Replies

1. 
   Dave45 | May 13, 2009 04:28pm | #1

   If stepping on the tile causes water to "squirt" out, you had better start thinking of a major demo and replacement.

   I would definitely take up any loose tiles and see what's going on under them (cracked mudbed?), and be ready to keep digging until you get to dry, sound, structure - wherever it may be.

2. 
   Hackinatit | May 13, 2009 04:41pm | #2

   Water ALWAYS gets under the tile in a shower...

   that's why there are weep holes into the drain assembly (under the tile).

   You need to remove the tile and (at least) open the drain holes to allow the water out.

   A La Carte Government funding... the real democracy.

3. 
   PeteDraganic | May 13, 2009 06:56pm | #3

   If water squirts out then you have a break in the bond between tile and substrate. Essentially the thinset has failed and water fills the now existing space between the tile/thinset/substrate. It squirts out of course when pressure is applied. This is not a grout issue at this point.

   You need to oull the tile and reinstall. I recoimmend new tile as cleaning the thinset off the old ones will be no fun. if the tile come clean and the thinset is on the substrate then you may have luck with grinding it down enough for a suitable repair.

   What substrate are you working with? on slab?

    

   I refuse to accept that there are limitations to what we can accomplish.        Pete Draganic

    

   Take life as a test and shoot for a better score each day.          Matt Garcia

1. 
   sapwood | May 14, 2009 03:32am | #7

   I would bet that the tiles are not set in thinset but in some sort of premix mastic. The guys at johnbridge.com love to complain about that stuff.

1. 
   PeteDraganic | May 14, 2009 04:11am | #8

   I am not familiar with any of the pre-mix anthings... I do mostly commercial tile... restaurant kitchens primarily. The water under tile is common enough.... talk about a nasty smelly foulness.

   <!----><!----><!----> 

   I refuse to accept that there are limitations to what we can accomplish.        Pete Draganic

    

   Take life as a test and shoot for a better score each day.          Matt Garcia

4. 
   Frankie | May 13, 2009 07:48pm | #4

   Good news and bad news:

   a. If water is squirting up and there are no apparent leaks below, the pan is holding. Good.

   b. The grout has failed. Bad.

   c. The thinset has failed. Failed at the tile or at the substrate, but probably both. Bad.

   d. Substrate is shot. Bad.

   e. Confirm condition of drain. Is it clogged so water pools while taking a shower? This will allow water to enter the pan through the weep holes and destroy the tile from below. Bad.

   Solution: Demo the tile and substrate down to the pan. Clean away any #### around the weep holes at the drain. Pack some washed pea stone around the weep holes to prevent them from clogging again. Reset the setting bed/ substrate and tile away.

   Use new tile. Your time is worth more than a sq.ft. of tile.

   Hope this helps,

   Frankie

   Flay your Suffolk bought-this-morning sole with organic hand-cracked pepper and blasted salt.

   Thrill each side for four minutes at torchmark haut. Interrogate a lemon.

   Embarrass any tough roots from the samphire. Then bamboozle till it's al dente with that certain je ne sais quoi.

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5. 
   JeffBuck | May 13, 2009 11:33pm | #5

   I'd plan on taking it all down to the pan, what ever that is ... and working up from there. And as has been mentioned ... the weep hopes are probably clogged too.

   Jeff

       Buck Construction

    Artistry In Carpentry

        Pittsburgh Pa

6. 
   USAnigel | May 13, 2009 11:51pm | #6

   The problem with this shower is very common.

   This is due to a missing slope under the membrane.

   Take it all out! You can leave the existing pan liner in place. Build a slope to the drain over this. Install the real pan liner in correctly making sure the liner is sealed on the underside to the drain and the weep slots are clear.

   Next build a wet bed over the pan and tile.

   Any water that gets pass the tile will work its way to the drain. The present setup is like a old muddy puddle with all its nastiness. Wear a mask and plenty of ventilation during the demo.

    

7. 
   FNbenthayer | May 14, 2009 12:27pm | #9

   IMHO, the chances of removing tile and opening the weeps without damaging the liner are pretty slim.

   I'd push to demo the whole foul petri dish and redo.

   YMMV

    

    

    

    

   The awful thing is that beauty is mysterious as well as terrible. God and the devil are fighting there, and the battlefield is the heart of man.
   - Fyodor Dostoyevski

1. 
   JeffBuck | May 15, 2009 03:28am | #11

   if it's a poorly set mudbed and there's that much water squirting up ...

   I'd bet it'll all pop right our after a coupla hammer smacks.

    

   I've had them come out in 5 or 6 pie pieces ... tile, thinset and mudbed, all in one chunk.

   Jeff    Buck Construction

    Artistry In Carpentry

        Pittsburgh Pa

8. 
   Pelipeth | May 14, 2009 01:08pm | #10

   Gut it and start over with your preferred choice of material, prefabbed. Try Swanstone 800-325-7008. They have the best pans on the market IMO, and may have an ADA compliant retro-fit you can use.