Leaky bath seal

[Peter.N.]

Hi Folks

I wonder if you can help me. We have a small cottage that we let and I keep on having problems with water leaking to the ceiling below. I have scraped it out and re sealed with silicone three times now but it starts leaking again. I notice that the bath was moving a little when you stand in it pulling it away from the sealant so I have now braced the underneath and reduced the movement to a minimum, mostly due to the bath flexing and it still leaks.

Is there anything I can use that is better than silicone, I have seen some strip that you stick on the tiles, I would think that would have more give in it, is it any good?

The water is definitely running down the side of the bath I can see the damp underneath.

Peter

 

[Burnerman]

Always a bit of a problem, Peter and the usual idea is to fill the bath before applying the sealant so the gap is larger at the time.
The trim you mention is best fitted behind the tile rather on the top - it doesn't look so good either when fitted that way......and it's rarely leakproof for any length of time.
If you can prevent any bath movement, you can get quadrant tiles that can fill the larger gap.
John

 

[Peter.N.]

Hi John

You pop up everywhere, I reckon you must run this forum single handed Thanks for the info. It really needs a sill!

Peter

 

[Burnerman]

If it's any help Peter, a low modulus sealant is what you need due to it's greater elasticity to deal with movement......and the cheaper sealants aren't too good at this.
Dow Corning stuff is the one to look for.
Regards
John

 

[Peter.N.]

Thanks John, I will look out for that. I remember Dow Corning from the '50s, it was used for making frameless fish tanks.

Peter

 

[WabbitPoo]

Are you SURE its the seal and not something else - eg the waste?

 

[Peter.N.]

Yes I'm sure its the seal, have been under there with a bright light, all the plumbing is as dry as a bone but the floor at the back against the wall is going rotten, really needs taking out and re flooring but I have tenant's in at the moment.

Peter

 

[oilboffin]

Really the only way is to take out the bath put a batten down the long side of the bath then before fitting the bath run silicon down the batten and along the short side then push in the bath when these two runs have cured run the final seal along all sides and leave to cure it works every time good luck

 

[Peter.N.]

I'm hoping that I have cured it now thanks. There was quadrant round the front and side to which the bath was sealed so I pulled it off and found that the water was getting behind it via the grouting in the tiles, so I cleaned it all off, scraped out the fungal grouting, pushed sealant hard in between the tiles and then used a whole tube filling the space after having dried it with a hot air gun and cleaned it with meths - so far so good.

The bath does need to come out as the floor under it is going rotten as a result of the leak, but as we at present have tenants I can't really do it while they are there and I don't want to have to put them in a hotel!

There was also a leaking radiator, it had one of these adjustable tails as the pipe was the wrong distance from the radiator, I fitted a new one and that leaked, the third one didn't but I had a drip from where it was screwed into the radiator, at the 3rd attempt and with 20 turns of PTFE round it the leak has now stopped - but I forgot to repressurise the boiler so expected a call to say they have no hot water but I haven't so I assume there is still enough pressure - I'm getting to old for this.

Peter