Other major defects include leaking shower bases, as this defect can cause timber fungal decay (rot) to the floorboards and the floor frame. See one of our building structural inspection photographs below. Some major defects can be construed as Structural defects.
The Problem
For example, a leaking shower or balcony door is certainly a waterproofing defect but often the defect will not cause an inability to inhabit the building for its intended purpose or destroy the building or create a threat of collapse of the building.
There are many different reasons a shower could leak—from plumbing issues and faulty parts to signs of a leaking shower pan. The leak can be traced to a specific area of your shower, whether it's your showerhead, drain, door, or floor. Here are some common causes: Problems with the seal in your shower liner or tray.
A major defect is a damage or inconsistency in any of the major components or a major element of a building. It is likely to render a facility unusable for its intended purpose, and can even cause destruction or collapse of all or some part of the building.
Leaking showers can also result in unsightly damage to paintwork and plasterboard surfaces, necessitating treatment with a mould inhibiter and repainting or even replacement if the damage is significant. A leaking shower might also lead to tiles in a shower cubicle lifting or even falling off.
Shower leaks can commonly occur in the joint between the shower tray and the walls. This could be due to: Movement of the shower tray. Sealant issues – if a poor adhesive was applied, or if there's mould in the sealant.
The constant moisture caused by a dripping tap or showerhead can create mould and water damage to tiles and other surfaces in your bathroom. Leakage in your shower arm or faucet can be annoying, expensive, wasteful, and damaging.
A Minor defect is a discrepancy from the standards, but one that is not likely to affect the usability of an object. A Major defect is one that is likely to create failure of the unit for its intended purpose.
The industry average AQL for minor defects is 4%. Major Defects - Not acceptable to the customers. Usage of the product will most likely result in failure. The industry average for AQL for major defects is 2.5%.
An example of a critical defect might be a sharp plastic bur that has the potential to scratch or otherwise harm people. The AQL (acceptable quality level) is generally 0.10 here so any critical defects noted would result in a rejected inspection.
You'll pay around $150 to $500 to fix most leaks from a shower on average.
Look for any holes in the grout—even a tiny hole can be the source of a leak. Fixing leaking grout means replacing it. Your contractor will scrape out the old grout and apply a new layer. A plumber will run a plumber's snake through the shower drain to remove any blockages.
A major defect is defined as a defect in a major element of the building due to defective design, workmanship or materials, or failure to comply with the National Construction Code structural performance requirements.
Most times shower valve leaks behind the wall are very slow. Usually, they are pinhole leaks from a faulty valve or sloppy soldering from the water connection points to the valve.
Water ingress and moisture are identified as the defects that have the greatest impact on multiple building systems and are the most prevalent contributor to cross-system defects.
Critical defects render an item completely unusable and/or could cause harm to the user or someone in the vicinity of the product. These defects put businesses at serious risk of product liability issues, lawsuits and product recalls.
A defect which renders the software incapable of use has the highest severity level while the defects which cause minor inconveniences are on the lower side of the severity scale.
therefore, in general, defects in building elements that are not load bearing components of a building, such as waterproofing membranes on bathroom floors, will not be structural defects.
Waterproofing Defects
These are defects related to poor drainage and leaking roofs or any problems related to waterproofing. For these problems, you may need to go back to your contractors responsible for the plumbing or for the roofing. These are also major defects.
The Home Building Act defines a major defect as a defect in a major element of a building that is attributable to defective design, defective or faulty workmanship, defective materials, or a failure to comply with the structural performance requirements of the National Construction Code (or any combination of these).
A shower valve that is leaking inside the wall is hazardous and can cause rot, mould, and structural problems. A leaking shower faucet is also wasteful of water and electricity; if the hot water is leaking it forces the water heater tank to be continuously running.
The valve behind your shower's handle is the most frequent cause of dripping from the showerhead. And while it might seem like a daunting thing to replace, it's actually pretty easy to fix a leaky showerhead.
Replacing a shower head due to a leak costs $100 to $250. The price mostly depends on the head type. Inexpensive handheld shower head options cost $100 to $150 installed, while high-end rain shower heads are closer to $150 to $250 installed.