Shower Pan Leak Test Failure!

After letting the shower pan (i.e., PVC membrane or liner) hold water overnight, I discovered it failed the leak test. Water was running out from under the curb and appeared to have soaked through the two subfloor layers near the drain.


I wanted to cry. I called Pam and she said sometimes they get pin holes. She told me to drain the pan and agreed to come back in two days. I ripped out the PVC membrane because I knew my subfloor was soaked and I wanted to let it dry.


In the meantime, I posted some pictures and asked for advice on the John Bridge tile forum. I was not thrilled with Pam's mud slope and I was already uncomfortable because she essentially refused to build the shower floor per some instructions Melissa had found. The good folks on the forum pointed out Pam's failing to wrap the liner around the curb and nailing it to the top was a code violation. They noticed some other problems and I decided I wanted to do it myself.

So I called Pam and told her not to come back because I wanted to do it myself. She was cool and offered to give me some materials. I'm really amazed at the different opinions of how to make these shower floors. The two other plumbers I got quotes from before picking Pam, didn't even make a preslope. They just attached the liner directly to the subfloor. 5 minutes of research shows these guys are building showers that will not last long, result in discolored grout, and mildew.

Why are these professionals doing such crumby work? I don't get it. I guess plumbers do plumbing well and these shower floors are best done by someone else....like me!