Water leakage due to movement in bath problem

[boongywoongy]

Guys, I need some advice here.

I've spent close to £1000 pound on two 'plumbing' companies to fix a problem whereby the bath to wall silicone seal lets water down the side of the bath causing water leakage into the flat below. The problem lies with the fact that when the bath is stepped in for a shower, the bath flexes and hence the movement overtime just erodes the silicon seal until water is eventually able to seep through the tiniest of gaps.

Failed solutiont attempted so far:

1. The last plumber built a wooden frame to support the bath.
2. Some overlapping bath to wall seal mechanism which allows for movement bought from B&Q.

Both the above solutions didn't work and water is coming down again. Any suggestions on what else to try? Should I just a get new bath instead installed or is there some other solution?

Thanks.

 

[gaspro1981]

some pictures would be helpful that way we can advise you properly

 

[bengasman]

I doubt you are attacking the right problem.
You need an amazing amount of water before it actually goes through the floor and through the ceiling; water going trough tiny cracks will not be enough unless you have an extremely shyte floor and ceiling below it.

Using the right kind of sealant and applying it as per instructions will seal a bath once and for all; it will not come loose unless there is a problem with the wall.

Building a frame to support the bath shows complete lack of understanding of the problem, presuming now that you have a more or less standard bath.

My first guess: overflow leaking
2nd: waste not fitted correctly
3rd: pipe/tap leaking

 

[boongywoongy]

Here's the only shot I could find (the flat is currently tenanted).

Untitled

• boongywoongy
• 7 Jun 2009
• 1

Oh yes, I forgot to mention that bath is supported by adjustable legs (and the wood frame that was built).

 

[bengasman]

A picture from floorlevel so we can see the pipes would probably more useful; several different angles would be good.

 

[gaspro1981]

have you actually proven that the seal around the bath is at fault
if you have then this should be a pretty easy fix

 

[boongywoongy]

Thanks for the reply bengasman.

Personally, I think the floor and ceiling of the flat is rubbish but also having observed the water leaking down the side of the bath, it doesn't really take much of a gap for a substantial amount of water to run down the side of a bath. Imagine having the shower on for 10 mnutes a day, any mount of flowing water leaking down would cause some damage.

In terms of it being something else, I really do think it is the seal and bath movement because everytime a new seal is applied (and tested to see that no water is leaking) there is no problem but after 3 - 6 months, I am getting a call from the neighbour and the seal is verified to be leaking again.

 

[bengasman]

In that case either the floor is wonky, or the feet of the bath are unstable, or both of course.
Unless somebody completely slaughtered the joists (just redid a bathroom where I found "notches" up to 3" wide and 2" deep ), a very simple job to remedy this.

 

[mogget]

If you need to re-seal it, rake out all the existing sealant and clean the gap with meths. Fill the bath as full as you can with cold water. This will weigh it down so that the gap becomes bigger. Re-seal the gap with silicone sealant and leave for a couple of days for it to go off thoroughly before draining the bath.

 

[big-all]

are you shure they are tucking the curtain into the bath!!!
maybe they just start forgetting after a few months!!!

 

[boongywoongy]

Cheers everyone.

Have tried the clean with meths and reseal with bath water etc before calling in the plumbers. No joy.

I am tempted to think that the floor isn't great. The second plumber that came around to fix it with a wooden frame did lay a new flooring (as the old one had rotted) but that still doesn't seem to have resolved the movement properly.

I am really tempted to get a new steel bath (would be tempted by acryllic but I don't want the same problem reoccurring).

http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/nav.j...refview=search&ts=1244368676878&isSearch=true

Obviously I would check the floor is sound too.

Are there any further less drastic remedies that I'm missing?

 

[bengasman]

The type, model, material or colour of the bath have nothing to do with the problem.

Seal is torn of the wall = movement = unstable bath.
Solution: stabilise the bath.

If the floor was "repaired" after rotting, and the bath still moves, you have a serious chance of bath plus contents (water plus tenant) ending up one floor lower, if not only the boards were gone, but the joists damaged as well.
That will cost you many thousands in repairs, a criminal prosecution, and a lawsuit that you are sure to loose.
Courts take a very dim view of (especially private) landlords that do not carry out necessary maintenance or repairs to save money, knowingly endangering tenants.
It is ok if they wreck your place, but you have to keep it tip top.
Don't blame me, I didn't vote for this lot.

 

[boongywoongy]

Point taken but on both occasions I have purely followed the recommendations made by the respective plumbers. However, I will recheck the floor/joists for stability but I really do just think that the existing bath is just worn over many years of use. I'll also check the legs.

 

[bengasman]

Apart from the surface that may scratch or discolour, a bath doesn't wear.
Unless there is extreme corrosion on a steel model, a bath in itself will stay as it is.
If anything changes, it is the wooden floor underneath.

 

[dextrous]

Try taking off the bottom layer of tiles and inserting a selux strip under a new layer. Check the bath is actually screwed to the wall while your at it - if not then that's most likely why the bath flexes at the wall and enables the silicon to pull off.