See the 3 photos are right before my written post. You can refer to my written post for explanations of each photo. No I did not oversee the work myself as the contractor did the work during office hours.

What the contractor had done doesnt meant it was done properly.

Depend on work and material, some can only last short duration and vice versa but never forever.

If you suspect is the lower unit leaking pipe embeded in your unit, then his contractor have to hack your unit to check the leak.

Ask this from the contractor:-

1) Condition of the wall before ponding test (video) - to be witness by the unit below & MO. Normally they will apply a layer of chalk powder. If wet, the chalk power will become wet.

2) Condition on the ponding test, video on your unit with water proofing & water (video) - to be witness by MO. The ponding test to last at least 24H.

3) Condition of the wall after the ponding test (video) - make sure the floor above still got water ponded before proceeding to check unit below. If floor below dry, then the water proofing shall be deemed as repaired.

I do agree that at this point, you could not totally eliminate the possibility the previous repair had totally resolved this issue. Also on the water proofing, the common mistake made by the contractor / construction ppl - they didn't extend the water proofing 300mm up the perimeter wall of the water proofed floor[B].

This post has been edited by nihility: Feb 21 2022, 07:44 AM

Thank you for this suggestion. The MO did not suggest such a test. I get that not all MOs are proactive. I'm surprised that none of my MO's technicians or the contractors that they recommended have suggested this. I'll make this suggestion to them.

Any recommended waterproof specialist that any of you know of? I googled and found some with reasonably good reviews like Shieldo and NanoG. Worst case, I'm thinking of engaging them. Hopefully they don't charge super duper expensive.

Sorry that I'm unable to recommend you any specialist. I just engaged one recently but the final result yet to be proven, hence too risky. You better search your own specialist.

If already spending the money, go for the option of

"5. Hacking and redo everything new. New waterproofing, new screeding, new tiles." as per suggested in the page 1. This should be the most reliable & lasting method.

I managed to find a water ponding test photo for your visual reference. It should be something like as below , the only different was the area tested was at car porch slab instead in the toilet flooring. The concept is still the same - the ponding test is to test out the integrity of the water proofing.



This post has been edited by nihility: Feb 21 2022, 02:14 PM

Hi Mini Orchard,

Would you please advise, this "Penten" is applicable to tiles to solve the bathroom leaking problem?

Thank you!

It works for my porch concrete slab. Probably may last another few years and I have to redo again.

I dont think is suitable on gloss surface like tiles. The adhesion wont be strong. Wear and tear from daily using of bathroom and cleaning will destroy the coating faster.

You can try some cheaper method like regrouting the floor and wall tiles. The leaks normally is from there.

Avoid water ponding is the Golden thumb rule to solve leaking. fix the gradient before doing any waterproof works or else all the efforts go in vain.

Thanks for all the info. Yea, I don't mind spending the money to hack and redo. Just hope to find a reliable contractor and hpefully fix this issue once and for all, or at least can tahan for more than 5 years.

Water leaks is a nightmare for all homeowners including myself. I have a very bad experience in my previous house which I sold it due to too much headache solving water leaks non-stop.

Now moved in to new house more than 20 years ago and learnt alot about water leaks from my previous house.

When there is water leaks, don't use cheap method to resolve, that's my motto.
Go get expertise advise and do proper waterproofing.

*hint, don't use water proof paint (just my experience). Won't last long.

Yea, I'm engaging what I hope is a good contractor since my friend have recent experience with this guy. Fingers crossed, the workmanship is much better this time around. W

Hi Guys..

Need some help..

Water is seeping in through the edges of the window frame and also below the window itself.

Another issue is that this is a condo and the other side of the window is facing into thin air.

Anybody have any ideas that can help me? or what I should ask when trying to engage a contractor

Clean the edges and inject clear silicone. Then use a flat ice cream stick to press the silicone to cover as much gap possible. Do it on hot day.

If dont work, have to call contractor. He will have to remove the window and inject silicone on the outer frame. My landed house, I inject outside and no more leak.

Yup, the suggestion is valid... but just a note is that fixing the issue from the inside may not have high success rate but it is can be DIY.
Fixing from the outside maybe the best option but will need to call contractor and have the safety gears ready.

Another thing is that check the rail of the windows, is there holes to let the water pass out? If no, can drill holes.

Is your unit by any chance is located at the highest floor?

Not quite.. there are 3 more floors above mine.. but its quite high up

Noted. The C&S engineer once told me, the highest floor unit usually will be constructed without heavy loading as there is no more units / loads above, those units at higher up will be more vulnerable to any building movement damages - which can be made visible from the sign of window frame or door frame started to crack.

Hi all - those living in older apt or condo, what is your experience with bathroom having bath tubs? How likely is it for bathrooms with old bath tubs to 'store' water underneath it and start leaking to the unit below? Is it recommended to just remove that old bath tub if it is not in use anymore?

Also, in terms of waterproofing have you come across contractors who previously did not fully do hacking job for the waterproof. Instead, the fella removed the old bathroom tiles, then coated a layer of waterproof paint and then lay with a new set of tiles. In this case, I assume that the waterproofing may not be long lasting?

An update on my case is MO suspected one of the building pipes passing through my unit may be the cause of the leak. Repair is underway.

Now, as far as my bathroom is concerned, should I be proactive and just redo the waterproofing properly. Or wait until downstairs file a leak complaint? And yes, I am aware that being proactive in this case comes with added cost and time; but I'd like to see what your views are. Thanks!

Not sure about the bath tub leaking below but if it is old and not in use, it may be a better option to remove it in the next makeover.

For the waterproofing, usually contractor will not hack through waterproof. There will just apply new waterproof. A layer of paint may not be sufficient though.. but if it is wall and not floor, maybe it is still acceptable

Hi everyone, recently purchased an old new house - around 10 years old. I am thinking should I check for any water pipe leak before I do renovations. Is it a standard practise? I don’t plan to renovate all bathrooms (5 bathrooms!) hence cannot change the piping. Anyone had any experience dealing with water leak detection? Done a pressure test myself, seems ok but not able to test the pipes coming from reserve tank. In Penang, anyone had dealt with any water leak checking company here? A bit worried there’s a leak after I’ve done renovations.