Browse Forums General Discussion 1 Aug 11, 2013 2:54 pm So i built a new home 3 years ago, in WA. I've noticed recently that the paint/plaster on my hallway wall is flaking/bubbling/powdery. This is happening directly on the back on the main bathroom shower wall, so i am suspecting its water leaking somewhere in that wall. I live by myself, so that shower hasn't been used up until 12 months ago when i've had a friend come stay with me. I'm not sure if it's the water proofing thats failed, or if its one of the water pipes leaking in the wall. It's single cavity brick so either way its not going to be a cheap or easy fix. Is this something that would be covered under the builders warranty? Re: Water Proofing in Bathroom 2Aug 12, 2013 8:34 am Sounds like a leak. Or - maybe a tile problem - ie roof ? If in warranty I'd say it should be covered - depends on your contract/warranty. Re: Water Proofing in Bathroom 3Aug 12, 2013 1:05 pm Hi Mike, I've been up in the roof and had a look around that area and there's no visible leaks. It's also a colourbond roof too. Have also pulled the taps off and no sign of water around them either, which is why i suspect either the pipe in the wall or the waterproofing. Has anyone else had issues like this? Re: Water Proofing in Bathroom 4Aug 12, 2013 3:27 pm Hi. I've had leaking pipes and leaking tiles in the shower - corners - edges - especially if they have hobs. Grout may have cracked if it sat dormant for so long - ie dried out and cracked as you never used the shower. Maybe. Re: Water Proofing in Bathroom 5Aug 12, 2013 8:11 pm Builders warranty isn't like product warranty, it doesn't pay to fix a faulty house. They really should of given it a different name. I'm not sure exactly how much it does, but it only gets used if your builder dies or goes bankrupt or something, it doesn't fix faults like leaks I know that for a fact. On the other hand is there anything in your contract that might help? I've noticed some builders seem to offer guarantees, or is that just more nice sounding words that don't mean much when something goes wrong? Re: Water Proofing in Bathroom 6Aug 12, 2013 8:17 pm Well the way to eliminate things is to firstly.... Remove the shower head, go to bunnings and buy a cap to cap off where the water comes out (they are only a couple of bucks), turn the tap on, and wait to see if the water returns. Secondly, remove the drain grate, get a balloon, put a bit of water in it, blow it up half way, they put it into the drain hole to form a plug/seal. Next get buckets of water and fill the shower tray and wait and observe to see if water on the other side occurs again. Yes, either failure should be covered by your warranty (assuming WA has a similar authority to QLD) Re: Water Proofing in Bathroom 7Aug 12, 2013 8:24 pm Thanks everyone for your replies. The biggest problem i expect is going to finding where the water is coming from. If its the water pipes running to the taps/shower head it must only be like a pin prick hole allowing a drip of water every now and again. The reason i lean more towards it being the water proofing is the damage to the plaster on the wall covers pretty much the exact width of the shower recess and runs from just below hip height to about neck height. If it was a leaking pipe i would have expected the water would run downwards and the damage would be alot lower around ankle level. I've looked at all the tiles and the grout on the wall and i can't see any obvious cracks in either. Think i might just contact the builder and see what they say Re: Water Proofing in Bathroom 8Aug 12, 2013 9:31 pm elemist Think i might just contact the builder and see what they say Yes, and they may try to put you off or tell you there is no warranty or whatever... So do find ou you rights (pp is correct - builders warranty only covers you if builder is deceased, goes insolvent or goes missing. But - you have statutory implied rights with regards new buildings and. Sat say you should be covered). Either way, it will be a pain in the neck to get sorted but good luck. (we had waterproofing issues and from start to finish it took over 18 months to resolve - probably closer to 2 years... Agreements have been reached but financial settlement is still taking place and they tired to deflect us every step of the way which s why I suggest you know your rights). HHCIB Re: Water Proofing in Bathroom 9Aug 12, 2013 11:57 pm elemist Thanks everyone for your replies. The biggest problem i expect is going to finding where the water is coming from. If its the water pipes running to the taps/shower head it must only be like a pin prick hole allowing a drip of water every now and again. The reason i lean more towards it being the water proofing is the damage to the plaster on the wall covers pretty much the exact width of the shower recess and runs from just below hip height to about neck height. If it was a leaking pipe i would have expected the water would run downwards and the damage would be alot lower around ankle level. I've looked at all the tiles and the grout on the wall and i can't see any obvious cracks in either. Think i might just contact the builder and see what they say That sounds more like a leak than the waterproofing. If it was the waterproofing it usually starts low (floor level) and moves up. Unless the water was getting in around the taps. The fact that it starts at hip height make me think that it is a leak. Water from a leak in a brick wall doesn't flow down it slowly soaks the wall all around the leak. It may only be a very slow leak possibly even above the taps which is why it didn't show up until the shower was used. Unfortunately if it is a leak it will require some serious work to remedy it. Definitely speak with your builder. Accessible Carpentry & Cabinets accessiblecarpentry@gmail.com accessiblecarpentry.com.au https://www.facebook.com/pages/Accessible-Carpentry-Cabinets/583314911709039 Re: Water Proofing in Bathroom 10Dec 29, 2013 3:58 am Thought i would come back and post the outcome.. I contacted the builder and they came out within a couple of days. No arguments or denials or anything - i was kinda expecting a fight! They put the moisture detector on the wall and determined there was in fact a bucket load of water in the wall so definately a leak somewhere. After inspecting the shower it appears that they forgot to silicon around the taps, so water was leaking through into the wall cavity. They've siliconed the taps and have been coming out monthly to monitor the moisture levels. Once the wall dries out they'll fix the plaster and repaint for me. Out of interest - what should be done to the plaster. It's gone powdery and the paint is pretty much peelable. Will the plaster need to be removed and new plaster applied? or can it just be patched and painted? Re: Water Proofing in Bathroom 11Dec 29, 2013 8:57 am Sorry can't comment on the plaster side of things elemist, but just wanted to say 'good for you' on getting the problem resolved with your builder. I guess it is a bit of a lesson to others in new builds also - especially those with 2 or 3 bathrooms but maybe only use one - to use all the bathrooms for a period of time to check any faults. Even though you have 7yrs to claim anything, better to rectify as early as possible. You would have to use a bathroom for up to a couple of months before any potential problems may appear - as with ours - took about 6-8 months before we started noticing things not right and water appearing where it shouldn't. Waterproofing and water sealing is one of the biggest 'problems' when it comes to building complaints - so I'm told. I hope it is all finished off for you soon - glad your builder is prepared to work with you to get it all sorted. HHCIB thanks Chippy, i hope they have applied sealer but i am doubt to be honest, so i am gonna do this job after handover. 8 16222 It worked for me in getting all non notified rain days removed from the builders claim, although the LDs was only $50/day 7 5889 Scientists have used random matrix theory to demonstrate theoretically that the neutrino mass hierarchy can be explained mathematically. When a substance is fragmented… 21 20638 |