Musty smelling wall on other side of shower stall

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    • #274910
      Avatar photoaquaticau

        I have a 10 year old house that I have lived in for just over a year. I have a built-in bedroom robe on the other side of the shower stall. I recently discovered a ‘musty’ smell coming from the bottom of the wardrobe wall. There is not yet any obvious sign of damp but I guess that will come in time. My shower stall does not appear to have any grout missing (tiles and grout are white so it would be easy to spot). I don’t know whether to call a plumber or a tiler or whether it is something that I can do myself.

        Can anybody help with any information as to what type of work would be required and how long it would take. Would this take care of the musty wardrobe wall, or would that simply dry in time?

      • #290726
        Avatar photoGuest
        Participant

          Donna, here is what I suggest.
          1. You need to attempt to find the source of the moisture. I would suggest purchasing or finding a company that has a boroscope. You could then inspect the interior of the wall to see if you have anything growing (mold or mildew). If you don’t want to go through the hassle of finding one of these, find someone that can remove some of the wall in the closet (could be a plumber) so that it can be inspected.
          2. Stop the leak. (Repair pipes or showerstall, etc)
          3. Remove and replace any insulation that has turned black.
          4. If the smell still persists it would be helpful to treat any areas that had mildew or mold growing on them. One way to do this is with a heat treatment. This is the same method of heat treatment that is used to control termites in the southwestern portion of the United States.

        • #290727
          Avatar photoSylvanLMP
          Participant

            Do you have any ventilation for this space?

          • #290728
            Avatar photoDonna
            Participant

              Thanks very much for your advice.

              I have discovered a productcalled megasealed. If you want more info they have a website, the address is megasealed.com.au

              It sounds like an easy non-messy and quick way to solve my problem.

              Thanks again.

              Regards
              Donna

              quote:


              Originally posted by RHAINES:
              Donna, here is what I suggest.
              1. You need to attempt to find the source of the moisture. I would suggest purchasing or finding a company that has a boroscope. You could then inspect the interior of the wall to see if you have anything growing (mold or mildew). If you don’t want to go through the hassle of finding one of these, find someone that can remove some of the wall in the closet (could be a plumber) so that it can be inspected.
              2. Stop the leak. (Repair pipes or showerstall, etc)
              3. Remove and replace any insulation that has turned black.
              4. If the smell still persists it would be helpful to treat any areas that had mildew or mold growing on them. One way to do this is with a heat treatment. This is the same method of heat treatment that is used to control termites in the southwestern portion of the United States.


            • #290729
              Avatar photoGuest
              Participant

                Donna,
                Megaseal removes the grout and replaces it with their product to seal the tiles.
                If the pipework inside the wall is leaking they will not stop your problem.
                You need to have the shower combination, waste, and tapware checked before spending lots of money sealing the tiles. If the combination is the problem then it needs replacing, which will mean removing tiles, wasting the Megaseal.
                Get a plumber in if you feel you cannot test these parts youself.
                Email me if you want more information
                [email protected]

              • #290730
                Avatar photoDonna
                Participant

                  I had the job done today. They checked all the plumbing first and then used some type of tool on the wall(on the other side of the wall) which checks rising damp, to check where the water went up to. It had green and red lights on it.

                  I also get a 12 year guarantee on the work so I am more than happy with that.

                  Thanks for the info.

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