Shower leak

[emmaamme]

My shower has a slight leak which appears to be coming from where the tray meets the wall (see pic 1).

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• emmaamme
• 21 Sep 2012
• 1

If i stick a bit of tissue slightly underneath the tray where it meets the wall it gets damp.
I spent ages removing the sealant from the inside of the enclosure and then resealed up every possible part of the interior enclosure.
I tested it today and its still leaking at the same place. I've put even more sealant inside the enclosure in the corner and will check it in a couple of days however i've been searching the net and a lot of forums seem to suggest not sealing on the inside where the frame meets the tray to allow water to get into and then back out of frame. Mine has been sealed there (see pics 2 & 3) for a few years.

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• emmaamme
• 21 Sep 2012
• 1

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• emmaamme
• 21 Sep 2012
• 1

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• emmaamme
• 21 Sep 2012
• 1

The house/shower enclosure is 10 yrs old and my husband seems to think there was a problem when it was first installed as it leaked and he thinks the plumber who checked it out thought the builder had put sealant inside the frame in error preventing water from then running back out into the shower tray(does this sound possible or a load of rubbish? Not sure if my husband's remembering right). He thinks the plumber then advised us to put silicone along the inside of the enclosure where frame meets tray. (The silicone doesn't quite go all the way along as couldn't get it behind the door which is on a runner so there is a gap of about an inch where water could get in).
I'm wondering if this could be the cause of the leak - water getting in and not being able to get back out easily. If it still leaks in a couple of days should i remove the silicone from here?

 

[Armo74]

If you say the leak is coming from the gap underneath the tray have you tried keeping the siliconed sides dry and pouring water down the plug hole to eliminate the chances that it could be the trap that is leaking and not the siliconed sides of the tray.

 

[swbjackson]

Your husband is correct. Most shower enclosures should be sealed all of the way round the outside and down the sides inside but leaving the bottom inside free of silicone to enable any trapped water to escape.

 

[emmaamme]

Hi Armo74,
I've just put some water down the plug hole but no water has appeared so hopefully can rule that out.
Swbjackson - If by chance the leak is away when i test it in the morning should i remove the horizontal silicone on the inside of the shower enclosure or just leave it as it is? (Just a bit worried that if i start removing it the leak might return). cheers.