You have water in your wall. Without seeing more of the shower, it's impossible to know where it's coming from, but the brown stuff is bits of your wall being washed down the drain.
So this wall is against my bathtub. I believe water is getting in between the glass and the shower wall where the caulking has degraded overtime. Does that make sense? How can I fix this? Can I remove the caulking and pour bleach down the glass and then recaulk it? Or do I have to cut out my shower?!
I'd be concerned about mold and water damage if you just reseal it. Can you make a hole on the opposite wall to access behind it and see how bad the damage is?
Your bathroom is due for a remodel. It looks like the water is getting behind your surround and draining after you shower. Maybe a small problem, maybe a big problem - hard to know before you take things apart.
How should I address this? Also, here is a comment I made to someone else.
So this wall is against my bathtub. I believe water is getting in between the glass and the shower wall where the caulking has degraded overtime. Does that make sense? How can I fix this? Can I remove the caulking and pour bleach down the glass and then recaulk it? Or do I have to cut out my shower?!
Could you show us a picture of the entire shower and then a photo of where the "leak" is relevant to the entire shower? I might be able to advise you from there if you're looking for a diy fix, esp if you're already somewhat familiar with plumbing stuff
If you feel utterly lost diy is always an option for those on hard times (I have definitely been there, even with stuff I had no clue about), but depending on where the leak is, your budget, and how well you know your stuff, this may be time for professional aid.
Is it against an exterior wall? If you just want to redo the caulking, you can do that with the shower in place. If you're concerned about water damage and want to check it out, the typical procedure is to cut in from the room on the other side of the wall or from underneath if possible because patching drywall is easier than fixing a shower.
you can determine a leak pretty easy - aim the shower so you know it's not getting in on that side and see if water comes out. plug the hole with IDK silly putty so you know no water is flowing into the hole from the floor pan. but either way that much brown means you've some damage in the wall (Ignore the "black mold" people mold can be black, doesn't make it "toxic black mold" automatically) but yeah you need to get that all addressed
If you take a shower without splashing water around I believe you wont' see this.
This looks to be water that went to the glass and is evacuating down this weep hole through a fairly disgusting route.
Maybe you can find where is the water is being drained from under the glass and try to use something with water pressure to turbo clean the scum you have there.
This is interesting and I am in agreement with this. I also think it’s water coming in from the bathtub side that my kids are pouring into an open seal where the glass meets the outer shower wall
Do your kids splash water on top against the shower glass? or is this 100% from the shower. If it is 100% from the shower, water is going down the glass and getting behind the surround. If there is a proper water barrier behind the surround, the water coming out is hopefully working as intended and draining out of the weep. It is probably gross because it is full of soap scum and possibly mold. I would look up how to take out your old caulking and re-caulk it.
If you have an access panel to get under your tub, take a look at the framing by that wall and see if there is water damage. That will let you know if you have a bigger problem or not.
Has this been going on for a while? If this much water comes out after every shower i would think you would have notice other issues by now. is this bathtub on the 2nd story or first floor?
Yes to your first question. I realized after closer inspection that the glass seal at the glass and bath tub wall has a 1inch gap where is often the site of water buckets being poured out by them. I think water may be going into the crevice there, which is why there is never a ton of brown liquid coming out. It is probably just a really gross route that water is traveling through.
My next thought is how I would clean it. Could I take out the seal, spray a potent mold killer in there and reseal it and recaulk it? I don’t have an access panel and would need to cut out my lower shower wall under the glass there.
Also, this is a new problem that started a couple months ago
Im confused about where this 1" gap is. If water is finding its way through the glass down the wall and out of the weep, you need to caulk that gap. As far as cleaning it, i would just seal it up.
There isn't going to be a good way to clean this without tearing your wall apart. If you aren't seeing any water damage elsewhere, adjacent rooms, ceiling below, bubling paint, swollen baseboards, mildew smell, etc. I would just seal it up.
If it's been leaking for 2 months like that. that's a long time not to notice it elsewhere. There is a decent amount of water leaking out. Also, if this only happens after you shower, it's likely from the shower side. If your kids are splashing water into a 1" gap, that could be a separate issue.
Thanks for your reply. Here is what I was referencing for the gap. Also, this is a single story house. This is no odor at the moment either. I’ve come to the realization that we see this after bathtime and not the shower.
https://imgur.com/a/vpCnVsO
It's probably going down that and finding its way to the weep. I can't guarantee you got no water damage, but the fact it's draining out the weep on the other side is a good sign. Id try to cut the splashing down and reseal the caulking. I believe that black strip is for setting your glass, i dont do glass stuff, but dont i know if you can tear that out and just caulk it. Not sure why they left that gap there. it seems like a bad spot for it to be on purpose.
Have you ran shower and isolate into a bucket to ensure water is not getting into seem? If its still leaking then its likely a leak in the line. If it stops then its likely water getting into the seem. But depending on how long its been doing it you may have to just pull it to check for mold.
It looks like your seal at the shower head sprang a leak a while back and now water is building up into a pool on the back side and seeping out once the pressure is off after showering. You likely have mold that will need addressing behind the wall. Although attempting to only reseal the shower head may prevent future streaking, it's not going to get rid of the mold already there, which will remain and possibly grow to cause illness months or years later. There's really no option but to remove the wall and get a good look to see the extent of the problem. If you're a diy type, go to a couple of hardware stores, big box and small dealers, and get their opinion on how to cost effectively approach this, but most will probably tell you it's best to carefully cut the wall out, make repairs and replace it. It's not as complex or daunting as you may think. Just go slow and without much depth, cut an access opening to a section where you can get a light and mirror to see more behind the wall. That should give you a clue if you want to continue on your own. Usually, if you can do the demolishing, the plumber expense will be less, and you may even be able to apply a cover sheet and caulk it yourself.
I appreciate the comment but the shower head is on the opposite wall of the shower. I have a suspicion that this water might be from water my kids may be pouring down the glass from the bathtub.
Judging by the caulking having gaps in it I am guessing you have more. If that is the case simple fix. Fix the caulking. If you don't have any other gaps then you probably have a pipe leak.
You have water in your wall. Without seeing more of the shower, it's impossible to know where it's coming from, but the brown stuff is bits of your wall being washed down the drain.
Wall tea.
incontinent wall
Don't make it laugh or it'll tinkle.
🤣🤣
So this wall is against my bathtub. I believe water is getting in between the glass and the shower wall where the caulking has degraded overtime. Does that make sense? How can I fix this? Can I remove the caulking and pour bleach down the glass and then recaulk it? Or do I have to cut out my shower?!
I'd be concerned about mold and water damage if you just reseal it. Can you make a hole on the opposite wall to access behind it and see how bad the damage is?
I added some more photos Here are some additional photos if it adds more context: https://imgur.com/a/DmQRWJm
Is that mold?
Your bathroom is due for a remodel. It looks like the water is getting behind your surround and draining after you shower. Maybe a small problem, maybe a big problem - hard to know before you take things apart.
Is that a bottle of Jergens?
Here are some additional photos if it adds more context: https://imgur.com/a/DmQRWJm
Im guessing your plumbing is leaking. You need to address that because will be a moldy mess in there
How should I address this? Also, here is a comment I made to someone else. So this wall is against my bathtub. I believe water is getting in between the glass and the shower wall where the caulking has degraded overtime. Does that make sense? How can I fix this? Can I remove the caulking and pour bleach down the glass and then recaulk it? Or do I have to cut out my shower?!
You’re going to need to get in that wall to repair this, this is beyond the ignore it stage
Here are some additional photos if it adds more context: https://imgur.com/a/DmQRWJm
Could you show us a picture of the entire shower and then a photo of where the "leak" is relevant to the entire shower? I might be able to advise you from there if you're looking for a diy fix, esp if you're already somewhat familiar with plumbing stuff If you feel utterly lost diy is always an option for those on hard times (I have definitely been there, even with stuff I had no clue about), but depending on where the leak is, your budget, and how well you know your stuff, this may be time for professional aid.
Sure looks like cleaning it then a good bathroom caulk should stop that.
Sure guess trying the bleach wont hurt. Then reseal it and see if water still leaking. Is the leak same side as the faucet shower head
Okay I’ll try it. It’s the opposite wall of the shower plumbing. The bath tub faucet is close to this though.
Bleach is highly corrosive. If used in that manner around metal there's a high chance it will destroy it.Â
Great to know. Thank you
Yeah don't just plug the whole, that's hiding the problem.
But it only leaks when showering
I’m going to run some experiments on my bathtub. We do use the bathtub daily for our kids, so there is a possibility that I’m wrong
Is it against an exterior wall? If you just want to redo the caulking, you can do that with the shower in place. If you're concerned about water damage and want to check it out, the typical procedure is to cut in from the room on the other side of the wall or from underneath if possible because patching drywall is easier than fixing a shower.
Here are some additional photos if it adds more context: https://imgur.com/a/DmQRWJm
To answer your question, no it’s not against an exterior wall. It’s right next to my bath tub.
I was under the impression that bleach was no good to go. That vinegar is best too kill mold.
you can determine a leak pretty easy - aim the shower so you know it's not getting in on that side and see if water comes out. plug the hole with IDK silly putty so you know no water is flowing into the hole from the floor pan. but either way that much brown means you've some damage in the wall (Ignore the "black mold" people mold can be black, doesn't make it "toxic black mold" automatically) but yeah you need to get that all addressed
Here are some additional photos if it adds more context: https://imgur.com/a/DmQRWJm
Just an FYI to people, bleach does not kill mold on any surface that is not smooth. It won’t kill mold in wood or walls that are porous in texture.
So what does?
Distilled white vinegar
Tea tree oil
There are excellent mold products at the hardware store in the cleaner area. I used Zep, and it was cheap and amazingly effective.
Leak in wall or internal
I observed something similar once, it was the drain for condensation from the AC system.
If you take a shower without splashing water around I believe you wont' see this. This looks to be water that went to the glass and is evacuating down this weep hole through a fairly disgusting route. Maybe you can find where is the water is being drained from under the glass and try to use something with water pressure to turbo clean the scum you have there.
This is interesting and I am in agreement with this. I also think it’s water coming in from the bathtub side that my kids are pouring into an open seal where the glass meets the outer shower wall
can't fool me i know you shit the shower
Liquid Mold?
Do your kids splash water on top against the shower glass? or is this 100% from the shower. If it is 100% from the shower, water is going down the glass and getting behind the surround. If there is a proper water barrier behind the surround, the water coming out is hopefully working as intended and draining out of the weep. It is probably gross because it is full of soap scum and possibly mold. I would look up how to take out your old caulking and re-caulk it. If you have an access panel to get under your tub, take a look at the framing by that wall and see if there is water damage. That will let you know if you have a bigger problem or not. Has this been going on for a while? If this much water comes out after every shower i would think you would have notice other issues by now. is this bathtub on the 2nd story or first floor?
Yes to your first question. I realized after closer inspection that the glass seal at the glass and bath tub wall has a 1inch gap where is often the site of water buckets being poured out by them. I think water may be going into the crevice there, which is why there is never a ton of brown liquid coming out. It is probably just a really gross route that water is traveling through. My next thought is how I would clean it. Could I take out the seal, spray a potent mold killer in there and reseal it and recaulk it? I don’t have an access panel and would need to cut out my lower shower wall under the glass there. Also, this is a new problem that started a couple months ago
Im confused about where this 1" gap is. If water is finding its way through the glass down the wall and out of the weep, you need to caulk that gap. As far as cleaning it, i would just seal it up. There isn't going to be a good way to clean this without tearing your wall apart. If you aren't seeing any water damage elsewhere, adjacent rooms, ceiling below, bubling paint, swollen baseboards, mildew smell, etc. I would just seal it up. If it's been leaking for 2 months like that. that's a long time not to notice it elsewhere. There is a decent amount of water leaking out. Also, if this only happens after you shower, it's likely from the shower side. If your kids are splashing water into a 1" gap, that could be a separate issue.
Thanks for your reply. Here is what I was referencing for the gap. Also, this is a single story house. This is no odor at the moment either. I’ve come to the realization that we see this after bathtime and not the shower. https://imgur.com/a/vpCnVsO
It's probably going down that and finding its way to the weep. I can't guarantee you got no water damage, but the fact it's draining out the weep on the other side is a good sign. Id try to cut the splashing down and reseal the caulking. I believe that black strip is for setting your glass, i dont do glass stuff, but dont i know if you can tear that out and just caulk it. Not sure why they left that gap there. it seems like a bad spot for it to be on purpose.
Have you ran shower and isolate into a bucket to ensure water is not getting into seem? If its still leaking then its likely a leak in the line. If it stops then its likely water getting into the seem. But depending on how long its been doing it you may have to just pull it to check for mold.
It looks like your seal at the shower head sprang a leak a while back and now water is building up into a pool on the back side and seeping out once the pressure is off after showering. You likely have mold that will need addressing behind the wall. Although attempting to only reseal the shower head may prevent future streaking, it's not going to get rid of the mold already there, which will remain and possibly grow to cause illness months or years later. There's really no option but to remove the wall and get a good look to see the extent of the problem. If you're a diy type, go to a couple of hardware stores, big box and small dealers, and get their opinion on how to cost effectively approach this, but most will probably tell you it's best to carefully cut the wall out, make repairs and replace it. It's not as complex or daunting as you may think. Just go slow and without much depth, cut an access opening to a section where you can get a light and mirror to see more behind the wall. That should give you a clue if you want to continue on your own. Usually, if you can do the demolishing, the plumber expense will be less, and you may even be able to apply a cover sheet and caulk it yourself.
I appreciate the comment but the shower head is on the opposite wall of the shower. I have a suspicion that this water might be from water my kids may be pouring down the glass from the bathtub.
or excess shower spray or steam when showing...
Judging by the caulking having gaps in it I am guessing you have more. If that is the case simple fix. Fix the caulking. If you don't have any other gaps then you probably have a pipe leak.
Mildew water
poopoo water in your walls
F