Water Damage Restoration in Roswell, GA

A failed shower pan creates a water damage restoration job with a leak that repeats on a schedule: every shower adds a little more water to the floor framing. A tiled shower floor is not waterproof by itself. Beneath the tile and mortar sits a liner or membrane, the pan, that catches water soaking through the grout and steers it to the drain. When that layer cracks, tears or loses its seal at the drain, water slips past it into the subfloor, the curb framing and the room below. In Roswell, Alpha Plumbing and Sewer tracks down the failure and dries the structure around it.

How a tiled shower floor handles water

In a traditional build, a flexible liner is laid over a sloped base, turned up the walls and the curb, and clamped to a special drain with small weep holes. A mortar bed goes on top, then tile. Water that seeps through the grout runs along the liner and out through those weep holes. Newer showers often use a waterproof membrane applied directly beneath the tile instead. Either way, the shower depends on that hidden layer staying intact.

Signs the pan is leaking

• Grout on the shower floor that stays dark long after the last shower.
• Loose or cracked tiles on the curb or at the edges of the shower floor.
• Wet or stained baseboard and drywall just outside the shower, or a soft floor at the bathroom door.
• A stain on the ceiling below that darkens after showers and fades on days the shower is not used.
• An odor from the shower floor that cleaning does not remove.

Ruling out the simpler causes

Not every wet floor outside a shower means a failed pan. Water can escape past a worn door sweep, through cracked caulk where the curb meets the glass, from the shower valve inside the wall or at the drain connection under the floor. A careful check works through those first. To test the pan itself, the drain is plugged and the shower floor is flooded to just below the curb, then watched for a drop in level and for moisture in the room below. Valve and connection problems are handled through faucet and valve repair, and a leaking shower drain through drain repair.

Why a failed pan usually means a new shower floor

The pan sits under the mortar and tile, so it cannot be reached without removing them. Surface sealers can slow water down for a while, but they do not repair a torn liner or a failed clamp at the drain. In most cases the tile, mortar bed and liner come out, the subfloor beneath is inspected and replaced where soft, and a new pan is installed. That is also the moment to check the lower wall tile, since water often wicks up behind it.

Drying around and below the shower

With the shower floor removed, the subfloor, the joists below the shower and the curb framing are measured. Wood that is soft or deteriorated is cut out; sound wood is cleaned and dried. Bathroom drywall next to the shower is opened at the bottom if readings are high. If a ceiling sits underneath, that drywall is often opened too, which also gives good access for drying the joists from below. Air movers, a dehumidifier and repeated readings carry it through to the finish, using the same approach described in Alpha's Georgia water restoration overview.

What the shower leak estimate should list

The confirmed source and how it was tested, the extent of tile and pan removal, subfloor and framing repairs, drywall opened in the bathroom and below, drying equipment and monitoring, and whether rebuilding the shower is included or handled by a tile contractor.

Permits for shower drain work in Roswell

Roswell's Building Division issues permits for installing, altering, repairing or replacing plumbing, so ask whether the shower drain work in your project falls under that. Permits go to contractors holding a license, or to an owner who lives in the home. Cosmetic work such as repainting the ceiling afterward generally needs no permit.

Shower pan questions in Roswell

How do I know if my shower pan is leaking?

Watch for a stain below or a wet floor outside the shower that appears after showers and fades when the shower goes unused. Grout that never dries and loose curb tiles are other clues. A flood test, plugging the drain and filling the shower floor to just below the curb, confirms it when the water level drops or moisture appears underneath.

Can a leaking shower pan be sealed from the top?

Sealing the grout and tile can slow water from reaching the pan, but it does not fix a liner that is torn, cracked or loose at the drain. Water usually finds its way through again. A lasting repair generally means removing the tile and mortar bed, repairing the subfloor and installing a new pan.

Should I keep using the shower until it is repaired?

It is better not to. Each shower sends more water into the subfloor and framing, which can turn a manageable repair into a bigger one. If another bathroom is available, use it until the source is confirmed. If not, short showers keep the added water to a minimum until the repair starts.

Reach Alpha about a shower leak

A ceiling that darkens under your Roswell shower after every use is telling you something. Call Alpha Plumbing and Sewer at (404) 409-4448, share the age of the shower and where the water appears, and we can test the pan and plan the drying from the results.