plumbers tip needed

[Chad123]

Hello,
Ok well i have a leaky bath/shower. It was fitted 2 years ago but never sealed very well around the rim of the bath.
I have tried to re silicone it twice to stop it but works for a couple of months and then a dark patch starts to appear under the silicone and it starts leaking again. I did even clean the joint out before sealing and also filled the bath with water to weigh it down. What else can you do?
Behind the taps the bath doesn't fit right to the wall as the walls are not quite sqaure, so if you can imagin the is a 3inch tile in the near corner going down to about half an inch in the other corner. Does that make sence??
Its tiled but i think this is where the main leak is.
Any tips would be great.

Thanks

 

[Gasguru]

Are the joists sufficiently strong?

Spread the load from the legs with 4x2 timber (all screwed down and solid)

Only fit a Kaldewei or Bette steel bath.

Use the steel legs.

Grip fill any gaps between the wall and the bath edge to stop any movement.

Make sure there is a gap of a few mm between the tiles and the bath rim.

Make sure the sufaces are clean.

Half fill bath and use top quality silicone sealer.

 

[ChrisR]

the is a 3inch tile in the near corner going down to about half an inch in the other corner. Does that make sence??

Um, not to me at the moment!

 

[petetheleak]

the is a 3inch tile in the near corner going down to about half an inch in the other corner. Does that make sence??

Um, not to me at the moment![/quote
Missing something as well ,perhaps a photo or give us all a better description .

 

[Softus]

Behind the taps the bath doesn't fit right to the wall as the walls are not quite sqaure, so if you can imagin the is a 3inch tile in the near corner going down to about half an inch in the other corner. Does that make sence?

I think you're saying that you have some tiles, or part tiles, laid horizontally, and that the walls are out of square by 2.5" over the width of the bath.

FYI, personally, I've never ever ever (ever) seen a successful job made of laying tiles horizontally around a bath, so you're on a hiding to nothing unless you build the wall out so that the bath butt up to it properly.

 

[mike++]

a DIY tip from me, if I may...

for a better seal i use clear silicone as i find it stays more rubbery when set than the coloured stuff does. Round my bath i fixed battons to the two walls, coated them in silicone and then put the bath in position. Then apply more clear silicone between the bath edges and the walls, finally use white silicone as the final seal, for appearances.

I check under my bath quite often and never saw the slightest sign of a leak.

 

[cozzmic]

Just wait until you have to replace the bath in the future, silicons great but if applied too liberally it sticks like s**t to a shovel and you have a hell of a job getting it off the wall and battons.