How Can I Fix a Leaking Shower in Chicago?

6/7/2020 (Permalink)

Shower leaks can cause extensive damage behind walls. Make sure to call team SERVPRO to help when you suspect water damage in your bathroom.

Shower Leaks Can Lead to Water Damage Without Professional Restoration. Arrange a SERVPRO Callout Within Four Hours of Notification of Loss to Return your Home to its Original Condition.

Why do showers only leak sometimes?

Overtime fittings and attachments in your shower may have intermittent blockages. These blockages may include caulking of the valves, resulting in water dripping off the shower and running down the walls. If the tiling or shower itself is wearing away, water may get inside baseboards or through cracks in sealant. Once behind a wall, moisture can trickle down into the lower floor and appear as discoloration or cracking on the ceiling below. Intermittent leaking can still cause significant harm to your property, so it is vital to use a professional Chicago restoration company to inspect, assess, and repair the damages.

Can I claim shower leaks on my home insurance?

Insurance policies can differ from resident to resident. However, most home insurance covers the resulting damages of a shower leak but does not cover the shower or plumbing. To prevent water issues from getting out of control, you need to first fix the source of the Chicago water damage, in this case, by inspecting or retiling areas of the shower. Afterward, you may need to enlist the help of a restorer to reverse the damages that were a result of your leaking shower. SERVPRO water restoration technicians are expected at wet room restoration and have experience in drying out ceilings as well as floor cavities.

How can I dry floor cavities beneath my shower room?

Drying mats can help to draw moisture out of seemingly impermeable flooring like tiles. These mats cover a large surface area, and we place them directly onto the floor tiles. Each mat has capillaries for water to absorb into and a centrifugal engine that applies negative air pressure across the mats. While not primarily designed for removing water in Chicago, they are exceptionally effective at drawing water out of a surface where it can evaporate freely. For small quantities of moisture, drying mats are an effective, non-invasive measure that SERVPRO uses.

However, not all shower rooms are suitable for drying mats. In some cases, we may need to access the subfloor by pulling up floorboards or carpet in the adjacent hallway. While not having direct access to the damp spot can make drying a challenge, using an adapted air-mover to circulate into the cavities is most effective. The ceiling below can sometimes benefit from inner cavity heating as well, although it is likely that paintwork must be repainted using a water-resistant primer.

What materials can waterproof my shower room?

• Tiles along with a water-resistant sealing to prevent moisture escaping through cracks
• Greenboard drywall is water-resistant although may become damaged with large amounts of water
• Vapor barriers can help to prevent most of the moisture from reaching green board or underfloor
• Moisture resistant paints are useful on the underside ceiling as well as between wall and shower

Does shower leakage cause secondary issues?

Water intrusion in any amount is a bad thing. If water leaks from your shower, over time, you may notice swelling on the ceiling below. Equally, the frame keeping your floors together may become wet. It is unlikely that damp frames are at risk of collapse from water exposure alone. However, it can make the frame susceptible to dry rot or microbial growth, which, for years, can weaken the floor, produce unpleasant odors and discolor paintwork or eat away at waterproofing measures. SERVPRO technicians may probe the framework in your floors using a moisture meter to understand how much water the frame has absorbed. We may need to place dehumidifiers into the cavity to help draw out and dry the affected area.

What steps do I need to take to dry out floor cavities?

• Gain access to the floor cavity by removing floorboards. If in a tiled room, floorboards in the adjacent hallway
• Use a moisture meter and thermal hygrometer to assess the moisture content and the relative humidity in the affected area.
• Fit air-moving equipment with a flex hose or duct it onto the access point to circulate warm air into the cavity.
• Once appropriately dry, place dehumidification equipment into the cavity to remove residual moisture further.

How long does it take to restore a leaking shower?

Shower leakage usually involves smaller amounts of water than with other plumbing issues. However, these slow leaks can be more challenging to restore. Our average turnaround time is around five days using equipment that may run overnight to dry cavities effectively. During that time, SERVPRO technicians return regularly to assess the impact of the drying method and can adapt designs to suit specific needs daily.

Taking a proactive approach to slow leaks in your home can mitigate expensive damages. Contact SERVPRO of Marquette Park / West Lawn / Ford City at (773) 337-3993 now.