Washroom Issues

Most of the leakages or seepages are usually seen in the Washrooms. Before you finalize the house, do not forget to check the Washrooms.  The common leaks around the bathtubs and showers, drains, sinks etc might look very simple, but sometimes they can cause very expensive damages to the flooring, tiles, the ceilings etc

Please ensure that you get answers to the following questions before you take any major decisions about the house:

• Are they clean?
• Half the times they do not flush properly. Did you check flushing the toilet?
• Do they run when they aren’t in use?
• Does the shower work?
• Do they have a mirror and proper fittings for hanging the clothes and to keep the soap, shampoo etc

Water Proofing

The washrooms or bathrooms are exposed to water all the day. If they are not waterproofed during the construction phase, it will become a huge problem going through the lengthy process of repairing the bathrooms and also later the buyer will incur huge costs. The continuous leakages will ruin the interiors and damage the flooring.

Major Signs of trouble:

• Water seepage is noticed around the base of the toilet.
• The flooring gets damaged.
• Damp spots or stains on the ceiling below.

Critical areas like the Floor bed, sanitary fittings, shower splash zone etc needs to be checked in detail to ensure that there are no leakages. Make sure the toilet doesn’t leak onto the surrounding floor too.

Tub and shower: Tile leaks

Sometimes the water seeps through the the damaged grout or caulk and slowly gets into the wall behind the tile and that we when the tile leaks start. If a substandard material has been used to lay the tiles, then the tiles start falling off the wall if these water seepage, resulting in a bad rotting of the wall framing, sub floor, joists or ceiling below.

Leakages and Causes

If the bathroom is located upstairs and there is a leakage happening, then it starts leaking through the ceiling and slowly expanding damp spots can be noticed on the ceiling. Either it can be resolved easily or if it is too serious then it demands immediate attention and a need for a professional. Persistent leaks if unnoticed or neglected can damage the ceiling which can turn into a ceiling collapse.

Causes:

• A leak could be due to the some kind of defect or damage in the seal of the wax ring that adjoins the bathroom to the floor. It might not be visible, but every time you flush the toilet, it might be causing the water to pass through the bathroom floor into the downstairs ceiling.

• Another cause could be with the water supply lines that are connected to the washrooms and the sink trap. The leakage could be because of the water leaking out near the point  or location where the water supply lines join together.

• Also, if the drainpipes or the water supply lines connector joints are not joined tightly enough, in such cases also there can be water leakage happening which will not be visible from exterior.

• Sometimes, it can just be a matter of some loose connection and you can pick up one of your tools and tighten it immediately without having to wait for some professional.

• Sometimes the installation of the sanitary fittings itself might not have been done properly. So the whole fitting has to be removed and done again properly by the plumber.

• Lastly, it could be the issue with the drain pipe fittings. Some part of the drain pipes run behind the wall and it is tough to find out at what location the leakage is happening.

Call for Home Inspection  

Once you move into the house, whether it is a new house or a rental accommodation, it becomes very challenging to face these issues once you move in and also the huge costs that you might have to pay later.

It is of utmost importance that each and every aspect of the house needs to be inspected by a expert or a professional in this field.