I recently inspected a 4 year hold house. It had a large, typical, tile walk in shower with a 4 inch curb to keep water inside. Pretty standard. I taped over the drain with painters tape and let the base of the shower fill up a couple inches then let sit for 15 minutes to test if there was a leak in the tile that would spill on to the floor in the bathroom or into the crawlspace.
A leak appeared around the drain pipe in the crawlspace below. It appeared to be between the pvc drain pipe and the gray drain pipe for the shower, but I could not be certain about that. All I could tell is that it was coming from the drain pipe.
The builder is saying that it is a gravity drain and you can not flood test a gravity drain and this is what caused the leak.
Is the builder correct? Should I not have flood tested the shower? Is there a better way to test the tile and drain?
Welcome to the forum, Bryan! Thanks for chiming in with your question.
I never do. I feel you open yourself to liability.
What does you SoP say? What do you limit when inspecting & reporting , or, what are your plumbing limitations?
Others do. Wait for them to chime in.
Observation: leak appeared around the drain pipe.
Refer licensed -plumber further evaluate and make correction.
I never flood test a shower. It is not the normal operation of a shower to fill it up and let it sit for 15 minutes and then release the water. I just run the shower while I’m testing the other fixtures in the bathroom and look for leaks in the crawlspace later. What is your insurance companies policy if you exceed the SOP and damage property? The builder could absolutely say you have caused damage to his property.
This comes up every once in awhile, search the forum for other posts.
A new shower stall (new construction) has the drain blocked and flood tested when it’s not yet complete or tiled, to verify liner and/or pan integrity.
Keep in mind, a shower stall is not a kiddie pool or fish tank, and wasn’t designed to hold water like those do. Yes, a flood test may expose leaks in the pan, tile, drain, etc. Just be prepared for what comes next.
depending on what type of shower base there is, Taping over the grate won’t do much. Allot of shower drains have a weep drain under the tile, As the tile floor is not waterproof, water gets under the tile and mortar bed and drains out through the weep drain. The only way to flood test a shower is with a blow up bladder that is placed into the drain pipe and then its blown up to seal the drain, which needs to be placed 1-4" down the drain. if you only just block off the grate, there will be water loss no matter what.
But then again, it depends on the type of shower pan used. But just run water into the shower for a few minutes, spray the walls, corners etc. once you get into the crawlspace or basement, you should notice a leak if there is a problem.
Thanks for the advice and comments. It would appear that I was a little ambitions in my testing as a new guy. I will probably follow James’ advice and just use a bar of soap and a towel from now on.
Ok, I would not flood test a 4 year old shower… I’d instead look for water damage below indicating the thing is failing to perform in normal use. That’s the standard of care for a HI: its it performing in normal use?
The builder’s comment about “gravity drains” though is bogus.
On a pre-drywall I’d absolutely flood test the shower. In my area the City inspector will likely do this also, or insist the builder do it in their presence.
I do not flood the shower. I run it for a few minutes like a normal person would use the shower.
(no soap and towel, so maybe not as authentic as James)
One thing I don’t use like normal people is the toilet. I flush them empty, and often.
Where’s the image with your tongue on the knife with the tip of the blade in the posative slot and your hair is smoking while confirming your first lighting circuit load test, Joe? I think the caption read, Yep, 120V & 15A approximately!
I never flood test anything that is not intended to be flooded. Point, if you have to tape the drain closed it is not intended to be. I guess you can say if you have to do something special to test it, then it is not normally operated in that function and i would rethink doing it.
Not all are gravity drains Dennis. This macerator pump was for the basement bathroom I inspected yesterday, I guess the Plumber or who ever installed it decided this system was an easier install than cutting the floors and tieing into the underfloor drain.
Then of course there also are the grey water sumps which are usually not covered or vented.
I’ve also seen a few pump stations, usually they’re found in homes that are built low in valleys.
Yep, good points. I was thinking in a box of natural drainage. The water did drain into the pump and then pumped? Thanks for helping me get out of the box tired I guess.
