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shower leaking behind wall

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dan_the_plumber

Gas Engineer
Hello all.

I have a problem with a shower.

The tiles behind the shower all blew

Customer had them taken off and retiled.

Then they blew again and there was a discolouration of the ceiling in the kitchen below

Customer had tiles replaced a second time.

Then I was called in, I ran shower with cover off and found samll leak inside the shower which i PTFE taped which fixed the problem in the shower.

The wall was then retiled by the tiler.

I then camed back fully sealed where the electrical cable come through the wall with silicon.

I also covered the back of the shower unit in silicon and screwed back to the wall

All the tiles have now blown again!!!

I'm at a loss......Anyone suggest what the problem might be please?

Dan 🙂
 
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does concrete, brick work and screed corrode copper due to electrolysis? copper is not ferrous metal is it?

sorry for the dumb questions i am soon to be doing a course in plumbing. lol
 
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scottyblen said:
does concrete, brick work and screed corrode copper due to electrolysis? copper is not ferrous metal is it?
sorry for the dumb questions i am soon to be doing a course in plumbing. lol
Click to expand...

hello again scotty, copper does corrode in contact with masonry.
it is not ferrous so it does not "rust" but it still corrodes or oxidises
 
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scottyblen said:
does concrete, brick work and screed corrode copper due to electrolysis? copper is not ferrous metal is it?

sorry for the dumb questions i am soon to be doing a course in plumbing. lol
Click to expand...

No copper isn't ferrous (ferrous means contains iron)

Concrete etc does corrode copper but not via electrolysis - it's a chemical reaction.

Edit: beaten by Simon 🙂
 
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dan_the_plumber said:
I know you can use just ordinary PVA the seal before tiling.

I just wondered if anyone knows if this is a good idea or not?

It's certainly a lot cheeper!!!

Cheers...Dan
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never ever under any circumstances use pva to seal walls for tiling onto. the tile adhesive will react with the pva preventing the tiles from staying on the walls. read this from the tiling forums.

[DLMURL="http://www.tilersforums.co.uk/tile-adhesive-grout-substrate-preparation/2511-p-v-versus-primers.html"]P.V.A. Versus Primers[/DLMURL]
 
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as steve has said do not use pva to seal a wall for tiles you need to use suitable designed chemicals. Most professional tilers would have tanked the walls prior to tiling, question the tiler why it has not been tanked??

also ready mix adhesives are not suitable for shower areas, it needs to be a cement based waterproof adhesive (powder) if i remember correctly.
 
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sorry is that ready mix adhesive and grout or do you mean tanking?

As well as trying to deside on best adhesive and grouts to use

I'm also trying to find a product to water seal the walls without it costing £55 for a tanking kit

Cheers....Dan 🙂
 
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Gravytrain is referring to adhesive.

There's no real way round the cost of tanking products but I wouldn't do a shower without tanking - for my peace of mind if nothing else.

As I said earlier screw fix do the Mapei tanking kit for £40 if you've got a plumbfix account (item: 78484)

I'd also always use cementitious powdered adhesives and grouts rather than tubbed stuff (even if they are supposed to be suitable for showers).
 
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i was always told that ready mix adhesive requires air to set(which is why it stays usable in the tub), so it can take alot of time for it to set fully and its not very water proof because of its make up. Powder on the other hand is normally cement based which dry via a chemical reaction so will set even in damp conditions without air supply.

so i would always go with powder,s with or without admixtures.

plus powder is normally alot cheaper.
 
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