SVS causing Tile Grout in bathroom to Crack??? (1 Viewer)

[Salvador]

Is my 20-39 CS plus sub capable of causing the tile grout in my bathroom to crack??? The sub sits adjacent to the bathroom and i do play the sub at high levels from time to time.

If it is indeed capable of cauing the cracks, is there a way to apply something to the grout to make it more resistant to cracking? Or maybe there's a special kind of grout that is more resistant to cracking? Please help me!

thanks

 

[Rob Rodier]

you might want to try hardwarestoreforum.com)
-rob

 

[Salvador]

nice one Rob
But seriously, the tile grout in our bathroom has been cracking with regularity. Personally, i don't give a sh!t about it, just as long as the tiles stay in place. The cracks aren't that bad. But my mom asked a salesman at our local home depot store about it and of course she mentioned the SVS and that salesman said that that's the cause. It makes sense since there's some serious shaking that goes on when i plug in my bass heavy dvd's or music cd's. My mom commanded me to move my sub out of the corner adjacent to the bathroom. That won't do much since the low frequency waves will still reach the bathroom wherever i put it in my room.
C'mon guys i need some help. My mom is an incessant nagger and won't stop blaming the sub until those cracks disappear. Whether the SVS is the cause or not, she has to blame SOMETHING.

 

[John F. Palacio]

Whether the SVS is the cause or not, she has to blame SOMETHING.

That's what Mom's do. Show her this:

Dear Salvador's Mom.

It is unlikely you son's sub caused your grout to crack.
I have twin SVS subs and have never seen cracks in my bathroom walls and I play very loud.


Yours truly.

John F. Palacio
Los Angeles, CA.

 

[Salvador]

Thanks for the support John but that won't allay the ignorance and stubborness of my mom.

To make matters worse she just spoke to my grandfather who is has a degree in mechanical engineering and is currently an active pilot. He knows has general knowledge about HT stuff but he isn't that serious about it. He mentioned to my mom that subs produce sound that's not directional and that low frequency waves travel through walls. It looks like she didn't get the hint though because she still insisted on putting it on the opposite corner. I have a feeling though that she wants to totally get rid of the SVS. She also suggested i put it in the basement (totally unlivable area of the house with lots of stuff) to sit idle. I scratched, clawed and worked 6 days a week (sometimes 7)so that i can get an SVS sub. How completely inconsidrate to the investment i made.

I'm not 100% convinced that the sub is the sole cause of the cracking grout. It might play a part but the only other things i could think of that could cause it is water seeping in the grout and the base boards might not be level. So the constant stepping on the tiles on uneven ground might be part of the cause. It's also odd that the cracks are concentrated in one area and the grout heavy corners of the bathroom also have cracks. Other than those spots, the grout lining is fine.

 

[ColinM]

Grout is very inflexible, and will crack if stressed at all. I installed our bathroom floor, and the mfg spec'd concrete backer board x2 for water resistance and flex resistance, since walking on the floor with just wooden subflooring would flex and crack the dried grout.

Have you walked around inside / outside the house with the SVS blasting?

I had no idea what it was like upstairs until I went up for a Dew with a flick going for some buddies - the house was frigging alive and jumping! Cracking grout doesn't suprise me at all.

 

[Mike Gl]

Did the cracking in the grout exist prior to getting your SVS sub? Temperature changes, moisture and flexing as the floor is walked on are common causes of cracking in grout.
There are latex additives that can be added to make grout more resistant to cracking. One possibility you might explore is removing the grout that is cracked and replacing it with latex modified grout. With help from a ceramic tile supplier, you should be able to match the grout color. If the cracking is not too extensive, this could be a DIY project that is labor intensive but only a moderate cost to fix, probably less than $100.
Here is a quote from a web page (see link at end of note)
on latex-modified grout:

Polymer-modified also includes liquid additives that are mixed with a basic powder to produce different kinds of thinset mortar. For example, one manufacturer’s thinset powder base can be mixed with one liquid to produce rapid setting, another to lengthen the open time, or a third to promote crack suppression. On a recent installation built over a radiant heat grid, a specific brand of polymer-modified thinset was selected specifically for its ability to absorb the structural and thermal movements found with the system.

Mike
http://www.fcimag.com/CDA/ArticleInf...,70638,00.html

 

[Neil Joseph]

I often wondered what would happen if you introduced silicone into the grout mix. I too had this problem at one point. There must be a crack resistant grout out there but you will have to remove the old grout. Once that is done, the rest is easy.

 

[Larry B]

Thanks for the support John but that won't allay the ignorance and stubborness of my mom.

If we all agree that the SVS might well be the cause of the cracking, then I don't see why you refer to your Mother as ignorant. While I sympathize with the fact that you worked hard to get the SVS, you might want to consider that it is your Mother's house.

Just some food for thought.

Larry

 

[Salvador]

I do realize that this is my mother's house. Keep in mind that there were already minor cracks appearing before the SVS arrived. Come to think of it, i think the SVS just aggravated it some more. Her initial solution was to get rid of the sub and put it in the basement to sit idle. She insisted on it for a while. Then she said move it to the opposite corner. She went on further and even suggested i mount my studio 20's on top of the 20-39. That's why i called her ignorant because she keeps on suggested placement options that won't really minimize the grout cracking problem since the low freq. waves will still reach the bathroom and vibrate the grout possibly causing it to crack.
Anyone living in the same house whether you like it or not have to make concessions for each other. I don't listen at insanely loud volumes. I usually listen at 85-90db and usually that's in the afternoon. At night i turn it down so as not to bother anyone. Once the grout cracks have been repaired i won't play my SVS at all for one week to see whether cracks still appear. If cracks appear for any reason at all i could see my mom telling me to sell the SVS pronto :frowning:.
Thanks Mike for the modified latex grout idea. I'll speak to my dad and the guy who will fix the grout about this. I don't want to lose my SVS because of grout cracking!

 

[Richard Travale]

I don't listen at insanely loud volumes. I usually listen at 85-90db

Yikes, what would you call insanely loud?

As for making concessions, I think since it's your Mom's house you may have to make the bigger of these. You may have to store the SVS until you find your own place.

 

[Larry B]

Richard:

s for making concessions, I think since it's your Mom's house you may have to make the bigger of these. You may have to store the SVS until you find your own place.

My sentiments exactly, however unpopular Salvador may find them.

Larry

 

[Angelo_Petralba]

I think SVS should include as part of their "FINE PRINT" that SVS is NOT responsible for any UNWANTED cracks or Deformities to anyone's personal property. Might save them some Head Aches in the future.

 

[Salvador]

My sentiments exactly, however unpopular Salvador may find them

Larry i know what you mean. I understand. It's her house, her rules, i'm under her jurisdiction.

I'm just trying to find a solution here that will make both parties happy.

 

[Salvador]

Yikes, what would you call insanely loud?

The 85-90db range is the loudest level i listen to. Not more than 20 mins when no one is home during the afternoon and usually in short sporadic bursts going from song to song. Those are the times when i enjoy my sound system the most. See what it's capable of doing, feel the bass, etc. When someone is home listening levels go down to about 70db.

 

[Larry B]

Salvador:

I'm just trying to find a solution here that will make both parties happy.

That's always an excellent approach. But if it fails, see your earlier comment.
Larry

 

[Neil Joseph]

I am curious now. How is the integrity of the floor when you walk on it? Do you feel or hear tiles moving around (even very slightly) or do you feel the floorboards underneath dipping even slightly to the pressure applied from your footsteps. In other words, is the floor underneath rock solid or not. If it is not then the grout will crack, SVS or not.

 

[Salvador]

When i walk around the tiles seem to be sturdy, no creaks or anything. But when i apply pressure on the tiles i notice *some* creaking. Weird thing is the creaking sound isn't coming from the bathroom at all. It's coming from the hallway just before you enter the bathroom.

I remember that when we moved into the house the same hallway had some awful creaking noises. After we removed the carpet, we hammered down an obnoxious amount of nails to make it stop creaking. We didn't touch the bathroom though.

The house that we moved in is 20 yrs old. I saw the base boards before the carpet, tiles were installed and they didn't look too good. There was some water damage on some of the baseboards in the bathroom along the corners of the bathtub. And the installer of the tiles himself said that the floor wasn't level. I don't know what he did to remedy the level problem.

 

[Salvador]

Hi Alfred. At 20, i think i'm old enough to know that HT is a hobby i'm privileged to be a part of. It's not a necessity like food and shelter my parents provide. I think larry already drove home that point a few posts ago. I don't blow my wad on everything that is HT. I also pay for my tuition in university. Can we please move on and try to find a solution to this problem so that everyone will be happy?

thank you

 

[Neil Joseph]

I have removed 2 posts from this thread which were out of line and uncalled for, as well as taken other appropriate action. Please stay on topic.