Thread: Shower pan build up at drain.....

Has anyone seen this before. This is only 1 yr old home. I did the final and it was not like this. Builder is telling home owner it is natural mineral buildup from grout or thinset. I am thinking shower pan/floor was not installed correctly. Cracking and undulation noted. Material is building up at drain line, below grate.
I have never seen it before. All tiles in shower are porcelain.
20161007_140025.jpg20161007_140036.jpg

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Definitely something amiss, that is not the result of hard water. Further the grout appears cracked. Hidden leakage = hidden damage.

Originally Posted by TcDuhon

Has anyone seen this before. This is only 1 yr old home. I did the final and it was not like this. Builder is telling home owner it is natural mineral buildup from grout or thinset. I am thinking shower pan/floor was not installed correctly. Cracking and undulation noted. Material is building up at drain line, below grate.
I have never seen it before. All tiles in shower are porcelain.
20161007_140025.jpg20161007_140036.jpg

TC
numerous interweb articles about grout efflorescence
a pan test w/test ball can be performed by the plumber of record to assure no pan seepage/leakage is occurring
when leakage is verified the tile setter of record has a problem & will have to rectify
regardless of them wanting to take the path of least resistance
sealing tile/grout is not the proper remedy for pan leakage ;~))
been down this road numerous times
hth

Hard to tell from the pic.
Limestone?

Bar Soap Scum and hard water deposits can leave a film that resembles efflorescence.
Use a scratch awl to scratch the surface.

Typically efflorescence travels through the material and dries on the arid side. That would mean the water is behind the scratch coat and tiles. Tap on the tiles with the back of a screwdriver lightly Listen if there is a hollow sound. Typically the tiles lift.

This is sort of an interesting one. It looks like a chemical reaction to me. There's some efflorescence, but that wouldn't do that. However, it might point to the problem: could they have dumped corrosive cleaning products in this shower? It almost looks like there's an incompatibility between the tiles and mortar, don't know what that could mean. It's only reacting where it would stay moist for extended periods. Interesting.

TC,

If the shower is on a slab foundation and you didn't find any signs of moisture in the areas surrounding the shower, it's difficult to say anything intelligent about the condition of the shower pan. The pan system below the mortar bed may be holding water, but with inadequate slope toward the two-part drain flange. If water is pooling under the mortar bed of the tile, it could lead to excessive efflorescence. I would suggest cleaning and monitoring the area, along with sealing the grout and tile. If the problem returns, the mortar bed is probably saturated and not draining properly.

Good Luck!
Jon