Shower – Does snaking a shower drain resolve a leak

shower

We recently moved to a fairly new condo (less than 10 years old). The condo was empty for a few months before we moved in (the inspection went fine). However, the first night we moved in, the master bathroom shower clogged when my husband used it. He waited until it was a maybe 1-2 inch high before stopping the water and waiting for the water to go down (maybe 5 minutes). He then turned it back on to finish showering and it clogged again (and took about another few minutes for the water to go down).

The neighbors downstairs experience a lot of water coming out of his light fixture (imagine pouring rain). The plumber came and snaked our shower drain. However, would the snaking be sufficient? Is it actually possible that a clog would cause so much water to pour downstairs (and therefore unclogging will resolve all issues)?

Thanks in advance!

Best Answer

No. A clog doesn't necessarily result in a leak (usually doesn't, in fact), and there should be no water in the downstairs ceiling.

You have two distinct issues here, or possibly a complex issue involving both a clog and a leak. Were it my home I'd open the relevant areas and find the true cause of the problem.

Fixing the clog might mask the leak, however, and make it less apparent. When the pipe is full of water, water was apparently streaming out of the leak into the neighbor's unit below, but now that it's fixed, the water may merely be dripping out, making his ceiling wet, but not enough to notice... until the mold sets in. So it's still a problem, but now it's a hidden problem. ~Johnny

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