P.S.
I don’t include a photo of the shower test in my reports. Nor would I volunteer how I discovered the leak.
If you know what to look for then you should test them…if not then disclaim them.
I build, install and repair shower pans so I dont mind inspecting them… I will let the shower run for at least 15 minutes…sometimes longer where there is a crawlspace and I can actually access under the pan area.
Let me also say that with custom shower stalls, especially those that have benches, one has to be careful…simply testing the pan means nothing.
Wednesday I had a parent from my youth soccer team call me about inspecting / repairing his shower stall. When I got out there at first glance everything looked fine. Stopping up the drain revealing nothing…letting the shower run full force for about 20 minutes while adjusting the shower head from time to time reveal a leak that was only detected with an IR camera.
I asked if he had a home inspection prior to purchasing the home to which he said he did however since he moved in he said he has found quite a number of things that inspector missed…while I did not comment on the inspectors work, it was clear that many of the items he pointed out should have been documented.
The guy spent over a 1 million dollars on the home and has been repairing things continually. By my estimation he will be up to at least $30,000 in repairs.
While I understand why an inspector would want to disclaim it, I can also understand from the owners point of view that had he known what he purchased he would not have paid that much or in all probability walked away.
At anyrate, let me reiterate that depending on the type of shower stall you are inspecting, if you think that simply plugging the drain and letting the water set will relieve you of any liability then you are dead wrong…you would be better to disclaim it.
regards
Jeff
Oh… in regards to being afraid something my break, fail or leak… I don’t worry about it… I simply annotated the time failed during testing and take the appropriate action.
I have had door knobs come off in my hand, shower leak, garage doors fall, disposals break, GFCI not reset…I have never had an issue with the owner complaining out it. The only thing I had an owner get upset with was when I let orange sticky tabs on items that were deficient. …go figure.
I do not stop up the drain on a shower, I just run it normally, but most of the showers over ten years old (some even brand new) that I test leak. I always leave a tile or any kind of caulked shower run an extra long time (10 minutes on an occupied home and 30 minutes on an unoccupied home). Tiles are just like brick, they all leak some water. The older they get the more they leak. I can tell you some stories of several of my clients getting sick because of mold due to continuous leaking showers. Can you say Stachybotrys. Sad but true.
Oh, for some reason most Realtors do not want me as an inspector. I wonder why? :mrgreen:
I do disclaim them, in my agreement and in the report. But I also test them.
Covering all the bases. 
Found my 2nd one today. At this rate, it will be one a month. (How many did I miss the last 4 years? :shock:)