Sealing the tub and surround to fix leak

robsouth wrote:
... The floor pan goes up the outside of the shower walls a substantial amount ... at least 6" or so. ....

Maybe on some units but NOT on mine. My plastic tub and seat are one piece. At the top of the tub there is a plastic surround and a small gap between it and the tub. There is NO overlap. The manufacturer had put a small amount of sealer but there were voids. In that case silicone tub caulk IS the correct thing to use.

I've noticed what robsouth is referring to on a lot of new trailers. Parts of the shower are not caulked and that looks odd.

robsouth wrote:
Showers in RVs are not caulked and should not be caulked. The floor pan goes up the outside of the shower walls a substantial amount ... at least 6" or so. You'd have to have at least 6+ inches of standing water in your shower for it to leak behind the walls. You'd never get that much water in the shower because it would be out into the hallway by then.

Call your RV manufacturer service department and ask them about this.

I disagree. The modern floor pan only goes up about an inch in most tubs. Look on line at tubs and you can see it.

We have replaced TWO tubs, due to cracking, (Makers Fault-Long story) and both times they leaked in that area until I sealed them. I know water does not go uphill, but they did leak until I sealed them.

Right now we are converting to a shower pan,with a 1 inch lip, and I will be caulking it.

And do your research about not using silicon for certain repairs.Robsouth is bang on.

Showers in RVs are not caulked and should not be caulked. The floor pan goes up the outside of the shower walls a substantial amount ... at least 6" or so. You'd have to have at least 6+ inches of standing water in your shower for it to leak behind the walls. You'd never get that much water in the shower because it would be out into the hallway by then.

The side walls and the floor pan are built that way to allow for flex going down the highway. I suppose it doesn't really matter whether you caulked or not, but when I see a caulked shower in a RV, I know the owner does not understand RV maintenance.

The only caulk necessary is a bead of caulk laid down when the shower door unit is installed. The sides and the bottom part are seated in this caulk to seal out water getting in between the shower and the shower door frame.

Call your RV manufacturer service department and ask them about this.

I sealed the space between the tub and surround on my TT with the same white silicone I use for my home tub/shower. Most harware stores also sell plastic "tools" that will leave a smoth finish to the joint if you can't apply it evenly by hand.

(that is the ONLY place on my trailer I use silicone)