How to seal this shower tray

[cwhaley]

Hi all, not long purchased our new home and getting on with sorting out leaks, damages and problems before Winter.

A problem I hadn’t immediately noticed was this leaking shower tray. Years ago I had a bath with a pivoting glass screen. To seal this I sealed the inside junction between the chrome hinge strip and the bath, and also added a uPVC strip at the bath edge.

With this ‘new shower’, I can’t figure out (without raking out the silicone) where the seal should be.

Can anybody share how they would stop this leak in the corner? I have good sanitary sealant (Dow) to replace it, but just wanted to know how I should re-seal it before starting.

 

[foxhole]

You need to remove as much of that dodgy sealant as possible, sharp wood chisel works well and clean the limescale off before attempting any new sealant.

 

[Custom45]

As foxhole said, all old sealant needs to be removed, all limescale, all dirt, mould and muck. Shower tray needs to be firmly fixed in with no movement at the joints. Clean thoroughly then wipe with meth spirit and allow to dry thoroughly, then a good quality flexible sealant, smoothed off with something that leaves a concave edge, i.e. not your finger.

 

[cwhaley]

As foxhole said, all old sealant needs to be removed, all limescale, all dirt, mould and muck. Shower tray needs to be firmly fixed in with no movement at the joints. Clean thoroughly then wipe with meth spirit and allow to dry thoroughly, then a good quality flexible sealant, smoothed off with something that leaves a concave edge, i.e. not your finger.

Happy with all of that, I was just unsure how these seal. As I say a shower screen at my old home sealed from the outside, so that’s there I placed the sealant. Didn’t want to start this until I knew where the seal was made.

I’ll take up the old sealant, clean and replace with new (I have a few tubes of that Dow stuff which is good). I’ll then use the trusty Fugi kit to shape the profile of the sealant. Thank you.

 

[Odds]

The floorbaords in pix 2&3 look musty: have they gotten damp at all?

 

[Custom45]

I see what you mean, sorry. I think generally between the tray and the white wall panels. But I would try and get a bead of sealant where the frame meets the wall and along the bottom of the frame where it means the shower tray too (underneath the frame, just make sure it's clean and thoroughly dry too).

Do the frame part first with a thin nozzle end, then cut the nozzle wider to do the wall panel/tray part. I've always done that and never had any problems.

Also the corner of the wall panels where they meet each other.

 

[cwhaley]

The floorbaords in pix 2&3 look musty: have they gotten damp at all?

Yes floorboards are wet and the joist below is very spongy. There is also brick salts and eroded mortar causing the lining paper in my lad’s room the other side to peel.

For now I need to stop the leak, then when we re-do the bathroom it’ll be a floor up job.

 

[cwhaley]

I see what you mean, sorry. I think generally between the tray and the white wall panels. But I would try and get a bead of sealant where the frame meets the wall and along the bottom of the frame where it means the shower tray too (underneath the frame, just make sure it's clean and thoroughly dry too).

Do the frame part first with a thin nozzle end, then cut the nozzle wider to do the wall panel/tray part. I've always done that and never had any problems.

Also the corner of the wall panels where they meet each other.

That’s really useful thanks. Just didn’t want to do this assuming I knew where the seal was made, then have to rip it all out when the leak sprung up again. Good tips on applying it.

 

[Odds]

Yes floorboards are wet and the joist below is very spongy. There is also brick salts and eroded mortar causing the lining paper in my lad’s room the other side to peel.

For now I need to stop the leak, then when we re-do the bathroom it’ll be a floor up job.

Stop the leak today, then make sure the floor becomes a priority, otherwise it'll do terrible things to the joists and ceiling below. You have an expensive problem.

 

[cwhaley]

Stop the leak today, then make sure the floor becomes a priority, otherwise it'll do terrible things to the joists and ceiling below. You have an expensive problem.

The thing is I’m unsure how long it’s been leaking (the house was vacant a year before we bought it) and having not taken the carpet up, I’m not sure how extensive the damage is. No evidence at all of a leak on the ceiling below. I think it’s been slowly dripping when used.

Definitely a priority, though, I agree. Just need to stop the leak for now, and then assess.

 

[Custom45]

That’s really useful thanks. Just didn’t want to do this assuming I knew where the seal was made, then have to rip it all out when the leak sprung up again. Good tips on applying it.

No worries, good luck. If you're ripping it all out soon then doing that should suffice for now.

Repair work later on may not necessarily be expensive or difficult, especially if there's no signs of damp on ceiling below, it could only be a small section that's suffered. If you can access the timbers maybe bodge with some wet rot wood hardener for now. You won't know til the room is clear, but sounds like you're doing the right thing, prevent it getting worse.

Were you made aware of this when you bought the house, was a survey done?