and no resolution.

If you do happen upon someone who can fix it for you, can you please let me know?!

Sorry I cant be of more help.

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