I have personally poured hundreds of tile shower pans, and never had a single warranty issue. The hot mop method is also a new one to me, although I see how it could be reliable.
I always used the rubber liner, with integrated pan liner drain.
Here are my thoughts:
Did they do a preslope under the hot mop? (should be 1/4"/ft.)
How thick did they pour the final shower pan? Also needs to be at least 1/4" per ft slope. Or did they apply tile right to the hot mop?
Most of the new grouts claim to have a sealer added into the powder, but I do not trust them one bit, unless it was a pre-mixed grout (ready to use). These are better, but only aid in stain resistance, not a moisture barrier like Martin said. A topical would make the water bead on the top, but you need to re-apply every couple years.
The hollow spot may be nothing more than the sound of the shingles not being fastened to the subfloor. May not be a problem, but if there is physical movement, this can cause the mud pan and the tile to eventually work loose or crack.
You can buy a moisture meter that would sense through the tile, but they are expensive, and it will certainly pick up moisture anyways…
Mud pans will almost ALWAYS get wet under the tile. Water seeps through the grout, and through the corners. And this is fine, as long as they did a pre-slope, and installed the liner to the drain correctly, so that water in the concrete final pan can find its way into the drain. There is no way to stop water from getting into the final pour, that is why the waterproofing and pre-slope are so important
I have heard you can drop a few drops of water on it and see if the water stands like a drop or if it soaks into and changes the color of the grout. best of luck!
The Shower Pan Man mentioned that he’s seen tilers clog up the weep holes. But the tile man came by and assured me he did not. He came by and sealed it with Custom, but I don’t know which. He said wait 24 hours to take a shower.
Did they do a preslope under the hot mop? (should be 1/4"/ft.)
Ans. Yes. The Shower pan man uses composition shingles, with a 1/4" slope per foot, then does a layer of tar, then does felt, then tar, then felt, 5 layers of tar 3 layers of felt, sloping 1/4 per foot.
How thick did they pour the final shower pan? Also needs to be at least 1/4" per ft slope. Or did they apply tile right to the hot mop?
Ans. I don’t know. Then the tile guys put the mud concrete over and on top of the hot mop, and slope the mud down to the drain–and he said he didn’t block the weep holes. Then they put the pebble tile and grout. The grout and sealer they used came from the company called, CUSTOM.
Most of the new grouts claim to have a sealer added into the powder, but I do not trust them one bit, unless it was a pre-mixed grout (ready to use). These are better, but only aid in stain resistance, not a moisture barrier like Martin said. A topical would make the water bead on the top, but you need to re-apply every couple years.
Ans. My contractor wanted to put an extra layer of grout. I said no. We need to bring them back.
The hollow spot may be nothing more than the sound of the shingles not being fastened to the subfloor. May not be a problem, but if there is physical movement, this can cause the mud pan and the tile to eventually work loose or crack.
Ans. agreed. The tile guy knocked and pressed and didn’t see any give. he thought it needed another application of sealer. I put a fan on all day. Then he added another coat of sealer. Doesn’t seem much improved.
I’ve learned a lot. I should have had everything listed to be considered complete, like warranty, list of materials used and links. Doing the water test on the new drain, the water test on the hot mop too. Neither done. Floating the ceiling and a poor texturing on the new ceiling. Making sure schluters were the same heights from floor to the ceiling for the new shower tiles; plus, free of grout and mud on them. Drop cloths or paint boards. Cleaning up the debris!
Does your contract have a “Satisfaction” clause? If not and you don’t release payment when “completed”, you may wind up in court! Talk to your attorney if there’s an issue with the work received and the contractor isn’t being reasonable. Nothing worse than a “full of himself” plumber!!
No. He didn’t provide a contract with that. I learned a lot. The plumber I used, recommended him and spoke very highly. I didn’t think it was going to be so bad.
I guess that’s what happens when you get a contractor that does over 300 homes a year. That’s a lot of practice at your craft. Hire the best union workers you can find and keep them happy.
