# Soaking wet corner of room after shower. Mold concerns?



## MoreCowbell (Apr 2, 2008)

One other thing I was wondering - if drywall was exposed to moisture over time would it be more likely to display this type of staining when humidity was increased? I'm hoping this is just simple surface condensation, and not a sign of a more serious problem due to water damage from the previous homeowners.


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## Bondo (Dec 8, 2007)

MoreCowbell said:


> One other thing I was wondering - if drywall was exposed to moisture over time would it be more likely to display this type of staining when humidity was increased? I'm hoping this is just simple surface condensation, and not a sign of a more serious problem due to water damage from the previous homeowners.





> but after investigating it appears the upstairs leak does not (or no longer does) *leak enough* to get the wall below it wet.


Ayuh,.... I would expect a damp area to sweat before a dry area,....

More concernin' is that you don't say the leak up-stairs has be _Fixed_, but just addressed,...
Any leak, no matter how small, is a _Serious_ Problem,....


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## MoreCowbell (Apr 2, 2008)

Bondo said:


> Ayuh,.... I would expect a damp area to sweat before a dry area,....
> 
> More concernin' is that you don't say the leak up-stairs has be _Fixed_, but just addressed,...
> Any leak, no matter how small, is a _Serious_ Problem,....


When I saw this wet spot during a shower I thought there was no way it was from condensation alone, and since we also just recently started using the upstairs shower (due to a leak in our master shower ... this is a 3 full bath home) I figured there was a major leak causing this issue.

So I cut open an access panel to investigate and found:

A very minor leak caused by bad caulking.

Evidence of old water staining on the subfloor around the tub.

The subfloor was not wet, however. So this was an old water event, maybe just water staining from the build, I don't know.

I fixed the minor caulking leak as long as I found it, but it's something I probably wouldn't have noticed for years had I not cut into the wall to investigate because it wasn't really causing a problem. The water stains on the subfloor, of unknown age and origin, worry me a little bit.


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## MoreCowbell (Apr 2, 2008)

Here's a pic of the upstairs subfloor around the tub, taken through the access panel I created to view the plumbing. To me it looks like this had seen water in the past. It's dry now. This is above the wet-corner wall.









The leak was just the weep hole in the 3-piece surround that wasn't weeping correctly due to not enough silicone. Not enough water to even make it to the subfloor let alone cause staining.

The wet spot goes away after 20 min of opening a door and letting the fan run.

Looking for opinions - do I start tearing into drywall or leave well enough alone, paint and get a better fan?


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## ToolSeeker (Sep 19, 2012)

One thing that jumps out is when you said "over time". If it has leaked over time inside the wall I would have to bet on the mold being there. As far as the downstairs shower from what you said my guess is another leak. Since you found bad caulk at one place the first place I would look is around the fixtures and see if water is getting behind them.


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## MoreCowbell (Apr 2, 2008)

ToolSeeker said:


> One thing that jumps out is when you said "over time". If it has leaked over time inside the wall I would have to bet on the mold being there. As far as the downstairs shower from what you said my guess is another leak. Since you found bad caulk at one place the first place I would look is around the fixtures and see if water is getting behind them.


I was asking 'if over time' - I have no way of knowing how, when, how often or with what amount a leak, if any, happened upstairs.

*I only know two things for sure:*


I see old water staining on a subfloor in the upstairs bathroom. Subfloor is currently bone dry.
I see water stains on the wall in the downstairs bathroom after a shower, and only after a shower. It's been 2 years since we bought, never showered in that bathroom before and never noticed an issue before.

The rest is my layman head guessing at things and possibly (hopefully) making mountains out of nothing.


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## Maintenance 6 (Feb 26, 2008)

I would be inclined to test it with a moisture meter before you go tearing it apart. Especially since you don't know specifically whether you've had a leak there in the past. Coat it with a stain sealer and then repaint. If it's getting wet, it will let you know soon enough when it all bleeds through again. There are a few mold spots on the plywood sub floor in the picture though. 

Check this link:
http://www.diychatroom.com/f98/how-control-mold-part-1-a-178671/


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## MoreCowbell (Apr 2, 2008)

Ah great, so the large access hole I created and subsequently pointed a fan into to make sure everything was fully dry may have blasted mold spores all over my kids?

I feel like a moisture meter would come in handy often - I'll pick one up on the way home today.


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## Maintenance 6 (Feb 26, 2008)

Not to worry. It's probably no worse than letting them jump in piles of leaves.


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## Seattle2k (Mar 26, 2012)

MoreCowbell said:


> Ah great, so the large access hole I created and subsequently pointed a fan into to make sure everything was fully dry may have blasted mold spores all over my kids?
> 
> I feel like a moisture meter would come in handy often - I'll pick one up on the way home today.


Although that is mold on the subfloor, its very little. Respiratory problems from black mold come after long term exposure, not a short exposure.


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## Maintenance 6 (Feb 26, 2008)

Seattle2k said:


> Although that is mold on the subfloor, its very little. Respiratory problems from black mold come after long term exposure, not a short exposure.


 And your source for that info??


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