Water leakage under bathroom floor can be one of the most nerve-wracking issues in the bathroom. If you try to deal with this problem yourself, you first need to know how to notice this situation. And then you can detect what causes such an issue and find out solutions to this problem.
How Do You Tell There Is Leakage Under Bathroom Floor?
Loose Tiles
The most common and clear sign of water under bathroom tiles is the loose tiles. Water that gets under the tiles can weaken tile adhesive and result in loose tiles. So if you find your bathroom tiles are moving but no flood on the floor, it is undoubtedly the warning signal of water damage below.
Hollow Sound
The water damage will result in a loose structure under the tile. If you suspect that there is water leakage under the tile, try tapping the floor with a coin. If the floor sounds hollow, there may be leakage.
Molds Turn Up In Unusual Places
When water gets under the floor, it will become wet and damp for molds to grow. If there are unexplained mold outbreaks that come up on the regularly clean tiles, it is most likely attributed to the water beneath the floor.
What Are The Causes of Water Under Bathroom Floor?
Draining Pipes Leaking Issue
Some draining pipes of bathroom fixtures are plumbed into the main line under the bathroom floor. When there’s some loose connection of the draining pipes, water will seep into the tiled floor. You can detect which bathroom fixture causes the problem by looking around the toilet, sink, and bathtub, or shower to find water pooling nearby. If the issue is so severe that it’s causing the dripping issue in the room right below the bathroom, you can check the position where the dripping corresponds to.
Grout Or Tile Cracking Issue
There’s another cause that leads to water leakage under the floor–it is your grout under tiles become not that water-proof. Damaged grout could not keep water out and water slowly seep into the grout. And therefore, worse things happen over time. When you find the grout cracks or falls apart, it is a sign of damaged grout.
If it’s not the grout, it’s your tile that brings about the leakage issue. For some reason, the floor tiles themselves may crack and allow water to seep into the ground. Once the water enters the underside, it can spread throughout the tiled floor to make damage.
How To Deal With Leakage Under Bathroom Floor?
What To Do With Drain Leak?
The drain leak can be the most difficult problem to solve. You will need to damage your bathroom floor of a large area and find out the dislocated or loose drain fittings. And then replace the new one and connect it tightly. The underground water pipes can be intricate and it is hard for you to repair the drain leak yourself. Therefore, you will need to ask a professional for help since the process is totally complex. Improper handling of the problem can make it worse.
What To Do With Grout And Tile Issue?
Grout and tile issue is the one that is easy to ignore. If you find that there are cracks or holes on the grout or tiles, you need to regrout or replace new tiles. However, before doing this, you should go for one more step–check out if water seeps into the subfloor. If so, the amount of work will increase. To detect the situation, you should first remove one or two tiles for inspecting the subflooring. If the subfloor has got damaged by water, you will have to remove the entire floor and dry the subfloor.
Dry Out Water Under The Floor
- Use a chisel and a rubber mallet to remove the grout between the tiles gently and place the tiles aside. Make sure to repeat this step in the area with water under tiles until all tiles are removed.
- Put towels on the rough flooring to soak up some water. When you make sure all the water is sucked out and then you can sterilize the rough flooring with bleach. This will help remove the existing molds and mildew. Also, make sure the tiles dry out.
Retile The Bathroom Floor
- Apply the adhesive to the tile and put it down on the ground. Lay some pressure on the tile for better adhesion. Use the spacer around the tile to leave certain joint space. Repeat the above steps to place the tiles in the right position.
- It would be better to leave several hours for the tile adhesive to set. The next day you can begin to grout the floor. Just squeeze the grout into the joint space and wait for it to dry overnight and you’ve done. If you accidentally grout the boundary, wipe it with a damp cloth.
