4 Signs You May Have a Bathroom Leak

8/13/2021 (Permalink)

When tiles look like this, it could be for leaking water back behind your tub.

There Are Four Signs That You May Have A Leak In Your Bathroom.

A bathtub leak can cause significant water damage to your bathroom in Austin, TX, and water damage is no joke. It can eat away at your walls and floors and end up being incredibly costly to remedy. It is possible to catch a small problem before it becomes a big problem if you pay attention to subtle clues. Here are four signs you may have a bathroom leak.

1. Peeling Paint

When water finds its way between the wall and your paint job, it can cause peeling, cracking, or blistering. Pieces of paint coming loose and falling to the ground can be a warning sign. A leaky pipe in the wall may cause the surface to feel damp or look deteriorated when the paint is scraped away.

2. Ceiling Stain

A leak in a second-story bathroom can sometimes result in a stain on the ceiling of the room underneath. Bathroom floors get wet with daily use, but a normal amount of water on the floor doesn’t usually harm the ceiling below. If the ceiling is sagging or stained brown, you may have a bathtub leak upstairs.

3. Musty Smell

If your bathroom has an earthy scent that no amount of cleaning seems to eliminate, you may want to check for a leak. When water is trapped behind walls or underneath floors, it isn’t exposed to fresh air. This means it doesn’t have an opportunity to dry. When it sits out long enough, it can start to emit an unpleasant odor.

4. Damaged Shower Pan

While bathtubs are often the culprit, it’s also possible to be plagued with a shower pan leak. The shower pan is simply the base of your shower. Loose tiles, missing grout, or a gap where the floor and wall are meant to connect can indicate that water is seeping into unwanted areas.

Checking for these four signs may help you identify a bathtub leak, leaky pipes, or a damaged shower pan in your bathroom. With timely intervention, you may stop the leak from costing you a bundle in repairs.