Damp skirting board in bedroom - opposite ensuite

Maxxey

hey folks,

I was hoping to get a diagnosis/advice on what is likely the issue here:

https://imgur.com/a/A8SDz4p

I found my skirting board has a rising damp issue. The board itself is attached to the bedroom wall directly opposite my en-suite shower (so this wall divides bedroom and shower attachment/tiles / shower pan).

For context I bought the place 2 yrs ago and found there was a grout issue initially that leaked into the downstairs sitting room ceiling, this was fixed and no issues until about 2-3 months ago I am noticing the skirting board crack and assume its just wall settling etc.

I now noticed it's discoloring and very slightly damp, I am not sure if its my en-suite shower/sink/toilet or the other shower / upstairs toilet or something causing this issue.

The downstairs ceilings have no issue this time so I assume it is a very small leak, just this skirting board looks like its getting worse over the past month.

Is this work for a plumber directly and can they diagnose it? Or is this looking like a rip the board off or shower pan and see what happens?

I'd rather not have a random plumber destroy the place if its unnecessary , any advice appreciated.

10-10-20

Hi, so what is directly behind this wall? A tiled en-suite with a shower on the opposite wall of the en-suite, is that right? A photo of the far side of this wall would help.

Was the grout faulty around the shower or what and what grout was repaired? What type of shower tray is it? Are there any signs of problems with the flooring of the en-suite such as rising tiles or damp patches at that same spot?

Photos will help, but for what you describe it may be that the en-suite is tanked and the water is able to travel along under the tiles and appearing at the edge of the en-suite. That's my guess so far.

Maxxey

thank you for the help

>Was the grout faulty around the shower or what and what grout was repaired?

The Grouting issue in 2021 summer was on the shower enclosure frame. Grout was missing on the vertical gap between enclosure and tiles. This was a snag on a new build so the developer fixed it.

This caused water damage to the downstairs ceiling and that was repainted. No issues since then until about 2 months ago I notice the skirting board changing color so I don't know if this is that same damage finally resurfacing as damp and skirting issues or a new issue as I don't know how these would progress but seems unlikely to be the former.

>what is directly behind this wall?

More photos from now are here: https://imgur.com/a/QVVY7NS the midline of the shower attachment would be around the same place as damage on the skirting board, which makes me suspect maybe a small leak on the pipe/shower itself (but again I have no experience on plumbing/showers failures)?

>What type of shower tray is it?

Not sure how much detail you need, its a square pan. found the type:

1200x900mm Low Profile Shower Tray, Flat Top

Simplicity 1200mm x 900mm flat top low profile Idealite shower tray including waste 

When you say ensuite is tanked does that mean the shower tray water proofing, or I'd need to fill every gap I see with filler or do some other tests?

10-10-20

Ok, I see.

There does appear to be a tell-tail brown mark at the bottom of the door-frame. Is that weeping after a shower?

Given the position of the mark and the shower components, I'd say it could be one of three things:

1. The seal where the tiles meet the tray is leaking
2. A leak at the pipes at the back of the mixer valve.
3. Water running off the tiles and into the back of the mixer valve.

Give the tiles around the mixer a spray and then try loosen off the finishing caps at the back of the mixer and see if you can see dampness or water getting in behind the tiles there. That area needs to be very well sealed as it's right under the spray head, so is prone to leaking if the water is directed against the tiles.

Maxxey

Thanks!

I will check and leave some tissue/paper in corners and do some spray tests to see.

I checked the coverings on the mixer valve and the left one was loose and not very flush so potentially I screwed up cleaning the shower with a mop and loosened the damn thing (?) causing all this. No way to prove it though right? Outside of letting this all dry out over some weeks and then re-testing?

Do you think this shower is 100% the culprit it couldn't be the main bathroom across the way - therefore I could just use that shower for the time being. This skirting board looks to be unsalvagable so need to be replaced once this is sorted.

10-10-20

For all of the information that we have here, I do suspect it's the shower. It's the obvious potential source of water.

Those tap flashings might need a small amount of silicon behind them to seal the hole off properly. Mine were leaking when one specific person was using the shower as they must have directed the spray-head against the wall and the run-off was going behind the tile. I still have the marks in the ceiling 10 years later.