Browse Forums DIY, Home Maintenance & Repair 1 Sep 14, 2009 5:03 am Hi, One of the shower stalls in the apartment/condo was inspected by the home inspector and mentioned to have "water infiltration" (measured by the moister meter) behind the wall's ceramic tiles. He mentioned that water has probably dampened the wall behind the ceramic tiles, since the grout wasn't properly sealed. Will it be possible to fix this by putting a heavy-duty dehumidifier + fan inside the shower stall for a week or so? Then seal the grout to prevent any additional water from penetrating behind the tiles. Thanks Re: Shower wall water infiltration: Will dehumidifier help? 2Sep 14, 2009 6:53 am The fan will have almost no effect. Imagine a bottle of water and you blow a fan across the open top to dry the contents. You would need to disassemble the wall to dry it properly. If the structural integrity is OK, I would just seal the grout and carry on, The water will eventually dry out over time. Ed "ECOECO" At 'EcoEco', we design windows, we design the best windows, we do it for you, so that when you’re happy we are happy. Tel. 1800 326 326 Re: Shower wall water infiltration: Will dehumidifier help? 4Sep 14, 2009 1:21 pm How old is the bathroom? I would give it a few years only before the tiles fall off. If moisture ingress has damaged the substrate the drying will make crystals form behind the tiles. The tiles will become 'drummy' , sealing the grout will not help. Sounds like there was no waterproofing system installed. Where you are coming from is where you are going to... Re: Shower wall water infiltration: Will dehumidifier help? 6Sep 14, 2009 2:43 pm Are they drummy shababak? Where you are coming from is where you are going to... Re: Shower wall water infiltration: Will dehumidifier help? 8Sep 14, 2009 3:22 pm Ok have a closer look at the grout lines and see if the grout has erroded away. The corners Wall/wall & wall floor will have cracked as well. also check the tap flanges as these can leak to a nice void Soap dishes ledges etc Where you are coming from is where you are going to... Re: Shower wall water infiltration: Will dehumidifier help? 9Sep 14, 2009 5:35 pm shababak The bathroom is close to five years old (same age as the building). The stall itself has small 1" tiles. Isn't this covered by the homeowners' warranty... (7yrs) "ECOECO" At 'EcoEco', we design windows, we design the best windows, we do it for you, so that when you’re happy we are happy. Tel. 1800 326 326 Re: Shower wall water infiltration: Will dehumidifier help? 10Sep 15, 2009 4:44 pm shababak One of the shower stalls in the apartment/condo was inspected by the home inspector and mentioned to have "water infiltration" (measured by the moister meter) behind the wall's ceramic tiles. He mentioned that water has probably dampened the wall behind the ceramic tiles, since the grout wasn't properly sealed. Did he say the grout wasn't properly sealed or the shower wasn't properly sealed? I don't think you want a dehumidifier, but you do need to trace the problem and make sure the shower is properly waterproofed. At least your inspector acknowledged the possibility of moisture inside the wall. The one we called specifically in relation to an ongoing problem ignored his instrument and when I pointed out that the meter had gone up when he checked one particular wall he just shrugged and said oh no, the meter's just picking up the water on the other side in the shower, there's nothing in the wall. I'm still wondering why we paid him. ed @ EcoClassic Isn't this covered by the homeowners' warranty... (7yrs) I believe the warranty is only of use if the builder is bankrupt or dead. If you have a floor waste, turn on your sink and put your ear down to the central floor waste and listen. If you can hear water running then they all connect there. If you… 10 12094 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 16229 Thank you again Simeon.. I will call my certifier for that. Have a good day 4 5143 |