I must admit Bob is right. I think you guys are crazy for stopping up the drains. I simply run as normal for 15 to 20 mins then I tell my clients to look for water stains on the ceiling during final walk thru. By then most likely you will see evidence if the pan is leaking.
I like it Russell.
I’ll pay you $16 for two. Can I get free shipping?
When you get a client who has a $20,000 custom bathroom tell you his shower pan leaks, you may change your mind.
The drain hole would be too small. With this type, you can safely leave the room and don’t have to worry about the pan overflowing.
I won’t fill/flood a shower pan. Never have, never will.
Same here
Hey Russell,
After reading your post #5 am I correct a my assumption that you are a shallow thinker?
LOL
You’re NOT clogging up a shower. You’re putting something in it that will keep about 2"-3" of water standing across the FULL pan for about 15-30 minutes (depending on your mood). If the water gets too high it goes over the top and down the drain.
Shortly after I started doing home inspections FULL time about 1984-1985, I had a lady call and tell me I’d inspected the house 45 days before that - they’d just moved in last week AND the shower was leaking onto the dining room table below. She said I missed a leaky shower.
I was horrified. I went out ASAP, and went back to view shower. Could NOT see anything … I turned the shower on and sprayed it at the side walls for 15 minutes - NOTHING. Then sprayed the back wall for 15 minutes - NOTHING. I was positive she’d just splashed water out of the stall area and didn’t wanta own up. She apologized profusely and I left.
4 days later shes on the phone again. I go backout / Same Drill / Same Results. Again away I go thinking she is just using this for an excuse to get me out there to jump my bones OR remodel the shower.
A week later comes the call again. I go back out AND after we talk awhile I realize the only difference in my original inspection AND her showers was HER in the shower. So I ask her to strip and get in the shower so I can observe it in action. She does AND bambo in less than 5 minutes its leaking all over the place at the dining room ceiling below.
A plumber later comes out, cuts the drywall open and she has VERY small break in a soldered joint. With no weight it could run for hours with no leak / With weight it leaked almost every time.
I tried stuff like Russel shows for several years then about 1990-1992 I saw PE’s TUB STOPPER and ordered 2 immediately. I love them / Does it ever cause a leak below - Yes sometimes BUT if it does something is defective AND since I’ve been using them I’ve ONLY had 1 time that someone EVER complained.
One Complaint —
Vacant house - Realtor, me and buyer. Buyer gets call from his office that hes needed back there ASAP, so he leaves. Shortly afterwards Agent says I’m gone. About 30 minutes later I’m doing the shower trick and it leaks to living room ceiling below. I get trash can and catch water / call plumber buddy have him being me a wet vac and vacuum up carpet.
I call Realtors office and tell them what happened. They call the handyman the real estate office uses for winterizations (it had been winterized up till 48 hours before the inspection). He goes out to look and tells them the home inspector must have overflowed the shower cause nothings wrong, and makes several disparaging remarks about the quality of home inspectors. They then ask me to pay for the damaged ceiling.
I sit up appointment with Buyer & his Agent. Go back out and do same thing again AND in less than 5 minutes shower is leaking again.
I then take pictures AND politely send letter to the listing real estate brokerage (with photos) explaining that the untrained handymen plumber has cost them $$$$$$, does not seem to know squat about diagnosing plumbing problems AND offered them the name of a LICENSED quality plumber I know PLUS inferred they should use me for inspecting their in-house properties because I seemed much better than the guy they were using.
During a home inspection testing the shower pan is inconclusive.
You will need to test your shower pan for at least 8 hours. Some
leaks like nail holes take a long time to show up on a test. Your job is to check for leaks around your shower every now and then. If the water level goes down, and it may, then add more water to the
shower floor until you are back to the original water test level of 1 inch.
Full details go to: http://www.nortextile.com/showerpanleak.html
:mrgreen::mrgreen::mrgreen:
So then you would have no problem running the test for 15 minutes!!!
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15 minutes is not only risking getting sued for damages but not even a proper test as it must be holding water a minimum of 8 hours to be a proper investigation.
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Bob common sense must prevail. We do not have 8 hours for a “proper” test that one has taken as an AUTHORITY by what ONE found on the web.
With that mentaility then Radon tests should be done for a year.
If you want to find information backing up your thoughts, it can be easily found on the web. People seach the web to validate their views instead of learn.
If you want to make it simple. Ask a client, would you prefer me to fill the entire base of the shower floor and inch of water to ensure it does not leak or run it for 15 minutes and who knows even if the entire floor will even get wet to see if it leaks. Their response should be your answer.
You saw Jeff Pope’s thread… how many HI’s (be honest now) remove the access panel for the tub enclosure “every time”? How risky is running a tub without access to even see what is happening? (sure, some are visible from the basement, but not always). How is that any less riskier than filling the shower pan to 1-2 inches? Tell me you have never taken a shower and the water level didn’t raise to the top of your feet (1-2 inches).
Then I can assume you also overfill every tub to test the overflow which as notated in Jeff’s thread often is disconnected and upon finding leaks not on a slab simply pay for damages.
:twisted::twisted::twisted:
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You know what they say when you “assume”! (minus the ‘me’).
No, I do not “overfill every tub to test the overflow”, but perhaps I should. I would hate to be liable for someone taking a bath and letting the water run thinking the overflow will handle it, and it doesn’t. Or perhaps I should disclaim that the overflow was not tested to cover my butt!!!
:roll::roll::roll::roll::roll: :roll::roll::roll::roll::roll: :roll::roll::roll::roll::roll: :roll::roll::roll::roll::roll: :roll::roll::roll::roll::roll:
Longer is probably better. But a long test isn’t practical. Here’s the IRC testing protocol. I suspect many don’t want to do this because it keeps them from inspecting four houses a day. :mrgreen:
P2503.6 Shower liner test. Where shower floors and receptors
are made water tight by the application of materials required by
Section P2709.2, the completed liner installation shall be
tested. The pipe from the shower drain shall be plugged water
tight for the test. The floor and receptor area shall be filled with
measured at the threshold. Where a threshold of at least 2 inches
high does not exist, a temporary threshold shall be constructed
to retain the test water in the lined floor or receptor area to a
level not less than 2 inches deep measured at the threshold. The
water shall be retained for a test period of not less than 15 minutes
and there shall be no evidence of leakage.
**Commentary: **Although Section P2709 always required field-fabricated
shower floors and receptors to be made “water
tight” (i.e., free of any leaks when exposed to water) by
the application of liner materials, the code did not actually
require testing to prove that the installation was
leak free. Many jurisdictions have required testing of
field-fabricated shower pans for many years due to the
potential for water damage if the installation of liner
material is not performed properly. The resulting water
damage, increased difficulty in making repairs and additional
expense involved associated with discovering
a leak after a building has been completed, have
prompted the addition of this testing requirement section
for the 2009 edition of the code.
This section clearly spells out how to perform the
test. The evidence of leakage could be either the lowering
of the water level from the full threshold level or
water drips/seepage outside of the receptor area [see
Commentary Figures P2503.6(1) and P2503.6(2)].
Thanks Joe, very informative.