Bathroom leak detection in Tucson, AZ

Signs of a hidden bathroom leak

• Damp carpet or swollen baseboard in the room or closet behind the shower wall.
• A stain on the ceiling below an upstairs bathroom.
• Loose, hollow-sounding, or cracked tiles in the shower, and grout that stays dark.
• A floor that feels soft or moves near the toilet or tub.
• A toilet that rocks, or dampness and staining around its base.
• A musty smell that cleaning doesn't remove, or mold returning along the base of the shower.
• Vinyl or laminate flooring lifting at the edges.
• A vanity cabinet floor that's warped or stained.
• A toilet that refills by itself every so often with no one using it.

Where bathroom leaks come from

Shower leaks

The pan or liner under the tile, the drain connection, the valve body in the wall, the joint behind the shower arm, cracked grout and failed caulk at corners and the curb, and the edges of a glass door. Tile and grout let water through. The membrane beneath them does the waterproofing.

Bathtub leaks

The drain shoe under the tub, the overflow gasket behind the overflow plate, the spout connection, and the joint where the tub meets the tile.

Toilet leaks

The wax seal at the floor, the supply line and stop valve, the tank bolts, and the tank itself. A flapper that doesn't seal sends water down the drain instead of onto the floor. That does no damage, but it shows up on the bill.

Sink leaks

The P-trap, the drain tailpiece, the supply stops and hoses, and the faucet base.

Leaks in bathroom pipes behind walls and under floors

Hot and cold supply lines, and the drain lines that serve all of the above.

How we test for shower, tub, and toilet leaks

The method is to separate the sources and test them in an order that rules things out.

1. Meter and pressure test. If the meter moves with everything off, a supply line or a running toilet is responsible. Toilets are checked first with dye in the tank.
2. Map the damage. A moisture meter and thermal camera outline the wet area on the walls, floor, and the ceiling below.
3. Drain test. Water is poured directly into the shower or tub drain through a hose, without wetting the walls or pan. If the damp area responds, the drain connection or pipe is leaking.
4. Pan flood test. The shower drain is plugged and the pan is filled to just below the curb, then left. If the level drops or the damp area grows, the pan or liner has failed.
5. Wall spray test. Water is sprayed on one tiled wall at a time, starting low. This finds failed grout, corners, niches, and the area around the valve trim.
6. Valve and shower arm test. The shower is run with the head capped or directed straight into the drain, so only the valve and riser are under pressure.
7. Tub tests. The tub is filled past the overflow to test that gasket, then drained to test the shoe and trap.
8. Toilet seal check. Dye in the bowl and repeated flushing, with the area beside and below the toilet monitored for moisture.

Some of these tests need time to show a result. A flood test in particular can take hours, and a slow leak may call for a return visit to read it.

How Tucson's hard water wears out bathroom fixtures

Tucson's water is hard. It's a blend of Colorado River water from the Central Arizona Project and local groundwater, and both carry a lot of dissolved minerals. In a bathroom, that shows up as scale, and scale is behind many of the leaks we trace.

• Toilet fill valves and flappers get crusted and stop sealing. The toilet runs quietly, around the clock.
• Shower valve cartridges and seals are scored by mineral grit, and the valve begins to weep inside the wall.
• Stop valves under sinks and behind toilets seize, then drip from the stem when someone finally turns them.
• Flexible supply hoses corrode at the crimped ends.

For a homeowner here, that means 2 things. Toilets and stop valves deserve a quick check every year, because their parts don't last as long as the packaging suggests.

And when a bathroom leak is on the supply side, the cause is often a small fitting. We tell you which it is.

Most Tucson homes are also built on slabs, so the drains under a ground-floor bathroom are below concrete. A leak there's found by testing the drain line, which is covered under drain leak detection.

What affects the cost of bathroom leak detection

• Number of fixtures to test. A half bath is quick. A primary bathroom with a walk-in shower, a separate tub, 2 sinks, and a toilet has many more possible sources.
• How slow the leak is. Slow pan leaks need long test times.
• Access. An access panel behind the tub, or a closet behind the shower wall, shortens the job. Tile on every side lengthens it.
• Upstairs or ground floor. An upstairs bathroom can be read from the ceiling below. A ground-floor bathroom on a slab gives less to read.
• More than one source. An older shower can have a failed pan and a weeping valve at once.

When a bathroom leak is an emergency

Shut off the water and call promptly if water is coming through the ceiling below, especially near a light fixture, or if a supply line or stop valve is spraying. Every toilet and sink has its own stop valve.

Turning that off isolates the fixture and leaves the rest of the house with water. If it won't turn, use the main valve.

A toilet that rocks on a soft floor shouldn't be left. The seal is already broken, and each flush puts waste water into the subfloor.

Stop using that toilet until it's dealt with. The same applies to a shower that's clearly wetting the room behind it: use another one until the source is found.

How to prepare for bathroom leak detection

• Don't use the suspect shower or tub for 24 hours before the visit if you can. A dry starting point makes each test easier to read.
• Clear the vanity cabinet and the closet or room behind the shower wall.
• Note whether the damage is constant or follows showers.
• Do the toilet dye test and the meter test, and tell us the results.

Leak Detective finds the source and doesn't make repairs. Depending on the result, the fix belongs to a plumber or a tile contractor, and it ranges from a new wax seal or valve cartridge to rebuilding a shower pan. Knowing which before anyone starts is the point of testing.

After the repair, the damp area should stop growing and begin to dry. For damage that has spread into the wall, see wall leak detection. Bathrooms account for a large share of the indoor work we do as part of Tucson leak detection.