leaking bath

when i had my bath fitted after a few months i noticed the ceiling below getting damp, i re sealed the bath surround with unibond sealer and after a few weeks the sealent has come away from the bath, a friend told me that i would have to take the bath out remove the bottom row of tiles and start again. big problem there... the bath has been set into the wall and housing has been made at the side of the bath for some pipes...help!!

Are you sure the water is getting between the bath and the tiles. the leak could be from a poorly connected overflow pipe, the waste pipe note connected to the U-bend properly, the U-bend not being connected to the plug waste, or even a weeping tap connector.

Check these connections are tight and fill the bath. Check underneath the bath for any signs of water ingression or leaks - then pull the plug and check the waste pipes and unions for leaks. If any of the latter leak then try tightening them up again and ensure they are not strained (i.e. pulling tight on the pipe when changing direction). If the leak is at the unions and tightening them doesn't cure then you could try a bead of plumbers putty around the join.

If the leak is coming from around the bath edges then strip off the silicone seal and re-apply. It is vital that the bath is FULL when applying silicone, and that is left full for 24 hours until the silicone has cured sufficiently.

I personally cannot see what benefit you will gain from removing the bottom row of tiles and refixing - unless the tiles do not touch the bath top when the bath is empty. They do go right down to the bath

Good luck.

hi markf,
thanks for your info on the leaking bath, but i think the water is coming from the sides as this happens when we shower.is there any way to fix it without taking the bath out and removing the tiles
ps... please reply using women friendly words!!

Take the side panel off and check the adjustable leg is tight up to the row of tiles then fill the bath with cold water and reseal it, empty bath water when dried.

When you have the panel off try putting some sealant in from underneath as well as above, worked for me..

i re sealed the bath surround with unibond sealer and after a few weeks the sealent has come away from the bath,

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Just out of curiosity is it the acrylic sealer rather than proper silicon you have used? Although they are advertised as bathroom sealant I have never found them as good as a top quality silicon made is for this purpose.

When your friend mentioned removing the bottom row of tiles they probably meant to insert a proper plastic sealing strip below/behind the tiles and then re-tile over it. This would of been preferable at first but is probably not worth the effort now.

Properly applied silicon should do the job.