Wet Adjacent wall and base board behind bath tub

Question

I have a water leakage problem. I have a bedroom wall and baseboards that are getting wet due to water leakage coming from the bathroom adjacent to the room (the wall is right behind the bathtub valve and shower). There is no sign of leakage in the bathroom nor around the bathtub area but there is something definitely leaking somewhere inside/under the tub that's seeping through to the other room.

My dilemma is whether to involve the insurance company to have them check it out and run the risk of potentially raising my future premiums or fork out the unknown cost to outside contractors to get the problem fixed myself. The unknown cause (and the extent of the problem) is what worries me.

So my question is, does anyone have any similar experience they can share so I can understand the potential issues I might have to deal with and its associated costs? From there, it might help me decide which path to take.

Answer 1

The leak is probably either in the supply lines and valve, or in the drain pipes. It's also possible that a vent through the roof is leaking rainwater. The only way to determine the cause with confidence is to have a look.

Are you sure that there's no access to the tub's plumbing from the back side or below? If not, consider installing an access panel at an appropriate location in your wall or ceiling.

This is a DIY site, so if you're not up to that task as a starting point, you probably need a professional.