Finding a leaking shower before the ceiling below does
Upstairs ensuites leaking at handover in Fraser Rise, and the checks that find them.
In short: A new shower can look perfect and leak at the corners from the first use. On a double storey, the ceiling under it is where you find out.
Why upstairs showers
Fraser Rise homes often have three or four ensuites, two over living areas. Any leak shows up on a downstairs ceiling.
How we test
The shower is run, then the walls and corners are read with a moisture meter and scanned with a thermal camera, along with the ceiling below.
What we found
Showers leaking from the corners in several ensuites of one home, and no waterstop under the shower screen in another.
Drains as well
Construction debris left in waste pipes can back water up into the shower. We flag it for the builder to camera and clear.
Why handover is the moment
A leaking shower before settlement is the builder's to rebuild. After a year, the argument is about what the water damaged.
Written by our local inspection team from work carried out in Fraser Rise. Licensed building practitioners, Building & Plumbing Commission registration CDB-U 53425.
