Leaking shower problem - will this fix it?

[bettyclueless]

Hi forum!

Finally got round to tackling my leaking shower unit in the ensuite this week, the main issue was that water was seeping outside the shower tray and up the lower side walls, causing some dampness.

So I stripped away the old caulk, resealed the whole lower shower cubicle from the inside. After that had dried, and after taking a shower, the leak issue was still there - water was still seeping outside of the shower tray and up the wall.

So eventually, I got around to cleaning up the mouldy caulk on the outside of the shower, and this is what I found:-

Left side:
View media item 88215
Upon closer inspection, the shower tray seems to go far back into the wall, and theres a clear ~1cm gap between the tiles and the edge of the tray!
View media item 88214
On the right hand side, the tray again goes into the wall, but theres an additional thin metal strip (I assume to help maintain the edge of the wall) which has rusted due to the damp issue:
View media item 88217
After cleaning up the sides, I figured just filling up the ends of the tray with caulk, along with line of sealant on the edge of the metal door frame would prevent the leaking, as per photos:
View media item 88216 View media item 88218
Left it for 2 days now, hopefully that should remedy the issue.

However, some questions do remain - is the shower door installed properly (I mean, is there meant to be a 2cm gap between the frame and the edge of the shower basin? Also, is it usual/normal for a shower basin to go a few cm into the wall? It looks to me like a poor job, I assume the builder must have cut the wall plasterboard to get the shower basin to 'fit'.

Also, to finish up, how should I plaster the left side wall up (theres a gaping hole as per first photo)? That's assuming that the leaks stop and I can move onto this stage!

Thanks in advance,

Betty

 

[bettyclueless]

well, it looks like theres some water getting round the back edge of the left side of the tray, in behind the tiles. Whether that's because its seeping through holes in the grout (I think its 11 years since it was done) or because I haven't sealed it properly with silicone?

Can anyone please help?

 

[Burnerman]

A difficult one , Betty for sure.....
It's not ideal that the shower tray extends into the wall at the best of times, however the problem seems to be coming from the join between the shower door frame and the wall, or the tile joint between wall and the tray.
Replace the silicone between wall and tray first.....The old stuff will need to go (easier said than done). Apply quality silicone to the dry and clean joint.
At the same time, check the tile grouting down at that level......if it isn't perfect water will penetrate and pass down behind - maybe destroying the wall at the same time, depending on what it's made from.
Easy for us to say of course......do you intend to do a refurb sometime soon?
John

 

[ree]

All the siliconing and sealing in the world will not help that situation.

The shower enclosure must be completely stripped from the walls, and either replaced or thoroughly cleaned up before re-fixing.

The odds are that water is penetrating behind the tile and perhaps into the floor. Just because water damage presents at the bottom of the set-up doesn't mean that its entering there - moisture could be penetrating the metal jambs higher up. Unless the tiled walls are perfectly plumb, and the fitter doesn't overtighten the fixing screws, jambs will always eventually leak.

The bottom row of tile should come down to just above the rim of the shower tray (some trays have fins that go behind the bottom row of tile) but not to the extent that the tray is recessed into the walls.

I suspect that your whole shower installation was incorrectly fitted from day one.