Leaky Bath

Lynnos · 17 Jul 2006

Hi, I have recently had a very nice bathroom fitted in my very old tenemant flat.
However, ever since the bath(with shower overhead) have been fitted we have had a leak underneath. We have had the plumber back out and tested it in all areas. The leak is coming from behind the taps. It is not the tap itself that is leaking but water that is getting behind the bath and underneath. If I point the shower head to the exact area and wait 5 mins you can actually see it dripping down. I have removed the silicone (unibond) several times, I have packed, grouted and reapplyed several times and everytime the leak returns. When I scrape the silicone and grout out again it is all wet. I have tried it without the grout and yet another leak this morning.

Does anyone have any ideas as to what else I could try? My plumber is stumped!! I am desperate to get my bath panel back on to complete the look of the bathroom.

P.s I have good access to underneath the bath so i can see exactly where the leak is coming from. The plumber assures me that the entire bath had a silicone seal around it when first fitted.

THanks.

Static · 17 Jul 2006

Maybe consider a sealant strip? ie. http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/pro.jsp?cId=A235272&ts=32096&id=42627.

Lynnos · 17 Jul 2006

Do you think this would really help? I have a steel bath and I have been told they don't really move. How can the water penetrate the silicone?

lynn

gcol · 17 Jul 2006

When you point the shower at the area you suspect is leaking, are you just wetting the sealant strip only or are you directing the flow a tile or two high over that area?
Another thing, have you ruled out water weeping through the tap holes?
When you applied the silicone, did you fill the bath with water first?

Lynnos · 18 Jul 2006

I am pointing it directly at the taps. The tap itself doesn't leak, if I run a bath then I don't have a problem with a leak it's only when I put the shower on which is a thermostatic shower so it isn't connected to the taps.

I didn't fill the bath when I prepared the last strip of silicone ( which is the nit that is still leaking). I did however fill the bath when I was fixing some other areas and I have stopped the leaks there. Perhaps I need to re-do this area with the bath filled. It is a steel bath and the plumber said it was unecessary to fill it before sealing.

Should it leak that easy though if there is a tiny hole in the silicone?

Should the walls be tiled before the bath is fitted? My bath was fitted first, then it was tiled. So the tiles come down to meet the bath leaving a 3mm gap between the bottom of the tile and the bath, is this normal?

When I have been looking at these bath sealant strips it would appear that the tiles should be placed behind the bath i.e fitted first. What do you think?

gcol · 18 Jul 2006

I was trying to see whether the water was getting past the tap (where it fits through the bath). Are you positive this isn't the case.
I know you said that taps weren't leaking but I don't refer to the plumbing - just the fit between bath and tap.

You're sure it's not the shower leaking? Have you run the shower with the shower head dangling so all water goes in the bath and checked for leaks? Worth a look.

Be honest, how good are you at putting a seal round a bath? How did you do it?

You can check if it's the seal by sticking some plastic insulation tape over the seal and spraying water on it. You might be surprised to find that it still leaks. If it doesn't then you're looking at re-sealing that part again.

Lynnos · 18 Jul 2006

It's definately not coming from the taps, like I said I've got good access to underneath the bath and can see where the leak is coming form, which is behind the tile or through the silicone and soaking the gyproc.

I will try the insulating tape tonight to see if that works. I have considered the shower but the confusing issue is that the leak hasn't always been there, it only came when I resealed the bath after another leak.

Thanks for your help. I'll let you know how I get on.

Lynn

gcol · 21 Jul 2006

Well, how did you get on?

Softus · 21 Jul 2006

A steel bath won't flex very much, but the floor might. Are the feet screwed down securely?

As a suggestion, could you fill the bath with water and monitor how much the bath moves?

If it moves enough when full then it might be cracking a grout joint.

Also, does the bath butt up against the tiles, or were the tiles brought down to the edge of the bath (with a gap for sealant of course)? The latter is better.

Also, what kind of silicone are you using? Is it designed for the purpose and is it of good enough quality?

Fionamg · 19 Jul 2007

Can you please tell me if it better to tile first (right down to the floor) or to tile down to the top of the bath and put in a sealing strip? If you tile first, how to you seal between the bath and the tiles? I hate silicone!

Softus · 19 Jul 2007

Fionamg said:
Can you please tell me if it better to tile first (right down to the floor) or to tile down to the top of the bath and put in a sealing strip? If you tile first, how to you seal between the bath and the tiles? I hate silicone!

It's better to secure the bath to the wall, and the floor, then tile down to it, leaving a 2mm gap. Before tiling I usually put silicone sealant between the bath and the wall, but not high enough to interfere with the tiling.

After tiling and grouting (leave the 2mm clear of grout), fill the bath with water and use top quality mildew resistant sanitary silicone sealant for the 2mm gap.

If you use poor quality sealant then it will let you down. If the bath can move then it will let you down. If you use grout in the gap it will let you down. There aren't very many ways of doing it in a way that will last.

gcol · 19 Jul 2007

I agree with Softus. I'd advise you not to use a sealing strip - they get grubby and invariably leak.

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Leaky Bath

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